Bringing Home the {Fur} Baby ~ Brought to You by SHEBA® Brand

By now, you’ve enjoyed meeting our sweet and feeble old kitty, Tinker (read about him here and here).   He’s 16-1/2 now, and he’s been with us since we were newlyweds.  Before we had a (gasp!) teenager, before we even had children, we had our first babies–our pets.  I know that many of you also learned how to “parent” by owning a pet.  Hey, it’s not quite as labor-intensive to have a puppy or a kitten as it is to have a newborn, and the stakes aren’t quite as high if you fail! Tinker and his “sister” came to live with us on Christmas Eve, 1997.  While I was making our traditional fondue dinner, a knock came at the front door, and my husband had two babies under his arms:  Tinker and Madison:

So, of course they weren’t REALLY siblings, but we were about to learn how well cats and dogs can get along if they are raised together.  Tinker was about three months old at the time, and Maddie was only six weeks old (and I think a bit young to be taken from her mother), so they bonded immediately and became pack (or is it litter?) mates. They played together:

 

A lot…

The cat usually won those battles, by the way. And quite often, they got into trouble together:

I always had cats growing up, and my husband always had dogs, so he decided just to bring us one of each.  It worked out perfectly, and they enjoyed each other’s company for years and years, until Maddie died on Christmas Night in 2009.  Tinker was most upset that night, and I truly believe he mourned his friend’s loss.  Animals have real personalities and, I’m convinced, real emotions.

He has since welcomed three other rescue dogs in our family, and he works very hard to be sure that they know the rules of the house.  Rule #1:  The CAT is always in charge.   The dogs seem to accept this unquestioningly, by the way.  I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that we do, too!

Tinker expects the very best so he has been absolutely thrilled that I’m working with the folks at the SHEBA® Brand. All SHEBA® Entrées are made from carefully selected, high quality ingredients for an irresistible taste. In fact, your cat is guaranteed to love it, or you’ll get your money back, although we don’t have a problem with that since he devours every flavor I’ve given him.  Also, all SHEBA® recipes are formulated without corn, wheat, soy, or gluten, and never have artificial flavors or preservatives (this is a big deal in our house!). None of the other big mainstream wet cat food brands (Fancy Feast, Friskies, 9 Lives, Meow Mix) can say that!
 
How did you bring your furry friend home?  As a “baby” or as an adult?  As a rescue or as a kitten?
 
Thanks for stopping by~

This program is sponsored by SHEBA® Brand and BlogHer, I was compensated for my writing but all opinions are my own.