Whole Earth Farms #ChewyInfluencer

Well meowllo everypawdy. This month has just gotten away from us here. Me has one more Chewy review fur ya’ befur da month of June is officially over. As ya’ know, cuz we tell ya’ all da time, we luv Chewy.com. We was shoppin’ there long befur we became Chewy Influencers. Mommy likes their purrices and havin’ all our supplies delivered right to da door. Anyways, let me tell ya’ ‘bout this food we got to try.

 

Dezi laying on cat tree and meowing

 Chewy Logo

As me told you befur, when we got da list of offurings this month, mommy checked them all out and picked a food dat was good fur all life stages. With me bein’ an adult and Raena bein’ a kitten, mommy wanted to be sure da noms we tried would be appropriate fur both of us. So we got a case of Whole Earth Farms Grain Free real chicken recipe canned food. This food and da name were new to us, so we checked ‘round and found dat Whole Earth Farms are a pawrt of da Merrick Pet Food company dat was recently bought by Nestle Purina Pet Care.

Dezi with case of Whole Earth Farms cat food

There are 8 different choices in da Whole Earth Farms grain free cat food. Most of da flavors are pate. Since we don’t like pate, mommy chose da morsels in gravy fur us. Da morsels are small bite sized chunks in a thick gravy. We received a case of 24) 2.75 ounce cans. They also come in da 5 ounce cans. Da price runs ‘tween $18.00 and $26.00. Here’s a list of da Key Benefits as stated on chewy.com 

Key Benefits

  • Whole Earth Farms recipes are made with high quality, all-natural ingredients to deliver complete & balanced nutrition for pets

  • Naturally nutritious with high quality protein as the first ingredient

  • Meeting the highest quality standards and no ingredients from China

  • Made in the USA

 Raena with case of Whole Earth Farms cat food

And here’s da ingredient list:

Chicken, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Dried Egg Product, Natural Flavor, Sodium Alginate, Dried Peas, Potato Protein, Dried Potatoes, Calcium Lactate, Salt, Sodium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Organic Dried Alfalfa Meal, Potassium Chloride, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate), Flaxseed Oil, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Minerals (Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Glucoheptonate, Sodium Selenite), Guar Gum, Caramel Color, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme

No carageenan included and meat is da furst ingredient. Those are always a plus. Now let’s get on to testin’. Mommy halved a can ‘tween Raena and me. Mommy also added quite a bit of water to ours and thinned out da gravy. Me sniffed and licked da gravy but me wouldn’t eat da bits. Da gravy was purretty tasty, but me can’t say ‘bout those morsels. So mommy went to check on Raena and see what she thought.

 Can and plateful of Whole Earth Farms grain free chicken cat food

I’s didn’t even like da gravy sissy.

Well Raena fanks fur buttin’ in. Since you’re chompin’ at da bit to tell everypawdy what you thought, why don’t ya’ go ahead and finish up.

 Raena smelling Whole Earth Farms chicken

Y Fank you Dezi. As I was sayin’, I’s didn’t like da gravy much less da morsels. Mommy even put some bonito flakes on top of it to entice me to try it. But I just wasn’t havin’ any of it. So no paws from me.

 Raena smelling Whole Earth Farms chicken

Fanks Raena, but we don’t give anythin’ no paws. Just cuz you didn’t like it doesn’t mean other kitties won’t. And da ingredient deck is a good one, so based on dat Raena, we each give it a paw up. And cuz me liked da gravy, me would give it another paw up. Let’s ask mommy what she thought.

 Raena with can of Whole Earth Farms cat food

Thank you girls. The ingredient list does appear to be good. And the morsels are very small bites, and the cans are packed. For those reasons I would give it a thumb up.

Fanks mommy. Me knows you took some up to Buddy, and said he luvved it. So a thumb up from mommy fur ingredients, 3 paws total from Raena and me and all paws up from Buddy. Ifin this sounds like somethin’ you might like, you can check out all da flavors here. They also make a line fur da doggies. And ‘member chewy has supplies fur all da pets in your home, so check ‘em out. Customer Service is pawsum, and they ship free fur all orders over $49.00. There’s a flat rate shipping fee fur all orders under $49.00 and you can set up an auto ship so you never run out of your pets favorites. But don’t worry, you can skip, cancel or delay anytime.

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Disclaimer: We were compensated for this review. That in no way swayed our opinion, as we only tell the truth. Neither Chewy or Whole Earth Farms are responsible for the opinions expressed other than the Key Benefits and Ingredients statements. We only bring products we use or have tried and feel would be of interest to you our readers and friends. 

 

 

 

Well me’s gonna wrap it up now. Mommy’s been tryin’ to turn in our lease recert papers fur a week now and no manager, so she’ll be tryin’ again today. Raena and me are gonna hang under da air conditioner and try to stay cool. Don’t furget to send in your fotos fur da Pawlympics. Check out our event here.

Till da next time…………………………………………Be Blest!!!

 

 

 

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

Dezi and RaenaBelle

Service Cat Training Foundation

MeeeOW everypawdy, hope you all had a great weekend. It’s another miserable Monday and we ain’t da least bit miserable. Okay maybe a little, da lawn crew’s here and da hots have arrived. We’re all tryin’ to stay cool and me’s tryin’ to hide. Raena? She’s right at mommy’s side bein’ a great Service kitty in training. Anyways, are ya ready fur another educational posty ‘bout pickin’ and trainin’ Service Cats? As with all me’s educational postys this will be written in da human English fur translation purr-pusses. Ifin you missed me’s furst posty in this series, you can check it out here. We got some great questions and comments so we’ll try to answer them today. Ifin we didn’t answer your questions or you have more, purrlease leave them in da comments or use our contact us page to send us an email. Now let’s get on with it, shall we? 

 Dezi close up on arm of chair

Last week we discussed how to pick a cat to train. We said that neither breed or sex matters. The most important thing to look for is a kitty that wants to be with you and is both outgoing and calm. Yes, that kitten/cat does exist. We also stated that you must be realistic in your expectations of the things a cat can do. While us kittys may be able to do things you might not expect, it shouldn’t be forced. In other words, don’t expect kitty to carry anything that weighs half their weight, much less more than them. The average weight of a healthy cat is between 8 to 12 pounds. That can vary from breed to breed, but do keep these numbers in mind when determining tasks for your kitty to perform. Remember, ALL TRAINING is based on kitty’s natural instincts. And, for the purpose of these posts we are focusing on a kitten of 6 to 8 weeks.

 Raena plays with her first fish from awnty Ellen

We were asked again, if Ragdoll cats are better suited to being Service cats. Our answer is still NO. Mommy has had and trained several Service cats and till me joined her, she had never had a Ragdoll. For mommy’s particular needs, Ragdolls are a good choice. This goes back to our first post and knowing what tasks you need performed and if a particular breed would be better suited to those tasks and your lifestyle. 

 Dezi watches Raena play

The next big question we got was:

      At what age can training begin? 

Mommy says training begins the minute kitty comes home. You want kitty to perform tasks without fail. You need to develop a close bond with kitty. You’re going to want kitty to feel rewarded when they receive extra love and pats as opposed to treats. Mommy has a game she calls “Scent Me Up”. She rubs her cheeks and chin on kitty’s cheeks and chin. She often speaks softly while doing this. Mommy will say things like I love ____________(insert name), or ____________(insert name) is such a good kitty, this will also help kitty learn it’s name. Scenting is a natural behavior for kitties where they deposit their scent on whatever they’re rubbing; thereby owning/claiming that person or object as theirs. This is also one of the ways cats greet each other and treat their family members. Doing this brings you closer to kitty. Typically this behavior will cause kitty to respond in kind, purr and occasionally start kneading. The kneading behavior will be focused and become massaging as training progresses. You may or may not need kitty to perform massages for you, but this is a task that we perform for mommy several times a day.

Raena lays at mommy's feet
When Raena stops playing and is ready to settle down, she often does so at mommy’s feet in front of the chair.

If you need kitty to perform massages, PLEASE, DO NOT DECLAW KITTY!!! We will tell you how to get kitty to retract their claws in a later post.

The “Scent Me Up” game should be repeated several times a day for about 1 to 3 minutes each time. Remember, kitty has a short attention span and doesn’t want to be held still for long periods of time. And the last thing you want to do is cause kitty to run from you when it’s time for training. At some point, kitty will start initiating “Scent Me up” themselves. At this point, kitty is well on their way to a very strong bond with you. Kittens respond at different times and mature differently so there’s no set age or time limit for when this happens. Mommy continues “Scent Me Up” throughout our entire life. Sis Lexi had a “Scent Me Up Session” her last day here with us; and me gets them everyday too. Training continues even after the goal is reached. Remember, Repetition is the name if the game.

 Raena enjoys her first box

Some of the tasks we perform for mommy are dialing 911, carrying the phone to her, massages, Driving the wheelchair, and alerting to a syncope incident. So our size and weight come into play to determine when training starts. Raena weighs less than 2 pounds, so asking her to carry a phone or even press the buttons is expecting too much. But mommy can start to focus her kneading, and she can watch me alert mommy to a Syncope incident and learn to do it herself. All animals can smell the changes in body chemistry that occur before Syncope, Seizures, Heart Attacks and many other medical conditions; but not all animals will alert to those changes. Because mommy passes out several times a day, Raena gets lots of exposure to the smell and actions me takes. She’s doing pretty good. She alerts 75% of the time. She’s still young and hasn’t been with us very long so we do expect that she will eventually be at a 100% alert rate before long. Once she alerts 100% of the time, we can officially say that she has been specifically trained for that particular task.

Mommy says to watch kitty closely. How do they play? Do they have a particular quirk? Even if you think it’s annoying, how can it be focused and turned into a usable task. Again, training is most effective when kitty’s nature is taken into consideration. If you’re going to need kitty to be around water often, then kitty needs to get baths early and often and/or be a water loving breed. That doesn’t mean you have to scrub kitty down all the time, but they must be comfortable getting wet and being dried off. If you need kitty to be in a noisy office or area, then you must expose kitty to that type of atmosphere often and at a young age. But remember, it’s always good to provide kitty with a quiet escape. Mommy can throw a towel over our stroller to give us that escape. We still have access to mommy but we can safely take a break from all the hubbub.

 Dezi looks back from door on cat tree.

Me’s gonna wrap it up for now, this is a lot of infurmation to digest. The first step in training is the foundation and most important one. Without that bond, kitty will never be 100% accurate 100% of the time.

Are there any particular tasks you’re interested in?

Is there a task that you would like to know if kitty could perform?

Do you have any questions we haven’t addressed? 

Till da next time……………………………Be Blest!!!

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

Dezi and Raena   

A Mewsy Blest Sunday

Meowllo everypawdy and welcome to another Blest Sunday. Even tho’ we’ve been takin’ a few days off we didn’t wanna miss our Blest Sunday posty. Mommy says she’s gotten a lot accomplished and things should start to settle down fur us soon. Me will be so glad to get all this lease stuffs behind us, so we can go fur lots of leisurely strolls. You’ve purrobably noticed da new header and background fotos, and ifin ya’ follow our other social media sites, we’ve been updatin’ them as well. While we may not be ready to move sis Lexi to da side bar only, Raena is here to stay, and it’s only right dat she takes her place alongside me. 

 Dezi and Raena play

Anyways, this has been a pawsum week. Raena and me played our furst game of patty cake. Me patted too hard da furst time and Raena went flyin’ but she came right back and me learned to be more gentle with me’s pats. Of course we didn’t have any memory fur da camera’s so mommy didn’t get any fotos. But, fanks to uncle Mike, fellow cat scout Pete Hartley and furmily, awnty Susan Mullen, and an anonymous sender via amazon we have memory so both camera’s are charged and ready fur da next furst ‘tween Raena and me. And mommy keeps watchin’ fur another round of patty cake. She says it was adorable. Me doesn’t know what’s so excitin’ ‘bout us playin’, but mommy’s get x’cited over just about anythin’. Anyways, Fank ya’ll so much. Mommy does luv takin’ fotos of us and she really was sad dat she might miss some of Raena’s kittenhood.

Raena grabs at Dezi

 Mommy, make Raena quit pullin’ me’s tail.

Raena tried to catch Dezi

Speakin’ of Raena’s kittenhood, me told ya’ dat she had to go to da VET on Furiday fur her furst round of kitten vaccs and a recheck of her eye and nose; well all went well. Sort of. Dr. C went to give her da shot, and stead of pokin’ Raena, it spit out all over her furs. Yep, she’s so fluffy he missed her skin altogether and vaccinated her furs. Raena showed her disapproval by turnin’ and spittin’ at him. Me was purroud of her, but mommy told her dat wasn’t nice and dat she needed to behave ifin she wanted some of those yummy treats. Well a few minutes later da tech re-entered with a new syringe of medicines and Dr. C went in fur a second try. He got her dat time and she wasn’t da least bit happy ‘bout it. She’s on a L-Lysine supplement fur 10 days to hopefully clear up her eye and nose run. We would purreciate any purrayers you could spare as well. Anyways soon enuff they were all done and we were off.

(This was sis Lexi one week befur she left fur heaven. This past week Raena and me both have been playin’ with da same nip pouch, so we thought we’d show ya’ll a good nip toy never gets old.)

 

Mommy had picked up this bag of treats da last time we was at da VET fur me’s rabies shot and Raena luvved ‘em. So mommy had purromissed dat she would get another bag fur Raena after da VET visit. So off to Walmart we went to get treats. What are they you ask? Well they must be new cuz we hadn’t seen ‘em befur. But they’re called Delectables Juicy Treat. They come in several flavors and cost .50 cents a bag. There’s about 6 little chunks of moist meat purr package. Da meat and vitamin E supplement are da only ingredients, so mommy knows it’s good fur us. Me doesn’t care fur them much but Raena luvs them. So mommy gets me da freeze dried chicken breasts and Raena gets these.

Well we finally headed fur home. And fank catness too, cuz it was hot enuff to fry an egg on da sidewalk out there. When we got to our door we noticed a Chewy box waitin’ fur us. We hadn’t ordered anythin’ so we had no clue what it could be. After getting’ us inside and settled mommy opened da box to find it full of summer goodies fur her. Chewy had done sent mommy a thank you box. Me doesn’t know why mommy needs a fank you, after all us kitties do all da work and try all da foods and treats and toys and do all da posin’ fur fotos and…well, anyways, mommy sure did purreciate her Chewy box, and all kitten aside, me really purreciates Chewy fur thinkin’ ‘bout mommy too. She does a lot of work puttin’ together helpin’ with our review postys.

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Well after all dat excitement and overwhelmin’ heat, we all crahsed and slept like logs. Raena was back to her spastic and annoying self bright and early Caturday meownin’. So this past week was full of blessings. As always, we count all of you among da biggest of our blessings. Fank you all fur bein’ our furiends. We’re sendin’ big hugs and purrayers to and fur all of you. Don’t furget to take a moment today and everyday to give thanks fur da blessings in your life.  

Purrlease let us know what ya’ think ’bout our new background.

Is it too busy or just right?

Till da next time……………………………………….Be Blest!!!

 

 

 

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

Dezi and RaenaBelle

Pawlympics: Fly Fishin’ with Dezi and Raena

Meowllo everypawdy, me has a special posty today. We know you’ve purrobably seen a few posty’s ‘round da blogosphere talkin’ ‘bout da Pawlympics. You may have even purrticipated in da past. Well me must have somhow missed it, cuz we’d never heard of it. But after checkin’ it out and talkin’ it over, we thought we’d jump in paws furst. We won’t just be purrticipatin’, we’ll be hostin’ an event. Dat’s right, me Dezi, and me’s new sisfur Raena will be hostin’ our very furst ever Pawlympics event. To see a complete list of events and dates click here.

 

Blogville Pawlympics Badge

Me knows you all wanna know just what event we could agree on to host, right? Fly Fishin’. You heard read dat right, we’s hostin’ an event called Fly Fishin’. But Dezi, me can’t hold a fishin’ pole without thumbs, you say. Or Raena, I’s not wanna touch da bait, you say. Or Girls, we don’t have any fishin’ holes in our neck of da woods, you say? Well dat’s okay, Here’s what we mean by Fly Fishin’. 

Raena plays with the Cat Dancer
Fly Fishin’ Raena

You know when your human plays with you and you jump up to ketch (catch) whatever ball/wand toy/string/etc. you can talk da (the) human into tossin’ (tossing) your way…well dat’s (that’s) Fly Fishin’. Some of ya’ might even be talented enuff (enough) to talk da (the) human into throwin’ (throwing) and lettin’ (letting) ya’ ketch (catch) a treat or ten. What you ketch is up to you. But we gotta see you ketch somethin’.

Dezi biting string on interactive wand toy
Fly Fishin’ with Dezi

Now you have till August 13, 2016 to get your fotos in to us. Our event will officially be posted on August 18, 2016. You know mommy and fotos, so we need da time to get everypawdy posted. Now you see some parenthesis above, we wanna make sure even those dat can’t speak/read English or Southern English Cat can purrticipate by knowin’ what to do. So, what are ya’ waitin’ fur, get to ketchin’ Fly Fishin’. E-mail your fotos to: lexi.dezi@yahoo.com

Dat’s lexi(dot)dezi(at)yahoo(dot)com 

          Oh sissy this is gonna be so much fun. 

   Yep Raena, me can’t wait. All Anipals can purrticipate. No discriminatin’ here.

And mommy wants me to tell everypawdy dat we’s gonna take a few days off. We didn’t get to make it to BlogPaws this year, but we’s workin’ on a way to go next year. Anyways, we need a little time off to take care of a few things. Raena has to see da VET tomorrow (Furiday) fur her furst set of kitten vaccs., and since she’s finally here, we need to make a few changes to our blog and social media channels to reflect dat. Sis Lexi will always be a pawrt of everythin’ we do, but Raena deserves to be added. She’s furmily and not goin’ anywhere. Mommy reminds me of dat fact everyday. And mommy needs to make sure we have all our lease recert. stuffs done so it can be turned in Monday. 

Till da next time……………………………….Be Blest!!!

 

 

 

Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses

Dezi and Raena