Giveaway: 9Lives Cat Food

In the interest of full disclosure, 9Lives provided me with the product, information, and prize pack described below through MyBlogSpark. I received no compensation, and all opinions expressed are my own.

So today I took our cats to the vet. Meow and Roar are in generally good healthy at four years of age, but ohhhh does Meow (affectionately known as "Fat Boy" around here) need to lose a little weight. He's 18 1/2 pounds, and although he's generally a big cat, enough of it is fat.

I try to monitor their feeding, and I want to make sure that I'm feeding them as well as possible to ensure that they stay healthy - and that Meow avoids the diabetes our vet is concerned about. And apparently I'm not alone, as a survey of cat owners commissioned by 9Lives showed that 92 percent of pet owners would change their foods if it would improve their cats' health and 91 percent would change if they could add years to their cats' lives.

Needless to say, 9Lives has also introduced a new Advanced Nutrient System that aims to provide the essential nutrients they need to help promote healthy skin and coat, strong muscle growth and a healthy immune system among other benefits.

I got to try out a bag of it, and obviously the timing couldn't be better. The fact that the food actually smells (for cat food) somewhat appetizing is a plus. I recognize the scents of meat in the bag and not just the usual cat food smell. Apparently my cats agreed, as they happily scarfed down the new food without me needing to slowly transition them from the old to the new.

What I'm really hoping to see over time is an impact from the food. The packaging explains that it includes natural fiber and garden greens and is enriched with essential vitamins, 9Lives Indoor Complete™ is specially formulated with everything your indoor cat needs to thrive - and helps with hairball control (ewww!).

I'm also going to have to look into the Long Life Formula as it has calcium and crunchy, teeth-cleaning kibble which help support healthy teeth and gums. That was the vet's immediate concern today - tartar building. I scheduled the dental cleaning today, but it always scares me when they go under anesthesia, since cats are so little!

There is also a formula for maintaining urinary tract health (Plus Care) and daily nutrition (Daily Essentials) to meet other cat nutrition needs.

We also received a couple cat toys and a cat food scoop (that cleverly doubled as a bag closer). My cats are apparently picky in their toys. If it's the top to a milk gallon jug, they're in heaven. They have a favorite catnip toy that they battle each other for.

The cute little noisy balls that I received? No interest, sadly. The bat-the-cool-toy toy? My cats aren't smart enough to use it - yet. But the little mouse that squeaks and is on a string so the wee ones can run around the house with cats chasing them? Now that's a winner! I keep seeing one cat or the other run through a room with the toy in his mouth.

I'm not the only one who can enjoy this fun pack though. I have another one to give away to one of you. Let's find out who my cat lovers are!

So what do you have to do?

First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Thursday September 16 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 48 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me what you named your first cat - and why. mine was Caesar - a girl - because the only other cat I'd known was named Caesar, so I thought all cats were named Caesar. Leave me alone; I was two.

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter and tweeting this contest (leave a link to your tweet as your comment).
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.

Good luck!