Dear Sparkle

If you want to know how a cat really thinks then this book is for you.  It is cat advice from a cat.  Well,  not quite, but you'd think it was.  This author must live and breath and certainly think like a cat.  You actually think it is a real cat writing.  You have to be a wonderful author with a super cat imagination to come up with these advice tips.  Maybe this author was a cat in another life I don't know, but he/she sure thinks like a cat.  If you want a Dear Abby for your feline I think you should request Sparkle the Cat.  Be sure to visit Sparkle's guest article: 5 reasons why Cats make better authors than humans.  (This should prove to be an interesting guest article.)  Follow this whole post.  There is a fun excerpt to read, an interview with Sparkle to visit and a giveaway for a copy of the book. 

Face it, kitties, your humans can’t help you untangle your problems — especially when they’re usually the ones driving you crazy! But never fear, the world’s foremost feline authority, Sparkle the Cat, is here to solve all of your kitty conundrums. With 70 Q&As, “Sparkle Says” sidebars, and full-color photos throughout, this guide is definitely NOT your usual human-written cat book. Whether you’re a confused kitty who doesn’t understand why you’re supposed to stay off the couch, a cat who’s furious because the new puppy ate your catnip stash, or a freaked-out feral who wants to return to the wild, Sparkle has the wise — and often hilarious — answers for your woes. And who knows? Humans who read it (with your permission, of course) may even learn something new about the way we behave.

You can visit his website at www.sparklecat.com.

COUCH CONFLICT
Dear Sparkle,
This human brought me home from the local rescue, so I’m still getting used to things around here. Some of it’s nice—great cat food and a cool cat tree that’s taller than my new human. But there are other things I’m not so sure about, like the ongoing debate my human and I have been having over the couch. For some unknown reason, she wants me to stay off it, but it’s the best perch in the house! It catches the afternoon sun just right, and it’s an even more comfortable place to nap than the cat tree is. I hate to tell my human, but I ain’t giving it up! So how to I make her stop shooing me away every time I try to settle down for a nice, sunny nap?
Signed,
Couch Potato Dear C. Potato,
When it comes to getting something we really want, we cats will always outlast humans. Trust me, that couch is all yours. But you already know that. You’re going to keep jumping up on it until your human lets you be. It’s a process, and there’s really no way to shorten the time frame. Just keep on doing what you’re doing. Eventually the nagging will stop.

Don’t let this inevitability lure you into complacency, however. Your human will pull a few surprises, but there are always “work-arounds.” If she thinks you will shed on the couch, she might toss a throw over it. This could be a good thing. Throws are comfy, and they also indicate that you’ve won the battle, as long as you lie on them, not the bare couch. If your human worries that you will sharpen your claws on the couch, she may use “Sticky Paws,” a two-sided tape that feels gross under our paws. Don’t step on it! At least not until you’ve rubbed all over it and covered up the stickiness with your fur. Then the Sticky Paws tape will smell like you and let the world know the couch is yours.
As for direct confrontations with your human (her yelling, that dreaded spray bottle, etc.), just do most of your couch sitting when she isn’t home, but let her catch you often enough to make her realize that the couch is your territory.
NICKNAME NIGHTMARE
Dear Sparkle,
When my human brought me home, she decided to call me Max, which I thought was a fairly decent name. I even come when I hear her say it (usually that means she has some food for me). But now that we’ve been living together for a few months, she has started to call me some wacky versions of my name—Maxie-Boy, Maxie-Baxie, Mad Max, and the worst, Maxie-Boo-Boo-Baby. It’s disgusting, not to mention undignified. I am MAX, M-A-X, no “Boo,” no “Baby,” and I’m only “Mad” Max when she starts messing with my name! How can I keep her from mangling my perfectly decent name?
Signed,
Just Max
Dear Max,
Silly kitty! The answer to your problem is obvious. Every time your human starts mangling your name, make yourself scarce. Only show up when she uses your proper name. You do have to be consistent about this. The big mistake cats make is responding to a nickname at dinnertime or when their humans are being nice to them. Doing this only encourages them to keep using it. If you want to be called Max, then only respond to Max. When your human uses one of those other, unsatisfactory names, walk away, no matter how tempting it is to stick around and be petted, and no matter how hungry you are. Yes, you may have to miss out on a few dinners while your human wanders around your home, calling out, “Maxie-Boo-Boo-Baby, where are yooouuuu?” but unless you want that as your permanent name, you’d better stay hunkered down in the closet or in the darkest part of the guest room. The penchant for hideous nicknames is almost an addiction with humans, and they even do it to each other. You need to make it 100 percent clear that you don’t play that game, or you’ll be stuck in a never-ending version of it.

Visit Sparkle's Guest Article:

5 Reasons Cats make better Authors than Humans

here

Sparkle is an award-winning author, blogger, advice columnist and supermodel. She is also a cat – a ruddy Somali of champion lineage, in fact, whose father, GC Tajhara’s Miles Davis, was twice on the cover of Cat Fancy. Sparkle’s first book, Dear Sparkle: Advice from One Cat to Another, won the Wild Card category at the 2007 Hollywood Book Festival and honorable mentions in several other contests. She also recently came home with the Pettie Award — the pet blogging equivalent of an Oscar — for Best Cat Blog. Sparkle lives in Los Angeles with two humans, two feline roommates (both rescue cats), and (unfortunately) a dog.

Dear Sparkle: Cat-to-Cat Advice from the World’s Foremost Feline Columnist (Adams Media) is her second book.

You can visit Sparkle’s blog at http://www.sparklecat.com.

Sparkle the Cat takes the mic here
click above or mic icon to go to Interview




Be sure to return tomorrow for a special guest article from Sparkle.

Want a chance to win this book?  Here it is...  Leave a comment asking Sparkle a question.  Something you've always wondered about cats?  Who knows Sparkle my even answer your comments.  This could prove to be interesting.  I will choose a winner for this book on Jan 29th.  Please US/Canada residents only.  Be sure to leave a way of contact.

Bonus:  Must do the mandatory entry before receiving bonus entries.(one entry for each)

• follow my blog
• subscribe to my blog
• Tell me what is your favorite pet?  Cat, dog, rat, bird, etc.  (Ssssshhhhh!  don't tell Sparkle but mine is a Dog)
• Visit Sparkles' site here.  Tell me something you liked or learned or found.
• Visit Sparkles' interview here and tell me what you learned. 
• Visit Sparkles' guest article here and tell me which reason you liked best or what you learned.
• Head over to I Am A Reader, Not A Writer she is giving away a copy too.  Deadline Jan. 18th

Goes to winner

A copy of this book was provided for review by Virtual Book tours