My roommate is a 3-year-old mixed breed cat named Kitty Lauper. And because I’m completely partial to her cat antics, I think everyone should get a little glance into what a day in the life is like with Ms. Lauper.
She always wants in on the action. We’re cooking? She sits expecting a smidgeon of whatever we’re prepping– preferably raw chicken. We’re watching a show? The blanket covering your legs doubles as her hammock, of course.
When she’s in the mood to romp around, she’ll flop down next to our dog. She lays on her back– her attempt at being aloof. She does this little unassuming lay until she’s got a body part in her sights. That’s when she’ll chomp down on his tail and bite at his ankles. He’s more bewildered than anything else, and she darts away wild-eyed.
She’s friendly and outgoing to the majority of two-leggers who approach her, too. She’s always hoping they know exactly where to pet. If you guess wrong though, she doth protest loudly.
And when she needs quiet time, you can spy her on top of the highest kitchen cupboard snuggled in for a nap. A spot she adopted shortly after the dog’s arrival.
Agenda
What do you just love and adore about Kitty?
She’s very unapologetically herself. She’s curious– she can’t resist a small box, big box, or open cupboard. And when she finds herself in places she shouldn’t be, she’ll cry in protest when she’s removed from these new exploration spots.
She’s also so loyal. She runs to the door when she hears the keys jingle. And if she hasn’t gotten enough pets, which is likely, she sprints up the stairs so she can ever so casually flop belly up at your feet on the landing. It’s an invitation for scratches but mostly she’s saying, ‘ready to play…’.
I also love that she WANTS to explore the outdoors. One of her favorite hobbies is bird watching. She chitters at birds and the neighborhood squirrels on occasion.
We have a leash for her and have taken her out for short turns around the house. We hope with a little more time outdoors that she’ll be able to brave the sidewalk streets soon.
Does (OR did) Kitty have any health issues?
Kitty was overweight for a time. She needed to lose a pound or two. When we first adopted her we free fed her, leaving kibble out all day and then giving her small portions of canned food for breakfast and dinner. It wasn’t something I even considered changing till I learned more about what cats thrive on and what they don’t.
Once I realized that free-feeding and kibble wasn’t what Kitty, or really any cat should be eating, I switched her food to The Simple Food Project freeze-dried recipes. I rehydrate her meals using her preferred method of prep–with a generous amount of hot water of course–and she’s head over tail for the food.
Kitty is ever so slowly shedding that weight, but it’s something we’ve had to keep at the forefront of our minds. She comes running at the slightest sound of crinkling in hopes that it’s treats. And she’s a bit of a thief. She’ll saddle up to the dog’s bowl every morning in hopes that my guard is down. If she’s successful, she steals away with a piece of freeze-dried organ meat.
While I have a huge soft spot for phat cats, it’s important that she stays at a healthy weight because extra pounds add stress to her frame.
How do you curate the bowl with Herbsmith?
(What food do you use? Do you add anything else to the bowl, like raw eggs or goat’s milk? Which Herbsmith products do you add and why?)
Kitty rotates recipes from The Simple Food Project and she’ll get occasional wet food from Only Natural Pet. I rotate different proteins and brands into the mix because I want to avoid her getting stuck on one food since cats can be neophobic.
A lot of people dismiss cats as picky but it’s truly just an innate fear of trying new things– I’m sure it comes in handy when you’re hunting prey, but as house cats not so much. Adding in new textures, flavors, and proteins keeps her from getting too entrenched in her ways and I think she’s come to like variety.
She gets Microflora Kitty for her gut health and to balance her gut microbiome because I want to support her immune system.
Since, the majority of her immune health is housed in her gut, a happy biome= a happy gut = a happy cat.
Kitty also gets Pure Krill. This was a must-add for me because it offers crucial antioxidants from protein. I wanted to increase her antioxidants but didn’t have a lot of options. Cats really aren’t big fans of superfoods like spinach and adding too much produce isn’t appropriate for true carnivores. So, when I learned about Pure Krill it was this AHA moment.
I include Sound Kitty daily as well for her joints. I want her to keep making those leaps to the top of the cupboard for a looong time– decades.
I’ll also add in Milk Thistle for quarterly detoxes– a week every 3 months or so just to give her liver help processing toxins.
How has Kitty’s life changed since you started curating the bowl?
I think she has a renewed energy. She’s only three but since switching her diet, she just has more energy, more play in her. She’ll stalk me from the bottom of the stairs (she doesn’t realize her entire body is visible and it’s the cutest), and she bites at my socks.
And while I can’t necessarily see her joints being nourished or the free radicals being fought, I feel good knowing that I’m taking steps now, so I don’t see the negatives later.
Which Herbsmith product can you not live without?
Pure Krill is such a game-changer that it has to be the product I ride and die for.
What would you say to someone thinking about curating their pet’s bowl?
Mmm, what’s stopping you? Really, you want the best for your cat and this is how you do it. It’s catering to the individual that your cat undoubtedly is to have such a lasting impact on their health. And it really is as simple as adding a few key ingredients to their bowl.
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