Customer Reviews

Dear Sparkle: Advice From One Cat to Another

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My cat Ophelia says, "This book is purr-fect for cat owners. When I got adopted I knew I had to take charge immediately. I refused to be dominated by the other cat (a ditzy Calico appropriately named Creampuff) and a medium sized, mixed-breed dog named Gracie. Well, I could have written this book. When I got sick, I followed Sparkle's advice on taking medicine. I am now Top Cat in the household."

As someone who is owned by two cats, I would add, This book is well-written and fun. It's not cutesy and silly, as I would have expected. Just don't let the cats read it themselves.

There are lots of books on the market that give advice on how to care for cats, provide information on cat behavior, and address other aspects of living with a cat. This book is unique in this genre. It combines solid advice with humor, and gives us an insider's look into what and how cats think. Sparkle is a seven-year-old pedigreed Somali who speaks out on anything from how to address trouble with family members (both human and feline) to hairballs to culinary delights and disappointments. A significant portion of the book is devoted to addressing questions about human foibles. Writes Sparkle: "Humans are complicated beings, and very hard to train."

Sparkle, the internet's premier cat-to-cat advice columnist, brings her feline point of view to help her fellow cats figure out human behavior and deal with the day-to-day frustrations that living with humans can bring for a cat.

Some samples of the kinds of questions Sparkle answers are:

My human used to give me treats at dinnertime, but the vet put me on a diet and now I'm starving! How do I get these treats back?

A tom cat invaded my backyard and now my roommate hates my guts! What happened, and what do I do about it?

My human brought home a snotty new kitten - how do I show him who's boss?

This is a thoroughly enjoyable, often laugh out loud funny book filled with practical information presented in a unique style.

Cats have problems of their own. "Dear Sparkle: Advice from One Cat to Another (No Humans!)" is a charming read for pet lovers from Janiss Garza writing under the guise of her cat, Sparkle. Sparkle answers messages from other cats about the problems cats so often face in their lives. "Dear Sparkle" is a top pick for those who love the feline race and love humorous and entertaining stories.

I'm one of the lucky ones -- I have two housemates of the feline persuasion who graciously allow me to share space with them. For the most part, we all get along famously, but there are times when I feel, frankly, outnumbered. How I'd love to know what's going on behind those indecipherable eyes!

Enter Sparkle -- the cat with the answers. Although written as a series questions and answers from one cat to another, the book is an entertaining collection of issues and resolutions that any cat-loving human will find helpful.

The book is well-written, too. I've seen similar books that end up on the "cheesy" side -- or too saccharine sweet. This one is all business, but with a twinkle in the eye. It's not too long, either.

Definitely on my "gift list" for new cat owners, or cat-loving friends who wish they understood their pals a little better.

I have two very special guests joining me today to help me write this review. I know that my cats Lilly and Sabrina have been sneaking glances at the book whenever I leave the house, so I figure why not let them participate today. Dear Sparkle is after all a book written by a cat for other cats to read. However, before I let Lilly and Sabrina take over I would like to briefly share some of my own thoughts on the book. This is still my blog regardless of whatever my cats might think.

Move over Dewy: The Library Cat, there is a newer and tougher cat in town. Dear Sparkle is one of the cutest, silliest, and funniest cat books I have ever read. Sparkle Cat probably wouldn't want to hear her book described using those adjectives, but I cannot deny the truth. There were so many laugh out loud moments for me when I was reading this book. I got some strange looks when I was reading this book in public let me tell you.

The advice columns in Dear Sparkle are divided into different sections based on topics. There were two sections of the book that stood out from the rest for me. The two sections are titled: Human Foibles and Culinary Delights & Disappointments. I could relate to many of the problems faced by cats in the Human Foibles section. I am one of those annoying humans who loves to pick up her cats and shower them with kisses. I must be particularly dense, because even after reading Sparkle Cat's advice I am still convinced that my cats loved being kissed. Sparkle Cat dispenses advice to this poor cat the same way she does through the book, with a little bit of wit and a whole lot of attitude.

My favorite advice column in the entire book is in the Culinary Delights & Disappointments section. This particular advice column is titled, Catch of the Day. Sparkle Cat's advice to a cat who wants his owner's to eat healthier was absolutely hilarious:

"Whenever you see that your humans are about to eat something really bad, like a piece of pie or a cheese Danish, leap up on the table and bat it into the floor."

Overall, Dear Sparkle: Advice from One Cat to Another was a fun and hilarious book to read. I would recommend this book to all cat lovers.

Without further delay I would like to welcome my guest reviewers for today:

Sabrina: I have to say that at first I was rather annoyed with Sparkle Cat. I happen to be one of those "people pleasing" cats that Sparkle Cat seems to detest. I love my human and I want nothing more than for her to be happy. However, after a while I started to see the usefulness of some of her advice. My human is rather lazy and cheap when it comes to getting us toys. I've decided to put some of Sparkle Cat's advice to use in the hopes that my human will catch on and get us some fun new toys. I also enjoyed looking at the modeling pictures of Sparkle Cat that are scattered throughout the book. I envy her good looks and wish that I could pose for the camera half as well as Sparkle does.

Lilly: I loved Dear Sparkle from beginning to end. I have noticed for some time now that my human refuses to allow us cats to be in charge. I was not sure what to do about this problem until I started taking peaks at Dear Sparkle when my human wasn't around. I have already started putting her advice to good use. 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! I cannot thank Sparkle Cat enough!
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As the editor (or rather, personal assistant) of three cats who write their own advice column, I'm always curious to check out books written by other cat advice authorities, so when I got a chance to get a copy of "Dear Sparkle," I took it.

I'd read Sparkle's online advice column, so I expected that her book would be as entertaining as her blog--and I wasn't disappointed. Not only does this hugely entertaining 155-page book contain some great advice for Sparkle's fellow cats (and for the people who may read it covertly when their cats aren't looking), but the chapters are punctuated with lots of beautiful photos of Sparkle in all her regal majesty.

Since I write a cat advice column myself, I tend to read other advice books with a critical eye. Sparkle never takes a wrong step as she guides cats through some of the challenges of living with people and other animals. From unfortunate habits like scratching in undesirable locations to strange quirks like wool sucking, from aggression problems to ways of entertaining bored cats, and from feast to famine (and other dietary issues), Sparkle dishes it all--and sometimes with a dose of "tough love" for cats that need it.

I recommend this book highly, not just for its entertainment value but for the solid advice it offers to the people who dare to sneak it away from their cats. "Dear Sparkle" is very much a G-rated book, appropriate for all ages. I suspect that most kids under the age of 9 or 10 might not have quite enough reading skills to understand everything Sparkle says--but they'll get a kick out of it anyway, and I'm sure it could inspire a cat-loving kid to be a book-loving kid, too.

And on a purely personal note, I'm delighted to report that I found no typographical errors in this book (and I'm quite a stickler about that, too).

I'm glad my feline overlords let me read Sparkle's book. I'm sure it was because after they read it, they realized just how well trained their person is.

My Cat, Nikita, asked me to share his thoughts on this book after he read it.

This is an excerpt of his review as posted, tonite, on his blog, Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat ( [...] )....

While no doubt napping, and snoozing, one night a thought occured to Sparkle:

"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!"

She figured that, what they were doing...she could do much, much better, and the rest is award winning history.

Besides...she's Pedigreed, and can those Humans claim THAT? ;-D

Being the premier Advice Columnist to Pussydom Assembled is not easy, and the first 3 years on the beat provided considerable material to choose from for her first book.

This book has many photos of the author, all black & white, but no less lovely despite that.

This book is a thoughtful exercise in giving advice to Felines, male, and female, fixed, and not, Home Bodies, and Feral, young, and old.

It covers issues as varied as Wreck-reation, Cats, and other critters, the foibles of our Humans, Kibble issues, health, and beauty, and more, in a serious, honest, and truthful way.

She dispenses this advice, and asides to any Human readers, with considerable Tough Love, and a smile, as only an opinionated SoCal Pussy can. ;-D