My human thought some portraits of me by the living room window might be nice. But the lighting on my face was a little dark.

So she added a small fill light. It made a huge difference! You can see the rest of the photos below. No more secret messages, since they aren’t needed.

So did you like them with that little fill light? Let me know in the comments.

Yes, I have another cat show this month! This one will be in Glendale, California this Saturday. So it’s time to pick out my wardrobe.

The theme is “Summer of Love” so I chose from my lighter weight dresses.

I probably should have picked out 1960s style outfits. But I went with a different warm weather vibe.

The only problem was, I didn’t have a lot in the way of accessories!

The accessory choices for this dress were even worse!

Fortunately one of the dresses I chose was the 50s dress with the poodle skirt, and I really have to wear the beret with it.

Lastly, I chose my butterfly dress! Do you want to know how I wound up accessorizing everything? And did the infamous fish hat make an appearance? You will just have to wait a couple of days for the video!

The other morning, my human, thinking she was smart, told her boyfriend, “Look how much Summer loves dresses.” And she pulled out a random dress and of course I got all excited.

The only thing was, once I had the dress on, I wouldn’t leave her alone. I kept following her around, expecting to do a video. So of course she had to drop everything she was doing and set it up.

And of course one dress wasn’t enough for a video, so she pulled out several dresses for wardrobe changes.

She even brought out one of my favorite boxes.

That was so much fun! Eventually she did wear me out, and was able to get back to work. You can see the video below.

It’s time for outtakes! And the only running theme to this batch seems to be “silliness.”

I’m almost always happy to do a photo session. But I do have my moments.

We’ve had an extended period of hot weather, and when it’s like that, I often lie down on the job.

I was probably annoyed that my human didn’t turn up the A/C.

I had quite a number of sunglasses malfunctions during this shoot.

And that’s it for the outtakes! Did one really make you laugh? Let me know in the comments!

I had a shopping day! Only this time it was to the big chain pet store. And there was a specific reason why we went there instead of the small businesses we usually visit.

The Halloween costumes are in! Did you guess? Yes, it’s only mid August but it seems to get earlier every year.

Most of the costumes were repeats from previous years. But my human may have found something, or a couple of somethings for me.

We also stopped by the regular clothes. Nothing blew my human away, although she did find me a nice necklace.

I also got some admiration from shoppers, which is always nice.

We also got some of my breakfast food. But my human only picked up a small bag, so we’ll have an excuse to return to the indie store sooner than later.

On our way to check out, I got to explore.

There weren’t a lot of cat trees, but I did get to check out a couple.

It was fun, but we really needed to get home.

I was much more patient at check out than my human! Once we got to the register, the employees were thrilled to see me and took photos. It was a fun shopping trip!

How much do you know about your cat…really? Maybe you’ve had several cats over a lifetime, and have gathered a lot of experience. Your friends even ask you for cat advice. You may think you have all the important cat knowledge you need. But my human has a saying: “Always be teachable.” So I have 10 quick facts that may not be all that familiar to you.

1. Want to know a cat’s frame of mind? Check their tail.

You probably know about the friendliness of a raised tail, especially one that ends in that question mark type of curve. And everyone knows about a puffed up tail from those Halloween illustrations. But watching your cat’s tail movement on a day to day level tells you a lot about their ups and downs. If your cat seems a little off, or if they’re not completely acting like themselves, check their tail. Is it lower than usual? Tucked close to their bodies? Are they flicking it aggressively when you pet them in certain places? A cat’s tail, combined with the rest of their body language, can help you assess what they’re feeling.

2. Ear and whisker movements tell you a lot about what a cat sees in its surroundings.

We’re all amused when a cat makes airplane ears. But it’s not always funny. If something is truly annoying or scaring your cat, those airplane ears could flatten into something more fearful, and fearful cats can turn aggressive. A happy cat has ears that are rotated forward with relaxed whiskers. But if those whiskers are pointing forward, something really has their attention! And maybe you want to know what it is. I’ve helped my human find an unwanted critter or two that she didn’t even see at first.

3. Don’t interpret a slow blink all by itself.

Although slow blinking is generally a friendly, relaxed social signal, you still need to look at the whole cat. If their body is tense, their ears are flattened or their pupils are hugely dilated, don’t assume one slow blink means they want to be touched. Other body language may indicate they’re stressed, frightened or highly aroused.

4. Unless you really know your cat’s behavior and routines, you may not realize they’re in pain.

Assessing your cat’s day to day habits is important. Since they are so good at hiding pain, you may not recognize it unless you know what’s normal for your cat. If you’ve ever had a cat that was unwell, look back at their behavior leading up to the vet visit and you may realize they were giving off subtle signs long before you realized. Changes in sleeping, jumping, socializing, eating, litter box habits or even where your cat chooses to spend time can all be clues.

5. A cat’s changes in grooming can also signify something is wrong.

When you feel sick, you don’t take care of yourself the way you normally would. The same goes for your cat. If they start looking more unkempt than usual, they may feel unwell. And if they suddenly stop grooming certain areas, or excessively groom one particular spot, it’s something worth discussing with your vet.

6. A cat’s territory is layered.

Most people with cats know about giving them vertical space in the form of cat trees and shelving. But territory is in reality more complex. It also means having safe routes through the home and making sure one cat can’t block another cat’s access to food, water, resting spots or litter boxes. Multi-cat homes can overcome conflicts by rethinking and rearranging territory to suit the family members.

7. Slow introductions aren’t enough; you also need to set up the territory properly.

Yes, you need to go slow when bringing a new cat into a family that already includes one or more cats. But after the introduction, what then? Make sure each cat is given their own preferred privacy spots, plus eating, sleeping, and litter areas that are apart from the others. Many multi-cat conflicts involve access to space and resources, so it’s crucial to stay on top of those issues.

8. Rubbing against objects isn’t necessarily your cat claiming something as their property.

Yes, your cat’s depositing scent when they rub their cheeks and face against objects…or against you. But feline facial scent is also part of creating a familiar, reassuring environment. So think less “This belongs to me!” and more “This smells familiar and safe.”

9. A cat that’s quiet in the carrier while on the way to the vet may not be calm. They may be frozen with fear.

Some cats complain loudly when you’re driving them off to the clinic. But when you hear quiet, the cat may be no less upset. Some frightened cats respond by freezing or becoming very still in their carrier. So don’t think that when you bring your cat home, they will be right back to their normal selves. If your cat was silent out of fear, they probably need time to hide and decompress. So let them. They will come out when they are ready.

10. Cat enrichment isn’t just pampering — it’s part of keeping a cat healthy.

Cats are never set-and-forget pets. They need entertainment, companionship, a multi-tiered territory, and just in general, a full, rich life. Chronic stress and an environment that doesn’t adequately meet a cat’s behavioral needs have even been associated with feline idiopathic cystitis, a painful inflammatory bladder condition.
 
So what did you think of these facts? Have you noticed how any of them work in your life with your cat? Let me know in the comments.

Remember the photos of my Paris Hilton pet fashion show at Club Meow? The video is done and ready for you now!

The photos were fun, but I think you have to see me in action to get the full fashion experience.

So check it out below, and let me know if it made you change your mind about any of the outfits.

I got to visit my friends at the memory care facility this week. I saw the lady who likes my high fives, and the woman who used to follow me around chatting on a sofa in the lobby. The high five lady cheerfully waved us off and said they’d be in the big room in a bit.

We saw one of my regulars right away, but she has been fading over the past few weeks. She used to be really present and talkative. But in a short period of time she’s become vague and confused. She didn’t even see me on the sofa at first but once she did, she was happy to see me.

I saw another one of my regulars, sitting on a sofa and anxious to see me. But before my human could bring me over, a staff member led us to all the wheelchair bound residents. They were lined up in a semi circle, and some of them were dozing. Sometimes a staff member gently woke up a resident to visit with me. The routine was pretty much the same each time. Even though I was right in front of them, they didn’t see me at first, and it took some effort from the staff to get them to notice me. But once they did they were almost always delighted I was there.

The only one who was really unhappy was a woman who used to be really lively and a little excitable. She used to tell me she loved me and would make little dancey, squirmy moves. But now she’s in a wheelchair and always looks depressed. She didn’t want to visit today.

Finally I got to see the regular who was waiting for me, and that was really nice. I spent as much time with her as possible before we had to go off and visit other residents. One was the guy we saw last time with the oxygen tubes in his nose. He’s always smiling and he loves seeing me. Another one of my regulars was having a birthday the next day and she was in a really good mood.

When we finished and went back to the lobby, we found the high five lady and her friend still there on the sofa. So we sat with them for a while. I was tired and bored of my treats so I wasn’t in a high five mood. But it was still a nice visit.

Remember that big bag of pet outfits from Ross? I still have some left! Three of them are Paris Hilton pet dresses. So I thought it was time to have a fashion show at Club Meow so I could model them.

I couldn’t wait to get started!

A couple of the outfits were two-piece, so I thought I’d start off easy with the one-piece pink and white dress.

And I happened to have a hat that went with it too! I didn’t really have accessories that went with the other two outfits.

This two piece seemed a little busy for any accessories. And my straw hats didn’t really work with it.

And this two piece was really different! If I was going to accessorize it, it would have to be as unusual as the outfit.

It did come with sunglasses, but as you can tell, they are kind of big! And I don’t think they went with the outfit anyhow.

Which was your favorite Paris Hilton look on me? Let me know in the comments!

One of the most picturesque outside spots around here for a photo session is the area by the side of the front yard. So we took some portraits. It was a little warm, but I hadn’t been outside in a while, plus this area is mostly shady. Secret messages aren’t necessary for these pics, so I didn’t add any.

I posed for a few close ups.

We tried a couple different parts of the steps so the light hit different in some photos.

Then I came down the steps for some more photos.

At the foot of the steps, my human got a little creative and photographed me through some greenery.

We finished up with some profile shots on the concrete table.

Did you like these? Let me know in the comments.