We’ve decided it would be fun to take the 2016 Pet Blogger Challenge sponsored by GoPetfriendly.com to give you the opportunity to learn a little bit more about The Cat on My Head.
1. How long have you been blogging? Our first post was published on July 21, 2012. We knew nothing about blogging and knew no other bloggers. Mom just wanted to start writing more, and she thought telling stories about us would be a good way to do it.
And, for anyone who is visiting for the first time, please give a quick description of the subject of your blog. We began with the intent of sharing funny stories about ourselves and the nine angel cats who came before. Eventually we branched out into doing product and book reviews. And 74 weeks ago we began our popular Sunday Selfies Blog Hop. Each week we always participate in BlogPaws and Create with Joy’s Wordless Wednesday blog hops and in Athena and Marie‘s Caturday Art Blog Hop. We also write about Cat Scouts of which Mauricio is member.
2. What is the one thing that you accomplished during 2015, either on your blog or because of it, that made you most proud? We were contacted by PAWSPR of New York and asked if Mom would like to interview cat behaviorist and Animal Planet reality star, Jackson Galaxy, about his new book, Catify to Satisfy, and his Jackson Galaxy Foundation. A 25-minute telephone interview became a series of three blogs posts. To this day Mom does not know who recommended that she be contacted to do this.
3. Which of your blog posts was your favorite this year and why? Just because of what it represents with regard to legitimizing our blog, we have to say the three Jackson Galaxy posts.
4. What is one thing you’ve done in the past year that has brought more traffic to your blog? That would be our Sunday Selfies Blog Hop. The number of participants varies from week to week but from the outset it has been very popular with at least 50 participants each week. And we have new participants joining almost every week, giving us the opportunity to make new friends.
5. Which of your blog posts got the most traffic this year? Why do you think it was so popular? Our most popular post was a review and giveaway of the book, The Good, the Bad and the Furry, by popular British author, Tom Cox. The second most popular was our recent post, Purrs and Prayers Please for Fiona, about Fiona’s diagnosis of CKD. The first shows how much everyone loves the opportunity to win a great book about cats, and Cox himself promoted the post and giveaway via Twitter. The second proves that our pet blogging community is filled with the most caring and compassionate individuals. We all appreciate the outpouring of love, support and suggestions in how to care for Fiona.
6. What is one blog that you read religiously — other than your own — and what makes you such a devoted reader? We have dozens we always read; though, sometimes we get behind and have to read several days at a time. We never miss Kitty Cat Chronicles or Friends Furever as those are the blogs of Astrid’s boyfriend Sampy and Mau’s girlfriend Allie.
7. What resources do you rely on to enhance your technical, writing, photography, social media, or other skills that improve your blog? No one resource. If Mom is working on a post that requires research, she’ll Google to find the appropriate web-sites, resources and information. The BlogPaws conference and website are always excellent sources of help to improve blogging skills. One of the best resources is our fellow bloggers.
8. What is the best piece of advice you can offer other bloggers? Be true to yourself and write about what you know and what makes you happy. Though many of our blogs cover the same information, we each have our own story to tell in our own voice. Get to know other bloggers (even if you never meet in person) as they can be your best resources when you need help and support.
9. What is your vision for your blog in 2016? Do you have specific goals? Mom would like to improve her photographic skills. When we started the blog she was not that concerned about the photographs as her skills lie with writing. But she realizes how exceptional photography can enhance any post after seeing the quality photography on blogs such as Glogirly, A Tonk’s Tail and Sometimes Cats Herd You. Most of the decent photos on our blog have been taken by our dad, but he’s not always available. We’d also like to develop more of a presence on Twitter by posting there on a consistent basis.
10. You have the attention of the pet blogging community — is there one blogging challenge you’d like help with, or one aspect of your blog that you’d like input on? We’ll take any input, suggestions or help anyone would like to offer if it helps make our blog better and more interesting.
So that’s it! If you decide to read this, we hope you find it of interest.
Purrs and paw-pats, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo
