Royal Canin Gets Specific

Royal Canin has developed a line of pet food for both the canine and feline variety that is breed-specific, size-specific, and condition-specific. You can find a pet food for your Bulldog or Persian Cat, and it actually says "Bulldog" and "Persian" on the bag. They also offer food for unique circumstances such as kittens who have been spayed or neutered or dogs with sensitive tummies. Royal Canin offers age-specific and size-specific formulas, as well. And all of this is offered conveniently on the shelves of PetSmart. You don't even need a prescription from your veterinarian.

It's as easy as popping into your local store.

Trusting Royal Canin

All of this sounds great, but how do we know we can feel confident that Royal Canin is producing a quality food?

Royal Canin has been around for over 40 years. Their food is based on scientific research and progress, and all of the food they produce comes from plants located in the U.S. and Canada. They say:

At Royal Canin, we live by the conviction that pets are not people; they are unique animals with unique nutritional needs that are distinctly different from our own. Through extensive research, we have identified these needs and created a complete line of premium Health Nutrition specifically formulated for cats and dogs–large or small, young or old, purebred or mixed breed. Because we know that only by feeding the best quality nutrition can we truly help pets stay as healthy and beautiful as possible.

So many of our pets' health issues can be improved or solved through diet. Since Royal Canin's nutritional solutions are created to target the specific needs and challenges of a particular type of pet, we can be sure we are getting the very best in pet health nutrition. And aside from all that, it just amazes me to be able to walk down the aisle at PetSmart and see "Chihuahua" or "Persian" on a bag of food. Pet food has come such a long way.

This post is sponsored by Vitakraft and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Purrk! Playfuls, but Well Minded only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Vitakraft is not responsible for the content of this article.

•••

Most of us enjoy a few extra libations during the holiday season, so why should things be any different for your cat? I know...vino is no bueno for felines and catnip is old news. But have you heard of feline Silvervine?

Vitakraft, a leader in pet products since 1837 (YES, you heard me right...1837) sure has, and they've brought us a line of stimulating cat toys that can be used with it to take kitty play to a whole new level. What is Silvervine, you ask? I hadn't heard of it, either, until Vitakraft invited us to try their new Purrk Playfuls line of toys.

Silvervine is a plant that grows in the mountainous regions of East Asia. It's 100% natural, and is reported to be preferred to catnip in three out of four cats. Each Vitakraft Purrk Playfuls toy comes with a pack of Silvervine powder, or you can purchase five Silvervine powder packs separately to keep your cat in plentiful supply. Who knew there was something better than catnip?

All kidding aside, using feline Silvervine to entice play has health benefits for your cat. By stimulating your feline with this safe, all-natural plant, your cat becomes more active and is likely to exercise more frequently. A cat who exercises regularly is typically healthier, just like us humans. When used with Silvervine, the Purrk! Playfuls line of toys will enrich your cat both physically and mentally. Vitakraft reports that cats play 2.5 times longer with Silvervine than they do catnip and return to toys with Silvervine more often.

Why is Silvervine the best?

• all-natural

• safe

• provides physical and mental stimulation

• cats play longer and return to toys more often

• three out of four cats prefer it to catnip

Vitakraft sent us a complete package of Purrk! Playfuls to try. We received two "Bouncy Butterflies," two "Deep Sea Bugs," and a Silvervine Pixie Powder Pack to keep us in supply. The line also includes "Desert Bug" as well as plastic "Marvy Mouse," "Purrky Bird," and "Frisky Fish" that have Silvervine infused right in them. Since the season is all about giving, my children and I decided to take our haul to the Lost Our Home Pet Foundation PetSmart Cat Room where we volunteer each week. We sprung our new cat toys on the following victims:

We'd seen Leah and Keegan before, but Lightening and Houdina were brand-new additions to the cat room, so we didn't know what to expect from them. Keegan is typically quite playful, so I figured she'd really dig the Silvervine-enhanced toys. Leah on the other hand...well, she typically likes to relax and kick back, so I wasn't sure how she'd react or if she'd even be interested.

I was wrong.

My daughter, Campbell, spent a good deal of time holding the Bouncy Butterfly for Leah.

Leah wore us all out with her enthusiasm for the Bouncy Butterfly, so we made good use of the included doorknob clip.

Needless to say, Leah took right to the Bouncy Butterfly. In fact, she wore us out with her enthusiasm. All three of us spent a good deal of time holding the Bouncy Butterfly for her, but since litter boxes needed scooping and food bowls needed to be filled, we used the handy-dandy doorknob clip that the Bouncy Butterfly came with so Leah could keep playing and playing. She played for about forty-five minutes before taking a break. Amazing. Here's some footage of Leah in action:

Since Keegan couldn't get a moment with the Bouncy Butterfly while Leah monopolized it, we offered her a Deep Sea Bug.

The curled shape made the Deep Sea Bug boing and bounce to Keegan's delight She stalked the bug, pounced on it, jumped all over the place, and lost it under the door several times. Perhaps she liked us to fetch it for her.

The pursuit and the catch (and the swipe under the door).

Though Keegan is always quite playful, she played longer and harder than she normally does. Perhaps she was quite fond of the Silvervine. Check out Keegan in action with the Deep Sea Bug:

Speaking of being fond of Silvervine, our friend Lightening went bonkers over it. At first, she was quite amorous toward the Deep Sea Bug.

Lightening had a great time snuggling with the Deep Sea Bug, and then she went bonkers. Literally. She pounced and played with the toy for a good deal of time, then abandoned it for the dark side. Unfortunately, I was unable to capture her in a video because I was so busy replacing papers on the desk and making sure her bouncing off the walls didn't get too out of hand. Suffice it to say that we all had a great laugh, and Lightening got some very good exercise. She had a blast, and I think if she had thumbs, she'd give Silvervine two thumbs up.

And what about Houdina, our little shy girl? She hid. Perhaps if the three older cats had not been hogging the toys and bouncing off the walls, we could have coaxed her out for a romp, but she's new to the shelter and quite nervous, so we decided to let her watch from the comfort of her kitty condo. So Vitakraft's claim that three out of four cats prefer Silvervine held true for our sample.

We had a great time watching the cats enjoy their new Vitakraft Purrk! Playfuls toys, and it felt great to know they were getting some good exercise, especially since they spend most of their days cooped up in a small space. I can see how these enhanced toys would be a great addition to the routine of any cat and would bring some great health benefits to felines of varying lifestyles from the over-active to the sedentary. Purrk! Playfuls is the first full line of cat toys to bring Silvervine to the U.S. The line of toys is guaranteed to make your cat purr, and Vitakraft places their money where their mouth is. Each product comes with a satisfaction guarantee: "If your kitty isn't 100% thrilled with this product, simply return the unused portion for replacement, substitution, or refund."

Sweet. No risk.

So if you're racking your brain for that definitive gift for your kitty for the holidays, Purrk! Playfuls is the answer.

Check out the Purrk! Playfuls line on the Vitakraft web site.

Get your shop on! Click here to purchase Vitakraft Purrk! Playfuls.

Feeling lucky? Well, you're in luck. The kind folks at Vitakraft are offering Well Minded readers the chance to win a Purrk! Playfuls toy and Silvervine pack. Please enter, below, for your chance to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Connect with Vitakraft on Facebook and YouTube.