New Kitten Essentials Check List

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, INC. and Rachael Ray™ Nutrish®, all opinions are mine alone. #NutrishFureverHome #CollectiveBias

If you’ve been following us on Instagram you know we adopted a little silver tabby last month from the shelter. Peyton has been begging for a kitten of her own for over a year. I had set some goals in place that she needed to meet before I would let her adopt a pet. And last month, she finally met them! We took our time looking for our new family member and after visiting several different shelters we met Jinx. And Jinx chose us to be his new family!

With October being adopt a shelter pet month, I’m hoping by sharing our story about Jinx, we will inspire others to head to their local shelter when looking for a new furry family member. This October 2017, if you purchase Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® they will donate up to $250,000 to help shelter pets find their Furever Home™. A cash donation will be made in equal amounts to the following 3 organizations: 1) Big Dog Ranch 2) ASPCA 3) North Shore Animal League.

Big Dog Ranch Rescue is the largest no-kill dog rescue in the Southeastern United States. That’s pretty amazing! We need more no-kill dog shelters. Sometimes doggies just need a little more time to find thier furever home.

ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) a national leader in rescue, adoption, and welfare and has worked tirelessly for over 150 years to put an end to animal abuse and neglect.

North Shore Animal League is the world’s largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization.

Now that you know a little more about the organizations that you will help by purchasing a bag of pet food, doesn’t it make you want to head out and pick up a bag or two? Your purchase can make a world of difference in the life of a shelter pet. Sounds pretty simple, right? Just head to your local store and pick up some Nutrish, it’s that simple.

Once you’re done making your purchase of Nutrish, be sure to head over to www.nutrishfureverhome.com * and register your purchase for a chance to win $25,000 and other prizes!

You may ask why would Rachael Ray donate so much money? Well, she’s an animal lover, if you’ve ever watched her show when a dog has been on it’s pretty darn obvious she adores all four-legged creatures. She loves them so much that she created Rachael’s Rescue® for all of the forgotten pets – the ones who might not have someone who loves them as much as they deserve. A portion of proceeds from each sale of Nutrish is donated to The Rachael Ray Foundation, which helps animals in need through Rachael’s Rescue. She loves animals so much that she has created a rescue for them as well as a healthy line of food! Let’s help Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® Furever Home™: Helping Shelter Pets Find The Home They Deserve by picking up a bag or two of Nutrish the next time you are out.

Through September 2017, Rachael’s Rescue has donated more than $21 million dollars to pet charities and other organizations that do good for animals. The funds are used for food, medical supplies, treatments, and more for animals in need. Many more animals around the country need help, and through Rachael’s Rescue, together we can make a difference in the lives of many four-legged friends.

When it came to finding the perfect pet to add to our family I knew we would adopt a shelter cat. That is where I have adopted all my cats. Shelter animals are wonderful, they are loving and they have personality. And let me tell you, Jinx has personality plus! When we walked into the shelter there were 4 kittens sitting in a cage together. And Jinx came right up to Peyton and claimed her. He reached his little paw through the bar and tried to bring her closer to him. I knew, right then, he chose Peyton to be his new mom.

It took a few days for our paperwork to be approved before we could bring Jinx home. So, during that time I went through my checklist and made sure I had everything we needed for our new kitten.

Litter Box & Litter

I had reviewed Jinx’s paperwork and it stated he was litter box trained and preferred scoopable litter. So that is what I picked up. I chose a big, jumbo litter box and a pail of scoopable litter.

Food

Jinx was used to having wet food every day so I picked up a few cans of Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® because it’s natural, full of vitamins and minerals Jinx will need to grow big and strong. I also picked up some dry Nutrish as well. Made with real recipes that use wholesome, delicious food I knew Jinx would be very happy with my choice. I also like how Nutrish is available at my local Target so I can pick it up while I’m picking up the rest of our household needs too.

Nutrish was developed in 2007 by Rachael Ray with the help of pet nutrition experts. At first, it started out as super-premium food and treats for dogs inspired by recipes from Rachael Ray’s own kitchen. In 2014, they expanded the line to include cats! All Nutrish recipes are made with simple, wholesome ingredients like real meat or fish, and do not contain poultry by-product meal or fillers.

Toys

Kittens need lots and lots of toys. I bought Jinx a variety of toys so he would not be bored. So far, his favorite has been a wand with a feather on the end. He just loves running and jumping through the air trying to catch that feather!

Scratching Post

I bought a huge scratching post. It has four levels, toys attached and plenty of room for him to run, jump, climb and be a crazy kitten. I think I made a good choice because Jinx likes to climb up to the top and taking his morning naps there. Plus, this helps him not scratch on my furniture because he knows where he can exercise his claws.

Water & Food Bowls

I prefer to use stainless steel bowls for Jinx’s wet food. They are just so much easier to clean! And they are sturdy. So no worries about a crazy kitten tipping them over.

I use a free feeder for his dry food. Jinx is pretty good at self-regulating his eating so I keep it full. It saves me time and gives him peace of mind knowing that there is always food available to him.

The best purchase was the water fountain. Not only does it help encourage animals to drink more water because it’s fresh, filtered and always circulating. But Jinx likes to use it as his own splash pad! That’s right, he will stick his paws in the stream of water and fling it about. Then splash and play in the water he knocks out of the bowl.

Pet Bed

Jinx sleeps in bed with us so I didn’t get him a pet bed. But if you do not want your pet in bed then I would suggest picking one up and training them from the start to sleep in it. We just love snuggling with little Jinx every night so his pet bed is our bed.

Those are the essentials to bringing your new pet home and making your home his/her furever home. Jinx was instantly comfortable in our home because we had everything he needed and gave him lots and lots of love. Some pets may need a little more time to assimilate or a little space but if you have everything to care and provide for them just give him/her a little time. Shelter pets have been through an ordeal and just need to feel secure and loved, then they’ll let their guard down and warm up. Once they feel like your home is their furever home they’ll be strutting around and playing in no time.