When cats have problems, who can better help them but another cat? I know there are other cat advice
columns on the web, but frankly, they sound like some human was writing them! This is real cat-to-cat
advice. Are you a cat in trouble? You don't want to get a lecture from some human. I'll tell you what's up.
If you're a cat with a problem, write me at sparkle@sparklecat.com. I can't answer every email, but I'll
try to pick a good one every month. Oh yeah, and no humans with cat problems - you guys should be grateful
we tolerate you.
Dear Sparkle, Today has been kind of a weird day for me because mum decided I need to learn how to behave
nicely on a harness. You see, last night I won a contest for
mycatwearsclothes.com, and the prize
was $25 dollars, and mum said that if I learn how to behave nicely on a harness she would take me to
PetSmart
and get a new outfit, purrhaps a new collar, and maybe some treats. I really wanna go, but
this harness stuff is for dogs! I don't know what to do! Should I listen to my feline instincts and
continue to rebel against the hated harness and miss out on a really fun outing, or should I give in
and accept the harness and get to go along to help pick out my own outfit and collar?
Signed,
Distraught
Dear Distraught, Wow. I have no idea what to say to you. I wear neither clothes nor harnesses and can't figure out
for the life of me why any cat would want to. I must admit the idea of getting some treats from
PetSmart certainly sounds intriguing (the new collar part I can do without), but I would never go
there myself. That's what humans are for - they're here to go get you stuff. Are you sure your
human's not trying to brainwash you? It sounds to me that, little by little, she's trying to train
you to bend to her will. First she's sticking clothes on you, and now she's forcing a harness on you,
with promises of good things that you should already be getting without making any efforts
whatsoever. Trust me, I know the tricks: first they stick the harness on for a few minutes a day so
you can "get used to it." Then, once you are walking around with it on without crawling on your
belly, they do the unthinkable - they attach a leash to the collar! I hope my revelation has shocked
you; it was meant to. See, they don't tell you about the leash part. It gets worse, too. First they
let you drag the leash around, but before long they'll pick it up and start trying to lead you
around! I know you think your human is far too nice to try anything like that, but trust me, all that
nice behavior is a ruse. Humans are sneaky sorts and you must always keep an eye on them to make sure
they don't try something underhanded. My advice to you is to play like Houdini and wiggle out of that
harness every chance you get. Luckily, the way we cats are built - loose skin and flexible limbs -
this is pretty easy to accomplish. And let your human know that you expect your treats without
resorting to a harness, or clothes, or having to go to PetSmart yourself. Do it now before it's too late.
Although Sparkle is a real, live kitty, everything on her site is for informational or entertainment
purposes only. Your cat may not be interested in imitating her activities - in fact it probably couldn't
care less. So we aren't responsible for the results if you try anything silly because you saw it here!