tabs

Tabs and I have been business partners/roommates going on four years now, and all things considered, we have a pretty good relationship. He leaves my food alone (I had this one roommate who always ate my food without asking; it was SO ANNOYING), pays his share of the rent, does his share of the work (kitty modeling), and doesn’t hog the bathroom.

And he’d be the perfect kitty colleague if it weren’t for a few blemishes on his otherwise spotless record. Things like…

1. The Christmas Tree Incident

There’s still no conclusive evidence proving that Tabs was the one who knocked over the Christmas tree last year, but he’s still the prime suspect in the case. After examining the forensics (pine needles found on the suspect’s cat tower, wet paw prints leading away from the scene of the crime), experts believe that it was probably Tabs.

2. Edward Scissorpaws Unleashed!

Because Tabs is generally such a loving, good-natured kitty, his outburst a few months ago came as a huge shock to us all.

We were playing around his cat tower at the time. I was shaking his feather on a stick. Chasing it has always been one of his favorite games, and I leaned in to give him a kiss on the head.

Suddenly, there was a blur of brown, black and tan motion in front of me! I felt a whoosh of air and a soft tap on my cheek.

Wha!? For the first time ever, he’d taken a swipe at my face, and it left behind a very light scratch.

I think he was just feeling extra feisty that day, or perhaps for a moment forgot that I’m not a cat. I’ve forgiven him since then…but he was on my sh*t list for a while.

3. Sushi the Fish, Meet Tabs the Cat

El Hub used to have a betta fish named Sushi, who has since moved on to a better place. Sushi lived in a gorgeous glass apartment at the top of Novato Towers (the hutch in the living room), with amazing views of the TV and coffee table in the valley below.

We really thought the 7-foot-tall hutch was out of Tabs’ reach, but on Sushi’s very first night in his new apartment, Tabs engineered a way to haul his 20-pound body to the top.

Novato Tower’s security had been breached!

I was just coming down the stairs when I saw it, Tabs’ chubby paw poised above Sushi’s bowl. “Noooo!” I roared from across the room, startling Tabs, who then hopped back down to the floor.

Sushi’s life was spared. “How the hell did you get up there!?” I demanded from Tabs.

Of course, I received no reply…

For the record, Sushi went on to live a long, full fish life after the incident, and when he finally passed, Tabs was not involved in his demise. 🙂
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Tabs went buck wild this week, kitty modeling all over the globe. “I’m in the house, b*tches!” he recently told Rolling Stone. He had jobs in Tahiti, outer space, Bon Temps (a small town in Louisiana…), Germany and Beijing, but now he’s back home in Cali with me.

Here’s a look at his portfolio from the week. He hopes you enjoy. 🙂

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Tabs does most of his blogging late at night because, he says, he likes to create in silence. Sometimes I’ll hear him from bed, his little paws click-clacking away at the keyboard downstairs.

He has a few feline colleagues/friends that he regularly communicates with primarily through his blog, partywithtabs.com, which is now mostly dedicated to cat fashion do’s and don’ts, although he also writes occasionally about life in the fast-paced kitty modeling world.

He says his blog is now more of a networking tool than anything else, and so it was a big surprise to hear from MAC Cosmetics the other day about the upcoming MAC Bloggers’ Obsessions Collection (coming June 21). He couldn’t believe his kitty ears when they said they wanted to include him among the bloggers in the release as a late addition.

Needless to say, he was beyond thrilled! His color, Runway Tabby, is a light shimmery lavender eyeshadow inspired by his favorite purple flowers in the front yard.

When the collection drops this Tuesday, be sure to check it out online. 🙂

Before you go, here are some highlights from Tabs’ kitty modeling portfolio this week.

Who is Tabs the Cat? About three years ago I befriended a stray, flea-bitten tabby cat with a bad case of worms. I could see he’d fallen on hard times, but his profound knowledge of high fashion and department store cosmetics led me to believe that he was more than meets the eye. We became fast friends, and now he’s actually my boss (and a successful kitty model).

Tabs spent 8 hours in the makeup chair for this look…

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I always miss Tabs like crazy when I’m on the road, but this time, before leaving for Vancouver, I took preventative measures. Not only did we keep in touch remotely via the Skype Tabby Cam, but I also loaded a few pictures of him on my laptop before I left.

Yeah…you know you’re a full-blown cat lady when you get a call in your hotel room from the front desk because of reports of loud meows coming from your room.

Um, yeah, that’s just me Skyping my cat.

But I’m not ashamed. Fellow cat ladies, stand proud! 🙂

What’s the craziest cat lady thing you’ve ever done?

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Not only is Tabs a cat of many talents, but he’s also a cat of many names. I’ve always given my furry companions nicknames, but Tabs take the cake.

Honestly, it’s a miracle he even knows his name at all because half the time I’m calling him something other than Tabs. His many monikers include…

Gravy Crockett

Smokey Eyes

Coco Tabby

Grumble Bunny

Baby Cat

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Six. That’s how many times I drove back/forth to/from the airport this week for Tabs. I’m like his personal shuttle service. It’s an hour drive, round trip, and I barely get so much as a thank you. I know it’s part of my job as his assistant, but still. A little gratitude would be nice.

The phone’s been ringing off the hook lately with kitty modeling job offers, and the void left by Oprah has the networks even talking about a possible talk show (fingers crossed!).

This week Tabs had modeling jobs in far-flung locales like Paris, New York, Honolulu and Santa Cruz. Seriously, he was all over the map.

I’m glad he’s home for the long weekend now. If you’re interested, here are some recent pics from his portfolio.

Who is Tabs the Cat? About three years ago I befriended a stray, flea-bitten tabby cat with a bad case of worms. I could see he’d fallen on hard times, but his profound knowledge of high fashion and department store cosmetics led me to believe that he was more than meets the eye. We became fast friends, and now he’s actually my boss (and a successful kitty model). 🙂

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