The winners of Catster and Dogster’s Video Contest have been announced, and it is a bittersweet announcement. Lola is the Cat Video winner, and she takes home 100 zealies for her efforts.

Many of you know that Lola made her journey to the Rainbow Bridge yesterday. It’s fitting that this video can help us remember her as a playful, Kung-Fu fighter … and a good girl.

Concatulations, Lola!

One of the most competitive categories in the World’s Coolest Cat Contest is “Sleeper,” cuz sleepin’ is what cats do best. Above, Charlie, Gizmo, Wally and Romeo demonstrate the fine art of posing for a picture-purrfect entry. In LOL-speak: “Sleepin. Yer doin it rite.”

Any Catster member can enter and every cat can submit one entry in each of the 15 categories. (Not a Catster member? Join now: it’s free.) Prizes include a Flip Ultra digital camcorder, PetSmart gift cards, zealies, Catster Plus memberships and more.

And, you can score zealies just by voting!

Entries and voting end NOV 18th.

After you’ve entered TCM’s Halloween Photo Contest, why not take a few minutes to enter that great photo in other Halloween photo contests as well? There are a few that are still open for entries:

World’s Coolest Cat Contest

The Costume and Shades Category is purrfect for your Halloween efforts!
Deadline: November 18th
Eligibility: All Catsters (Not a Catster member? It’s free, and just takes a minute to join!) One entry per cat in each of the 15 categories.
Grand Prize:

• A Flip Ultra digital camcorder
  
• One-year CatsterPlus membership
  
• 250 Zealies

Judging: Dogster luminaries and one Feline Fashionista pick the categories winners. Voting determines Best in Show.
Link:Enter the World’s Coolest Contest

Marin Humane Society’s Pet Photo Contest

Good Housekeeping Pet Photo Contest

Deadline: 11:59pm Halloween
Eligibility: All companion animals. One entry per household.
Prizes: There’s a bunch of them. The Grand Prize includes round-trip coach airfare for four (4) people from major airport nearest Winner’s residence. Grand Prize Winner will also receive $600 worth of Bissell Pet Cleaning products and $2,000 cash. The total approximate retail value of the Grand Prize is $6,500.
Judging: Popular vote.
Link: Good Housekeeping’s Pet Photo Contest

Walgreen’s Cutest Costumed Pet

Deadine: November 4, 2009
Eligibility: Click here.
Prizes: $7424.50 (ARV) in prizes will be awarded, including:

• Ten (10) First Prize winners (5 from each contest): $250 WPhoto Gift Card and the following prints credited to the Entrants’ Walgreens.com photo account: (500) 4″x6″ prints, (50) 5″x7″ prints, (25) 8″x10″ prints, (10) wallets sets. (ARV: $489.15)
  
• Twenty (20) Second Prize winners (10 from each contest): The following prints credited to the Entrants’ Walgreens.com photo account: (150) 4″x6″ prints, (20) 5″x7″ prints, (10) 8″x10″ prints, (5) wallets sets. (ARV: $89.15)
  
• Fifty (50) Third Prize winners (25 from each contest): (100) 4″x6″ prints credited to the Entrants’ Walgreens.com photo account. (ARV: $15.00)

Judging: Popular Vote
Link: Walgreen’s Pet Photo Contest

There is a gaping black hole in the Catster universe today as everyone’s best friend, Calvin, made his journey to the Rainbow Bridge this morning after a six-week fight with stomach cancer.

His arresting green eyes suggested an old soul of a cat, wise beyond our knowing and as loving, cuddly and affectionate a cat as you could ever hope to meet. He was the heart and soul of Catster, always there to help, to comfort, to make your day with his gentle good humor. We will long remember his pawmails which always closed with his signature “Knead On.”

His mom, Laura, was his second caretaker. His first was Laura’s aunt. She passed away, and the day after her funeral her husband loaded all of her cats in the car and took them to the pound. Hearing this, Laura went to the pound and “bought back” the four cats, one of whom was Calvin. Laura found homes for the other three and kept Calvin. She’s had him for the last seven years.

Calvin was 18, and leaves behind Samoa, Violet, Gleek, Sugar, and Newman. He joins Spunky, Autumn and Rocky at the Bridge. Please drop by his Catster page and leave a big hug for his family, especially his mom and pop, Laura and Ted.

It’s time for all you kitties to s–t–r–e–t–c–h your booties from nose to tail and pose for an award-winning shot because Catster’s 5th Annual World’s Coolest Cat Contest is open for entries. Grand Prize is a Flip Ultra Digital Camcorder and other cool prizes. Do you think you have what it takes — like last year’s award winning stretcher, Mercy (shown above)?

As always, there are 15 cool CATegories in which you can compete. Over the next month The Cat’s Meow will talk to some of last year’s award winners and give you some tips on capturing the PURRfect shot. Stay tuned for the inside scoop!

• Click here to enter.
• Click here to see last year’s winners

Click PLAY in thumbnail in upper right to start video.

In a reader? Click here.

This weekend, I’m joining other Catsters in cheering on Catster Jeter Harris‘ mom as she walks 60 miles over 3 days to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer research. Most of us have previously only interacted with each other online through Catster, so it’s a thrill to meet the people behind the cats and support a worthy cause.

The video above is one in a series produced by Purina Cat Chow to tell the stories of women who found support from their cats as they fought breast cancer. It’s worth investing a few minutes of your time to watch these testimonials to the power of the paw.

This year, Purina Cat Chow is donating over $200,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure® to fund research. If you take the breast cancer awareness quiz provided on their site, they will donate $1.00, up to an additional $125,000, toward the cause.

If you’re the type of cat who likes to mingle with the woofies, you might enjoy the big Block Pawty going on tomorrow from 11-5 PT on Dogster. It’s taking place in the following groups – and you don’t need to be a group member to join in the fun:

• Miss Dixie Monroe’s Dixieland
• Best Little Doghouse in Dogster
• Toby’s Tiny Paws Cruise Line

Dixieland is holding a dance contest (with real, live trophies), the Tiny Paws Cruise Line will have a kissing booth, and there will be bullriding in the Best Little Doghouse. There will be lots of other actiivities, including a scavenger hunt and a trivia contest.

At the end of the day, a name will be drawn from all of the pawticipants and the winner will get a big gift basket.

So, drop by all the groups tomorrow and have a great time!

Join the “Royal Canin® Felines” Group

You must be a Catster member to join the Group and receive the free bag of food. Joining Catster only takes a minute, and it’s free.

Click here to join and get your coupon for a free bag.

Our former home in the desert had stables, which we insulated. We poured concrete in one, the “dining hall”, and in the other, we installed “boat-deck” outdoor carpeting. We built elevated sleeping quarters which affixed to the walls, and to access these, we built little ramp ladders, which you can see in the photos. We’d rescued “community cats” in our PREVIOUS neighborhood, and were able to have our in-house clowder plus our “stables crew,” who enjoyed the two stables plus a cat-fenced outdoor compound. Indoors and outdoors were climate-controlled, with a portable swamp cooler, an oil heater, and a mister for the yard.

And here are the ladders, which lead to the elevated sleeping quarters. How cool is that??

Thanks for sharing, Rani!

During the month of July the Garden State Cat Club puts on their annual cat show/expo at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset, NJ. This year, Catster Kyande Kisu was selected to appear on a billboard purrmoting the event.

The Expo is designed to educate the cat owning public about cats, cat care, new products and training, while assisting area shelters with its Adopt-A-Cat program. The event is complemented by the club’s annual cat show.

It’s one of the top five cat shows held in the United States, it is the largest in the Northeast.

The Garden State Cat Club believes their activities will draw the general public to the CAT EXPO as well as inform and educate them about the world of cats. Over a two day period, between 2,500- 5,000 people attend the show.

This year for additional advertising, members were asked to submit photos of their cats to promote the expo. The photos were reviewed by graphic artists from Clear Channel Broadcasting, and several cats were chosen to be pictured on billboards in New Jersey.

One of the selected cats was Kyande Kisu, a one-year old female Japanese Bobtail from Vernon, NJ, who is registered with the Cat Fanciers Association. Kyande Kisu’s registered name is Kiddlyn’s Kyande Kisu (Kisu, translated from the Japanese, means “kiss”) and is a “Premier” trying to obtain her goal of “Grand Premier.”

The billboard advertisement was on display in mid-July to promote the show which was held on July 18th & 19th. The billboard is located on Route 287 in Plainfield, NJ.

Kisu’s mom was thrilled about being selected, and said, “This is something we will never forget. We are so honored.”

• Visit Kisu on Catster.