A poignant reminder that the time we share with our pets is fleeting – love and appreciate them each and every day you are blessed to have with them!

It is Pet Appreciation Week and with the passing of Mr. Jazz last August, even though he was with me for 15 years, I can’t help but be reminded just how brief the time we are given with our pets truly is in the scheme of the time-frame of our human lives. We would like to think they will be with us forever, but the truth is, they won’t and we certainly don’t need a date on a calendar to tell us to appreciate our pets – those of us that have them know unequivocally the love, companionship, devotion, loyalty and joy they bring to us each and every day.

Rather than dwell on it in a sad sense, I decided to celebrate this week in honor of all the pets in my life – both past and present – by sharing some of the many large and small ways I appreciate them with a little help from one of the friends I made at Global Pet Expo a few months ago – West Paw Design – a company who’s entire mindset is based on appreciation, whether it be appreciating pets, people, or our planet. 

West Paw Design is based out of the beautiful Rocky Mountain town of Bozeman, Montana and has earned the commendable honor of B Corp status, meaning that they hold an above-and-beyond commitment to healthier employees, sustainable practices, transparency and accountability. All of their products are 100% handcrafted in the USA and are made from eco-friendly materials that are safe for our pets and the environment.

Zee, Zoey, and Jazmine inspect the goods… yup… everything is made in the USA with high-quality materials and fresh catnip!

I love their mindset, but what caught my attention when I visited their booth was how clever their products were and how they can help us appreciate our pets. For example, they have one cat toy in particular, “Hairball,” that serves a double purpose to me – it’s soft, round shape is ideal for kitty to carry around in their mouth like a prized hunting possession, but it also reminds us that hairballs in our cats can be a serious sign of illness and they might need a trip to the vet. While our cats might not think of it in those terms, we are clearly showing our appreciation for them by not only bringing them to the vet for regular check-ups, but when they show us signs that they may require immediate medical attention such as from a potentially dangerous hairball.

This adorable ball of fluff (no, I’m not talking about Jazmine) is Hairball. It retails for $8.00 and is a whole lot safer for a kitty than a real hairball!

Toys are also a great way to show our pets we appreciate them because by playing with them, we are giving them the exercise they need for their body and minds to stay active and healthy and it also is a wonderful way to bond with them. West Paw Design has numerous toys for kitties (and doggies too) and all of them are lovingly made with high-quality materials in whimsical configurations that were a big hit with my feline gang.

Just a few of the great assortment of cat toys from West Paw – seen here is Hairball, Big Sky Mouse, Caterpillar, and Kitty Lure. All are made in bright, fun colors and have the charm and craftsmanship that is a sign of being made lovingly by hand.

Rolz has claimed the Caterpillar as his toy of choice…

Jazmine has gone the traditional route and has chosen Big Sky Mouse as her favorite West Paw Design toy!

Another great West Paw Design product is their Nature Nap® which is an oval-shaped cat bed that can fit just about anywhere in your house or apartment. I show my cats my appreciation by removing the lovely floral arrangement we keep on the table in our hallway and replacing it with the Nature Nap bed instead. Who needs a tastefully decorated house when you can make a cat happy napping?

Jazmine says “Excuse me, but can you please move this vase… it is in the way of our Nature Nap bed…”

Mia says thank you to Jazmine for getting the humans to move that inconvenient vase and settles in for a long nap on her comfy Nature Nap bed. This bed is ultra-soft and retails for $24.00.

This particular type of appreciation can be endless and it is one of the ways I shine when it comes to showing my cats how much I love, adore, and appreciate them. For example, if they are sleeping on our bed, the bed doesn’t get made. If they want to jump up onto the mantle, the collectibles get removed and packed away. Chairs, couches, counters, computers and more… if it makes them happy, as long as it does not put their safety in jeopardy, let them claim it as their own. What does it really matter in the scheme of things – the purrs of contentment they give us is far greater than any of our personal needs for comfort and convenience.

Just look at those precious little faces… how could anyone disrupt them to make the bed? Seen here is Zee, Rolz, Zoey, Mia, and Peanut.

Fine… I guess I can just type around Kizmet. I wouldn’t want to inconvenience him by waking him up from such a peaceful nap…

This, of course, is just the tip of the iceberg. In our house we show our appreciation to our cats in so many different ways each and every day – from regular feedings of high quality foods and tasty treats, to fresh water and clean litter boxes, to supervised trips outside, to an assortment of high-towered cat condos for vertical space, to lots of comfy beds, to baskets overflowing with kitty toys, to sunny windows to watch the birds and squirrels, to an endless supply of scratching posts in every corner.

There is very little else to so significantly show the sign of a cat who is well-loved and appreciated than by them being so willing to show their belly like this! Seen here is Harley who makes a rare photo appearance away from the couch!

We gladly give up our chairs to let them nap in and we will let them jump on our laps when we are sitting in the bathroom, even though it is weird and awkward. We let them wake us up early in the morning to feed them, even though we are tired, and we sleep on the edge of the bed at night so that they can be comfortable and take up most of the room.

This is Zee sitting on Dan’s chair, sticking out his tongue as if to say, “Ha, ha, I know you love and appreciate me so much that you would never dare ask me to move… now please go find another seat somewhere else!”

How about in your house? How do you show your pets you love and appreciate them, not just this week, but everyday? Any crazy, off the wall stories to show how you go above and beyond for them?

Thank you to West Paw Design for sending us all these great toys and products for our cats to appreciate and enjoy. We were not compensated for discussing these products, we just felt they were in line with the mindset of what we believe in at Zee and Zoey’s – that a variety of pet toys and products are important to the health and well-being of our cats.

To learn more about this forward thinking, innovative company and all the great pet products they offer (all affordably priced too), please visit  www.westpawdesign.com for details.