As mentioned, adjusting Cat’s diet was one of the quickest things I could control, so I have been making homemade food for her from the outset of this (Diet: Part I). However, I wasn’t being realistic as to what it actually takes — in terms of cooking — to sustain a large dog. She probably eats twice what I do. No lie. It became even more difficult (and stressful) once I learned how to balance it correctly (Diet: Part II).
I finally came to the conclusion that I must make a choice: Either quit my job and cook for Cat — or — find a high-grade dog food to add to the homemade meals. Turns out, I can’t quit the job because I need to afford cancer-dog-care, so find quality kibble it was.
Cat also kept asking for her “crunchies” (our nickname for kibble) — leading me to the food bin & then longingly staring at it. Maybe she likes variety. Maybe it’s just what she’s used to. Whatever the reason, we set out to search for something super-healthy. And what a tall task: I had no idea there were so many brands of human-grade dog food in kibble form. We tried a number of them, letting Cat pick the one she wanted (check out the video below to see the first “square-off”).
Spoiler alert! Nextrition’s Salmon Flavor 🙌 won the battle 🙌 against Simply Naked Pet Food, which makes exclusively “fish-first” food. Unfortunately, we discovered Cat is allergic to fish products, even though she ate the salmon one with zest (Wolfy enjoyed all flavors of everything). After this, Spot & Tango, Honest Kitchen, Dr. Harvey’s were also auditioned (I realized Dr. Harvey’s isn’t dry when served, but Wolfy was a huge fan, nonetheless). Ultimately, for Cat, a kibble called Sundays was the victor 🏆 (Nextrition held on to Wolfy’s heart ❤️). So, as my new approach for Cat, I’m doing half homemade food + half Sundays. Also, I’m no longer stressing about balancing her meals to the “T.” I still do as best I can, just with less anxiety.
Still, the biggest benefit of the addition, by far, is the twice-daily food parade that now erupts in the kitchen at meal-time. Cat and Wolfy will sit patiently while I prepare their food, then the moment I pick up the two bowls, our own personal Mardi Gras breaks out as they both loudly (LOUDLY) escort me to their respective food bowls. I’ll have to post a video of it because words do this spectacle no justice. 🥰 …I feel like a dog-celebrity 😂👑.
Many brands offer sample packs for a few bucks (Dr. Harvey’s is free), so I’d encourage you to try your own kibble competition. If you want to try Sundays for your canine-kid, I just received this offer in my email for 50% off your first order. I won’t promise you’ll get your own meal-time motorcade, but when visiting, 8 of the 9 dogs in our extended family have attempted at least one hoard-heist, so if you buy it, hide it! 🤤❤️
