You're off to a great start, and you have a beautiful subject.
I agree it's not as sharp as it could be, though. In general, aim to get its eyeball just a sharp and clear as possible. In this case, it could be you needed a faster shutter or that it's just a tiny bit out of focus.
Do get to know your flash. It will make a huge difference!
For extra picky suggestions, I'd say that since its face happened to be in front of that lighter colored area, it is a little distracting to the eye. If it were me, I'd probably crop out some of the space to the right, too. But that's personal preference.