Learning More About our Cats With the Purina ONE True Nature of Cats Movement

As you are probably aware, I love cats. I jokingly refer to myself as a crazy cat lady, but in all honestly, I really kind of am a crazy cat lady! I grew up always having cats as pets, as did my husband.

I love cats so much that the first time I went to Chris's house while we were dating, and found that he had a pet cat, I saw him in a whole different light. I already liked him, and thought he was a great guy - but seeing a single man with a pet cat? It drove home just how much of a sweetheart he really was.

While I like to think that Chris and I know a lot about cats, there is always room to learn more! So when I was invited to the Purina ONE headquarters in St. Louis last month to join their True Nature of Cats Movement, I jumped at the opportunity!

What is the Purina ONE True Nature of Cats Movement?

Purine ONE took a trip to South Africa last year to investigate the African Wildcat, and spent six weeks learning about the true nature of cats. The African Wildcat is the closest living relative of the domestic house cat - they are so similar, in fact, that you'd need a DNA test to tell the difference!

We learned a bit about the natural instincts of cats, with special attention to their feeding habits. Did you know that spayed and neutered cats actual digest their food differently than intact cats? I was shocked, and a bit worried, when I heard that - all of our cats and spayed and neutered! Purina ONE Healthy Metabolism has been specially formulated for cats that are spayed and neutered, so I am transitioning Stripes and Tigger (our adult cats) to this new food as part of my participation in the Purina ONE True Nature of Cats blogger program.

Tigger and Stripes adjusted really nicely to the new Purina ONE Healthy Metabolism cat food. I am just feeding them the dry food for now but will begin adding the wet version to their diet this coming Monday. They've never been fed wet food before so I wanted to make one adjustment at a time.

One of the biggest changes that we made with Stripes was that we used to feed him on one of the dining room chairs. Because Toby and Bailey always tried to eat his food, we had it up high so that they couldn't get to it. I learned from the True Nature of Cats Movement that cats actually prefer an open space to eat so that they can feel secure and be aware of their surroundings while they eat. His cramped little dining room chair did not help in that area...so we moved his food bowl to a coffee table in the family room, which we keep closed off from the dogs with a baby gate.

I always knew that cats - especially kittens - have a natural desire to stalk, hunt and play. It seems they especially enjoy doing this at night, while Chris and I are trying to sleep. Ha!

As it turns out, cats actually have a need to do this, so we are making an effort to play with the cats more, and give them more things to play with. Purina ONE sent us a package of cat toys and interactive feeders and the kittens are obsessed with this feather toy! Chris plays with them using it a few times a day and they go crazy for it!

We already had a perch in the house, but after I returned home from the Purina ONE headquarters and saw all of their awesome cat toys and tree houses, we bought a new cat perch...a 5 foot tall one that all of our cats can play on! They fell in love with it as soon as Chris finished setting it up!

One of the most important things I learned from the True Nature of Cats Movement was that cats actually benefit from hunting and stalking their food.

While we don't plan on giving the kittens any mice to hunt down, the interactive feeders that Purina ONE sent to us to use for the cats were a big hit with Gizmo and Tarzan!

I'll be updating you guys for the next few weeks as we continue to make changes to benefit our cats with everything that I learned from the Purina ONE True Nature of Cats Movement. You can check it out for yourself at PurinaONE.com or by liking the Purina ONE True Nature of Cats Facebook page here!

I received complimentary cat toys and coupons for Purina ONE Healthy Metabolism cat food in exchange for sharing my experiences with you! All opinions are my own. Also? Cats rule.