Sparkle the Cat - Dear Sparkle: Cat-to-Cat Advice

A cat's got her own opinion of human beings. She don't say much, but you can tell enough to make you anxious not to hear the whole of it.

Jerome K. Jerome

If you're a human reading this book, don't say I didn't warn you; what you are about to read is no-holds-barred advice meant for cats only. I didn't write this for you, although I will say that much of this book was written because of you. We cats are bright creatures, and if you share your home with one, you can undoubtedly count the many ways in which she's out-witted you. But even cats aren't infallible, and when they are stumped about a problem, they do the smart thing; they go to an expert for advice. Unfortunately, most souls who call themselves cat experts have one huge problem they are not cats.

A human cat expert will always try to solve the issue in a way that works from a human perspective, which is quite different from that of a cat's. If a cat wants to find the answer to a troubling issue, he is far better off getting advice from an authentic cat expert, i.e., another cat. For seven years, cats have been asking me for help because they know that, as a fellow feline, I'm not going to cater to some human whim, but instead offer solutions that put them first right where they should be. The advice column on my website, www.sparklecat.com, has consistently been one of its most popular sections since its debut in September 2003.

But my favorite kudos have come from fellow cats. Lilly, a cat owned by book blogger Sharon Somers, put my advice to the test. Just the other day, I knocked over my human's tea cup when she would not feed us right away. At first there was a bit of shouting, but we got our food soon after! Another great nod came from Quasi, a fellow cat author, who wrote The World Is Your Litter Box. He called me the Dear Abby of the feline world. I know enough about human advice columnists to realize that you can't get higher praise than that!

All this brings me to this book, in which I address all possible kitty conundrums! I wish I could say that cats' problems have decreased since I began my column. But, no. Whenever I think I've seen every food or litter box issue ever created, a new one comes along to surprise me. But I don't mind. It keeps me on my toes (which is how I walk normally anyhow). In addition to advice, I have also sprinkled some Sparkle Says tips throughout the book these are extra tidbits of information that cats will enjoy.

A cat is never at anyone's service. The same does not apply to my advice, however, and I hope it serves my fellow cats well. You humans, read it if you dare, but don't expect to like a lot of what I have to say. If you keep an open mind, however, who knows? You just may learn something. I hear you guys are teachable when you want to be.

Sparkle

Los Angeles, California