Going Nose-to-Nose for Shelter Cats

KATIE:  Personal space, Waffles. Remember our discussion about personal space? NO nose-touching.

WAFFLES:  But Boss, aren't we supposed to go nose-to-nose this week?

KATIE:  Waffles, the BlogPaws Nose-to-Nose awards are accepting nominations this week...but I'm pretty sure it's got nothing to do with you and me touching noses.

Love Bites & Chicken Nibblets: Sampling a #PawNatural Smorgasbord

Hi everyone, Katie here.

It's been a regular smorgasbord at the Townhouse lately. Waffles and I have been taste-testing the Only Natural Pet line of food and treats. Formulated by a holistic veterinarian, this completely natural line of high and pure-protein food & treats is designed to meet the specific nutritional needs of us meat-loving kitties.

Freeze Dried All Meat Chicken Bites
Our paws-down favorite of everything we sampled is the freeze dried chicken treats. Both cats and dogs can enjoy these little hunks of chicken-y love. And Glogirly feels really good about the quality of the healthy ingredients. Or rather, ingredient.

No, you don't need your eyes checked. There's just ONE ingredient in these tasty treats: Chicken Breast.  Even WAFFLES can read this label!

Taste Testing the Daily Diets
When we first learned about Only Natural Pet's natural cat food options, we were VERY curious to check them out. You see, they don't make canned food. And they don't make traditional kibble either.




Freeze-Dried Chicken Nibblets

The Freeze-Dried Raw Chicken Nibblets are very small bite-sized nibbles of pure protein. They're never cooked, heated or steamed and provide many of the benefits a raw diet offers but in the convenience of a nibblet.

Waffles is enjoying the nibblets as a breakfast and dinner topper. As with any new food, it's important to introduce it very slowly, mixing it with what we're accustomed to eating. Be careful not to overfeed. The freeze dried nibblets are 180 calories per ounce, which for Waffles and I is all the calories we're allowed for a whole day. So as more nibblets are added, it's important to decrease the amount of your usual food.

MaxMeat Air-Dried Chicken Morsels
The Max-Meat Morsels are flatter and denser than the nibblets. Made from 90% free range meat, raised without hormones or antibiotics, Max Meat makes great high-protein meal topper or a meal in itself. 

This was my favorite of the three daily diets Waffles and I sampled. I prefer it as a topper with my usual food. Like the nibblets, I have to watch calories. The 1.5 ounce scoop that comes with the food dishes up a 178 calorie serving. That's my daily allotment right there. When I eat it as a topper, I need I need to watch my intake so I can watch my figure.


EasyRaw Turkey Dehydrated Cat Food
We were particularly curious to try the EasyRaw cat food. Like the freeze dried, it combines many of the health benefits of a raw diet with convenience. Glogirly just adds water and a few minutes later, breakfast is ready. She can also prepare it up to four days in advance. Unlike the other two foods we tried, this one provides moisture as well...another great benefit.

Unfortunately Waffles and I have not taken to this food as quickly as we had hoped. With just a little bit mixed in with our usual food, we gobble it all up. But if the switch is too fast or too much, we're not interested. Like most cats, we're creatures of habit and change comes slowly. Because the EasyRaw is so different than what we're used to eating, I think a very gradual transition is the way to go.

Of course, Waffles doesn't understand the concept of GRADUAL.

Easy-to-Open, Easy-to-Store
...maybe a little TOO easy! All of Only Natural Pet's foods come in handy resealable packages.
Best to keep them in a not-so-handy place. *wink:

This post is sponsored by Only Natural Pet on behalf of the BlogPaws Blogger Network. We am being compensated for helping spread the word about Only Natural Pet, but GLOGIRLY only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Only Natural Pet is not responsible for the content of this article.

Waffles Wednesday: Just Say YES PLEASE to #PawNatural Cat Treats & Going Green

KATIE:  So Waffles, we need to talk.

WAFFLES:  But Boss, my mouth is full. I'm not supposed to talk with my mouth full. Glogirly said.

KATIE:  Waffles, yesterday was Earth Day you know.

WAFFLES:  I know! Kind of like today is Waffles Wednesday, right?



KATIE:  Not exactly. So, like I was saying–

WAFFLES:  Well I'm kind of busy, Boss.

KATIE:  Busy???

WAFFLES:  Yeah, I'm busy looking for treats.

KATIE:  Waffles, you're ALWAYS looking for something to eat. That's the problem. We need to talk about your treat choices. Earth Day got me to thinking that all that stuff you stick in your mouth isn't exactly natural or healthy. This would be a purr-fect time to turn over a new leaf and go green.

WAFFLES:  Green? I LOVE green! I have a green hat, a greet bow tie, a green–

KATIE:  Waffles, forget your wardrobe and pay attention. We're going to talk treats.

Just Say NO to: 

1.  NO Junk Food

No fast food, no crunchy carbohydrates or empty calories.

2.  NO Hands

Don't bite the hand that feeds you. As tempting as they are, chewing on fingers and toes usually doesn't end well.

3.  NO Toys

Toys were made for hunting, chasing, flying and fetching. Not eating.

Just Say YES PLEASE to:

1.  Pure Protein

Freeze-dried protein treats are a long time FAVE here at the Townhouse. Chicken, salmon, turkey... we like to spread the love.

2.  Low/No Carb

Yeah, we like those crunchy morsels about as much as Glogirly likes her potato chips and donuts. But us kitties are meat-eaters and find it much easier to maintain our girlish and boyish figures with low/no-carb snacks and food. Truth be told, they taste better too!

3.  Label Love

All natural. No corn, no wheat, no soy. No synthetic chemicals or chemical preservatives. We get up close and purr-sonal with our labels and make sure there's nothing but the good stuff inside. We look for single-ingredient treats, like these freeze dried pieces of love. Nothing but chicken breast here.

KATIE:  See Waffles?  These natural treats taste WAY better than Gloman's fingers or Glogirly's toes... and far more satisfying than eating a wand toy.

Only Natural Pet
Today's blog post is sponsored by the nice people at Only Natural Pet. We introduced them to you a couple of weeks ago right HERE on our blog and we're just now starting to taste test their unique line of healthy, all-natural treats and food. It's our way of taking the #PawNatural Challenge and incorporating more green and healthy choices into our lifestyle.

Stay tuned... in just a couple of weeks we'll be reviewing FIVE of their unique feline-friendly products. Maybe you'll want to make some natural choices and go green too!



This post is sponsored by Only Natural Pet on behalf of the BlogPaws Blogger Network. We am being compensated for helping spread the word about Only Natural Pet, but GLOGIRLY only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Only Natural Pet is not responsible for the content of this article.

Getting #PawNatural with Only Natural Pet

WAFFLES:  Hey Boss!  What do you think... do I look natural?

KATIE:  Well, you're wearing a BOW. I don't think THAT's very natural. If experience has anything to say, you've clearly broken the mold on what's natural for a cat.

WAFFLES:  Noooo Boss, I mean do I look nature-y.

KATIE:  You mean with that fake grass?

WAFFLES:  No WONDER it tasted funny.

KATIE:  Waffles, you really need to be a little more discriminating when it comes to your food choices.

WAFFLES:  Boss, I'm just trying to get ready for the new stuff you were taking to the phone about. You, the nature-y stuff.

KATIE:  Waffles, you mean Only Natural Pet. They make the special line of food and treats we're going to be trying out soon.

WAFFLES:  Soon? Ok, I'm ready. What time is it? Is it soon yet?

KATIE:  Patience, Waffles.

On the Phone with Only Natural Pet
Recently I had a chance to talk with Dr. Jean Hofve, the holistic veterinarian behind this unique brand of food, treats and supplements for cats & dogs.  I know what you're thinking... TALK?  to a VET???  Well it was just on the phone so she didn't even need to wear those armpit-length, protective gloves. Unless they matched her outfit or something.

Since Waffles and I will soon be picking our breakfast and dinner items off of their menu, I wanted to find out a little more about them.

WAFFLES:  You mean like do they deliver? And is there an early bird special?

KATIE:  Waffles, this isn't Pizza Hut or Perkins. Though yes, they do deliver.


What’s Their Story?
Only Natural Pet started out in 2004 as an online retailer of natural products for cats and dogs. Leashes, harnesses, food and kitty litter... they were selling everyone ELSE’s products. When they began developing their own line, Only Natural Pet dedicated themselves to making products that were unique, more effective and safer. 

Dr. Jean came on board to help guide them and ensure that what they had to offer pet parents was the absolute best. A self-proclaimed science geek, she confesses to spending her spare time reading and researching as opposed to curling up with the latest People Magazine. Suffice it to say, she knows her stuff.

What Does Natural Mean to Dr. Jean?
Though ‘natural’ is something of a marketing buzz word… think about it, they sell ‘natural’ Cheetos in the grocery store snack aisle... Only Natural Pet takes natural very seriously. It’s really more about what it’s NOT than what it IS:
NO corn
NO wheat
NO soy
NO synthetic chemicals
NO chemical preservatives
NO junk

Dr. Jean Knows Cats

Passionate about us kitties and what we eat, Dr. Jean spent many years in a feline-only practice. She knows we're obligate carnivores how important the right food is to our health and longevity. Only Natural Pet's food and treat offerings don't look like the usual cat food aisle in one of the big box stores. There are freeze dried raw options, air-dried protein food and even something they call "Easy Raw." 

What's Next?

In the coming weeks Waffles and I will be *going natural* and conducting in-Townhouse taste tests.  Let's just hope Glogirly can keep him out of MY dish. Or in this case, dishes.

This post is sponsored by Only Natural Pet on behalf of the BlogPaws Blogger Network. We am being compensated for helping spread the word about Only Natural Pet, but GLOGIRLY only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Only Natural Pet is not responsible for the content of this article.