Svelte & looking mighty fine.

Hello there! Allie here, reporting in from high atop the cat tree.

I have news for you - big news!

Well, I suppose technically it would be called "smaller" news, being that this post is all about weight loss and promoting a healthy lifestyle!

That's right: I've been on a months-long journey to a skinnier me: #TeamAllie, working on my Extreme Feline Makeover!

And if I do say so myself, it's been a tasty journey, what with all the delish grain-free canned food my #TeamAllie sponsor, Merrick Purrfect Bistro, has provided.

You could say I've been "eating myself thin!"  *giggle!*

Mother believes strongly in feeding a species-appropriate diet, and for her that means grain-free goodness, with quality ingredients and appropriate portion sizes (I'm right there with her...except maybe on those portions. Let's talk, Mother, 'k?)

Of course, we all know that an important component to a healthy kitty's lifestyle is getting appropriate exercise, and I've been logging plenty of arm reaches by doing spider wand toy reps every day. Pardon my expression - I'm really intent on perfecting my form!

Of course, since I've started down the Road to Svelte, a certain bratty brother has decided he, too, loves taste sensations like Turkey Pate and Beef Wellington.

I've had to hire Maxwell as my very own personal Brinks' Security Guard, so Faraday stays away from my food!

Faraday: yeah, yeah, blah blah blah. 

Let's get down to brass tacks, here, sis. Did you or did you not lose weight this month? 

The scales don't lie!

***drum roll*** 

This month's weigh-in?  12.2 pounds, down more than a half pound in the past 4 weeks!

This glam girl's looking good, and she knows it. Betcha couldn't tell, could you?

Allie: Oh Mother-r-r-r... my driver's license is now wrong. Can I get a new one?

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FTC Disclosure: 

Our Extreme Feline Makeover series is sponsored by Merrick Pet Care, and we have received both food and a small fee to compensate us for each post. This covers the time it takes to take photos and write our progress reports.
Every sponsored post on A Tonk's Tail will always reflect our honest and unbiased opinions. Merrick Pet Care is not responsible for the content of this article, and Purrfect Bistro flavors are not specifically formulated for weight management.
This effort is part of an overall health and wellness regime for Allie. 

Time for an Extreme (feline) Makeover Check-in!

Hello, feline weight-loss followers!

It's time for another look at our very own...

Since we last visited, our #TeamAllie girlcat has kept her game face on. She's stepped up her workouts -- always a good thing to include in any weight-loss program!

Check it out - our girl knows how to bust a move!

We've been keeping a Diet Diary - and Mom's even offered to keep her company:

 

And Allie's been enjoying a new taste sensation every day in the form of Merrick Purrfect Bistro Grain Free canned food. Yum-OLA!

Well, actually, Allie's been enjoying Purrfect Bistro, but Mom's had a bit of a problem.
Until now, she's never had to deal with plate poaching.

Impasse! Who will get the Duck Paté - Maxwell or Faraday?

 Until now.

Nah, we didn't think you'd be surprised, either.
Mister Pushy might have won dominance over that dish...

...but Maxwell scored one of his own!

Let's just say Allie's keeping a weather eye out for any theft:

Allie: "I'm watching you, boys!"

Weigh-in Time!

So how is Allie doing in the weight department? She's down another half-pound, at an even 13! We wouldn't exactly call her svelte yet, but she's getting there. 
(woo-hoo, get that pink bikini ready!!)

  Allie: Thank you, Merrick, for making my weight loss journey a delicious experience!

 News Flash!

We were very excited to learn that Merrick has teamed up with one of our fave shelters in the Midwest: Tree House Humane in Chicago. The kitties at Tree House are now eating Merrick branded pet foods, exclusively.

Merrick told us, "As Tree House’s exclusive feeding partner, Merrick will provide all of the meals to each resident cat, including Merrick Purrfect Bistro."

"From their first meal at both of Tree House’s Chicago Adoption Centers (Uptown and Bucktown) until adoption day, each Tree House cat will enjoy healthy, recipes made in Merrick’s kitchens with locally sourced USDA-inspected deboned meat, fresh produce and high-quality protein.

"Merrick uses no ingredients from China – all of the ingredients are fresh, regionally sourced in the United States and made in Merrick’s own kitchen."

Have you heard about Tree House Humane?

The first thing we love about Tree House is that their focus is on the care and placement of stray cats with special physical and emotional needs. Second, they strive to educate the public about proper and responsible animal care, and are committed to finding every healthy and treatable animal a home and they believe wholeheartedly in a No-Kill nation.

We thank Merrick for their kind donation, which goes a long way toward helping cats find their forever homes in the Chicago area.

______________

FTC Disclosure: Our Extreme Feline Makeover series is sponsored by Merrick Pet Care, and we have received both food and a small fee to compensate us for each post. This covers the time it takes to take photos and write our progress reports. Every sponsored post on A Tonk's Tail will always reflect our honest and unbiased opinions. Merrick Pet Care is not responsible for the content of this article, and Grammy’s Pot Pie is not specifically formulated for weight management. This effort is part of an overall health and wellness regime for Allie. And a totally surprising and unexpected bonus for us: for Maxwell's health and wellness too! SCORE!

Extreme Makeover Check-In!

You may have heard that Allie is on a diet. She's determined to shed the pounds, and she's doing it in a healthy way.

(Wait. Okay, truth in advertising here: we're determined she'll shed the pounds. Allie kinda thinks free-feeding 24/7 would totally rock, but that's not going to happen.)

Allie's diet regimen includes delicius grain-free entrees from Purrfect Bistro.

She's under the supervision of her veterinarian who has given us a daily calorie intake goal, and she's eating a quality wet, grain-free food: Merrick Purrfect Bistro. In fact, Allie's entire new health-kick is being sponsored by Merrick, and we are very appreciative.
 
Monthly Weigh-in Time

So how is Allie's weight-loss progressing?

Welll-l-l-l...

We've learned a lot in the past 4 weeks.

First, that Allie has her human brother wrapped around her paw, which means we suspect she got generous portions while we were in Texas!

Next, there are two different metabolism types to consider when a cat loses weight.

First, the cats who require maintenance calories. This is based on frame size - and what it takes to maintain an ideal weight for that frame. In Allie's case, 267 calories a day.

I thought that was a LOT -  in fact, I'm sure Allie's been eating less than this. But our vet wanted to begin here to get a baseline.

The result? As of July 1, Allie had gained 6/10 of a pound. Oops.

I did mention two metabolism types. The other: cats whose metabolisms are a bit slower. The ones our vet called (*delicate cough*) obese prone.

Yes, Allie's in that second group. So we switched her to 216 calories a day and may adjust downward, depending on how she does. Our vet ideally would like to see half a pound lost per week.

Hey, we're on track! Since we've been back from Texas, our girl has shed that 6/10 pound she's gained. Go #TeamAllie !!

...foreshadowing...? Allie looks a bit worried.

But wait! 
There's more!

With the inauguration of this new diet, we've taken pains to make sure Allie's meal time isn't crashed by a certain crazypants kitty. Faraday being, well, Faraday - you can understand our concern.

So when a few new flavors of Purrfect Bistro arrived on Saturday for Allie to try, I gave a bit to Faraday as a "stay out of the way" offering.

The Turkey Pate was a huge hit with both of them.
What I did not expect was what happened next:

Maxwell: Dood, whatcha eating?
Faraday: It's WET food, Maxie, so you won't LIKE it. Go 'way.

Is that a shocked look on Faraday's face?

Maxwell:  *nudge*shove*

Wait, maybe we should have said "disgusted."

Maxwell: *munch*nom*

This. Is. EPIC.

(Well,  okay, and a bit funny. Seriously? What a face, Maxie.)

Faraday: That's MY food, Maxie. Back OFF.

Faraday: That's IT. I'm going IN!

Maxwell: Wait....

I have been battling Maxwell's addiction to kibble for two years now. This was completely unexpected. And I'm almost giddy at the thought that FINALLY Max will eat wet food!!!

Allie:  "Should I hire a Brinks truck to guard my stash?"

Uh, yeah, Allie, you might.

______________

FTC Disclosure: Our Extreme Feline Makeover series is sponsored by Merrick Pet Care, and we have received both food and a small fee to compensate us for each post. This covers the time it takes to take photos and write our progress reports. Every sponsored post on A Tonk's Tail will always reflect our honest and unbiased opinions. Merrick Pet Care is not responsible for the content of this article, and Grammy’s Pot Pie is not specifically formulated for weight management. This effort is part of an overall health and wellness regime for Allie. And a totally surprising and unexpected bonus for us: for Maxwell's health and wellness too! SCORE!

An Extreme (feline) Makeover

Allie needs to lose weight.

We've known it for a few years, and have tried implementing a few changes to help her slim down. None of them have been wildly successful:

• We've completely cut out treats of all kind. 
• We've taken her off kibble. 
• We've upped the exercise (although not nearly enough).

I mentioned this to friend and fellow blogger, Glogirly, several months ago, and she shared with me that Katie was in much the same situation a few years back. Then she shared how they had managed to get Katie down to her current svelte weight - she switched Katie's diet.

I was all ears.

Our Glam Girl needs to stay healthy - and that means a healthy weight.

The food Katie ate while she dropped the pounds was Merrick Purrfect Bistro. Specifically Grammy's Pot Pie grain-free canned recipe. I like grain-free, it's all we feed at our house. And I also like canned, as I personally think canned food is much better for a cat, long-term, than dry kibble.

Glogirly explained that her veterinarian had done a bit of research into the higher-quality pet foods and really liked what she saw with the Merrick Pet Care products.

So Katie began a months-long journey to becoming a thinner feline.

Then last month at BlogPaws, Glogirly took me over to the Merrick booth to hook us up. If it worked for Katie, it'll work for Allie, she thought. And she's right.

So today, we're announcing a six-month partnership with Merrick Pet Care. A partnership to help our Glam Girl shed the pounds. We'll be posting monthly reports, complete with weigh-ins, so you can see how our feline fashionista is progressing. #TeamAllie is the first ever Extreme Makeover, Feline Edition!

Why six months, you might ask? It has to do with proper feline weight loss. Katie took the weight off the right way: slowly. Very, very slowly.  You see, cats' systems are so efficient that a drastic calorie reduction can be dangerous - even deadly.

We'll be using this six month journey to discuss the importance of feeding a quality, healthy diet. And we'll also highlight the many reasons pet obesity can cost you far more in vet bills than you'll ever spend by buying the right kind of pet food.

I admit, before we joined up, I "test drove" Merrick's Grammy's Pot Pie with Allie. Cats are notoriously finicky, and I wanted to ensure that our girl wouldn't turn her little pink nose up at it.

No worries there! She looooves it. A lot. And to think she's going to get three squares of the stuff a day. She'll be in kitty heaven!

Allie's ready to show her "before" photo - and while we have been guilty of using camera angles and cropping to show her in a more "slender" light these past few years -  no more!

Oh my. No daylight showing between her waistline and the grass? Well, maybe a teensy bit...

And now for the big reveal. We hope Allie will forgive us for our tell-all below, but it's for a good cause:



We're excited about our weight-loss journey. I absolutely believe that having a healthy pet depends on feeding good quality food and maintaining a proper, healthy weight. Allie's game face is on. Won't you join us?

Go #TeamAllie!

______________

FTC Disclosure: Our Extreme Feline Makeover series is sponsored by Merrick Pet Care, and we have received both food and a small fee to compensate us for each post. This covers the time it takes to take photos and write our progress reports. Every sponsored post on A Tonk's Tail will always reflect our honest and unbiased opinions. Merrick Pet Care is not responsible for the content of this article, and Grammy’s Pot Pie is not specifically formulated for weight management. This effort is part of an overall health and wellness regime for Allie.

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Goats' Milk Soap Giveaway! 
  
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