The First Pet: Our Kids and Their Kitties. #ShedHappens

This post is sponsored by Swiffer® and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am helping spread the word about Swiffer but I am the Maven® only shares information that I feel is relevant to my readers. Swiffer is not responsible for the content of this article.

Despite that I’ve had periods in my life where I didn’t live with pets, cats in particular, I’ve never recalled a time in my life where some of my belongs didn’t have some cat hair on them. Because, #ShedHappens. I know some people resist bringing home Fido or Fluffy because they don’t want the hassle of a few pet messes but seeing how much my kids love their kitties, it’s worth it.

When my oldest son, Sebby, was born, we were a two senior cat household. Sebby had quite the bond with my dear cat, Prudence. They were real buds. Sadly, both Prudence and her sister Jhana crossed the Rainbow Bridge and for the first time in 18 years, I was without a cat in my house. It felt strange. So one cool fall afternoon, our family drove up to a cat foster home north of us to visit some kittens. As we were playing with them, a small black and white tuxedo kitten named Milo began following around my then 4 year old son. That afternoon, Milo came home to live with us. He was officially “our first pet” as a family.

Almost two years went by, and we decided that Milo shouldn’t be an only child anymore. Enter Nixie. The crazy spitfire kitten.

Nixie was meant to be a family pet, a buddy for Milo. And while she loves all of us, it is very very clear that Quincy is her best buddy. Nixie loves visiting Quincy at bedtime, and I’m trying to teacher Quincy that if she’s quiet, Nixie will cuddle up and sleep with her. But you know, there is only so much reasoning you can do with a five year old.

A video posted by Nixie ? (@nixiekitty) on Apr 13, 2015 at 6:26pm PDT

So while Milo was our first kitten adopted with our kids, Nixie has very much been our first pet experience.

At some point, much to Nixie and Milo’s dismay, our family is going to be getting their first dog too, but in the meantime, the kids are going to have to be happy visiting with my mom’s dogs.

First Pets and the Holidays

Whether it’s a cat or dog, first pets are popular during the holidays. Is your family ready? With Swiffer, pet parents can get a thorough clean in minutes, so pet hair mess never becomes an obstacle to bringing home your child’s first pet.

On November 12, actor Scott Foley joined forces with Swiffer in NYC to launch Swiffer’s “Welcome Home” child’s first pet campaign. The campaign aims to spread the word that cleaning concerns should never be an obstacle to adopting a child’s first pet this holiday season.

To celebrate the launch, Swiffer and Bark & Co., the makers of BarkBox, announced that they will be giving away 10,000 Welcome Home Kits to shelters nationwide. Even more exciting? During the event, five dogs found their forever homes! (Or is that furrever?)In addition, Swiffer is making a $50,000 total donation to select shelters to support their needs this holiday season.

BarkBox and Swiffer are teaming up to make sure cleaning concerns are never an obstacle when bringing your child’s first pet. Through December, new pup parents who adopt from partnering shelters will get a free Welcome Home Kit packed with goodies and cleaning supplies. Because with any furry family remember… #ShedHappens.

Stay tuned! In about two weeks I’ll be posting about donating not one but TWO Welcome Home Kit’s supplied by BarkBox and Swiffer to local friends who have adopted dogs. One of the kits was sent to be enjoyed by me, but seeing as we are a cat home, I thought it was more fun to give it to folks with new pups!

The Swiffer Welcome Home Kit Includes:

Swiffer 360 Dusters and Swiffer Sweeper Refills
Coupon for a Free Swiffer Sweeper Starter Kit and a Free Febreze Product
Bark toy and treats
Sample of Fresh Pet food (and a coupon for a future purchase)
Welcome Home Booklet to help you start your journey as a new pet parent