Part 2:The Purina #BetterWithPets Summit 2015: Cats and This and That! #Sponsored

This is a sponsored post, written by me on behalf of  Nestle Purina®  I am being compensated for helping spread the word about the  2015 Better With Pets Summit.  Cat Chat With Caren and Cody only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers.

Welcome back and thank you for joining me for Part 2 of The Purina #BetterWithPets Summit 2015 Cats and This and That! If you missed Part 1 you can  click here to catch up!

After the morning panel sessions and a delicious lunch, there were a number of interactive exhibits for us to explore, but I am embarrassed to say, that I only made it around to a few. Soon you will see the reason why.

Earlier in the day I was ECSTATIC to finally meet Author, Blogger and successful business person, Hilary Grossman from the blog Feeling Beachie! Hilary was one of the first bloggers I had met online, but we had yet to meet in person. I can't begin to tell you what a thrill it was to not only meet Hilary, but to get to spend some time with her. Hilary is everything that I imagined her to  be, and more!  Beautiful, sweet, funny, intelligent, and it felt as if I had known her my entire life.

Hilary Goodman and I
**Note to self:
NEVER stand next to a hot, beautiful woman
after recently turning 60.
It just makes you look that much OLDER!! 

When Hilary and I had left the dog exhibit, we ran into my favorite Purina employee, and while chatting with him, he asked "Have you been to the Cat room?" Our ears perked up, "CAT ROOM???!!" That was it, we were off!! The Cat Room later became the reason why I only got around to a few exhibits, I spent practically the entire rest of my time there, as did many others. Here are some photos of Hilary having what appears to be a serious conversation with some new friends, and of course, playing with a KITTEN!!! Ohhhh Kittens!!!! The "ooohs and ahhs", the "ohhhs" and human purrs filled the room, the stress levels of all of us were reduced to ZERO. If this wasn't a shot in the arm for our emotional wellness, I don't know what would be!

 If Purina needed to herd some cats/cat bloggers, or if they needed to do a head count, if they checked The Cat Room it would be a pretty safe bet that is where they would find the majority of us (at least those bloggers who focus on cats!)! There were some dog bloggers who were quite smitten as well!

Upper left and bottom right, Elizabeth Keene from Chronicles of Cardigan
Top row second from left:Deb Barnes from Zee & Zoey
Directly beneath Elizabeth: Janiss Garza from Sparkle Cat
Fat lady with black cat:ME!
Far right:Kimberly Dickerson from Saving More Than Me

The Cat Room was an environment with cat-friendly furniture, cat toys, cat grass, cat ramps, houses, all designed to enrich the lives of cats! So, how many cats were there? I was told 30, all were different ages, but I am not quite sure I saw 30 cats, but there WERE lots of them! The cats were all owned by Cindy and Bob Ruggiero of Cybercat Exotics. They can be seen in the photo below with some of their cats.

Orange cat:Harley
Tabby Cat: River
I don't know the white or black cat's name! Ooops!

Once we brushed the cat fur from our clothes (or not!), we made our way back to the main conference area to listen to the keynote speaker, and learned about THE FRANK ATTLA YOUTH PROGRAM.





One of many things that makes me proud to be affiliated with Purina and why I CHOOSE to promote Purina, is that Purina has extensive support programs and partnerships with organizations around the country, all rooted in their "shared belief that people and pets are better together." Purina truly cares about people AND their pets, which is evident in everything that they do. I am honored and proud to represent a company with those values.

"Purina supports many other incredible programs, including the Rescue Bank, Leader Dogs for the Blind, Petfinder Foundation, Adopt-a-Pet, Support Dogs, Dogs on Deployment, the St.Louis Children's Hospital, and innovative shelter organizations all over the country."

Thank you Purina for inviting me to attend
the Better With Pets Summit (2015) !!

I was sad to leave "the city that never sleeps", New York is the only place I have been where I don't stick out like a sore thumb with my loud laughter and bravado...I just blend right in! Here are a few parting shots, one from the night before I left when I went out to dinner with my niece, (which was fabulous!!), the other two were shot from my Super Shuttle the next morning.

The photo on the far right
looked like my own
Abbey Road!!!

Don't worry! Purina didn't forget Cody!!! He received a pawtastic goodie bag from Purina (and since the bag was primarily cat-oriented, since this event would be featured on Cody's blog), they were kind enough to put in some dog treats for Dakota too! The gift bag made up for the scent of cats that were all over my shoes that Cody was obsessed with when I first got home. Thanks Purina for all of the pawtastic goodies!!

Please join us Monday, November 16th for the final post in this series. Monday's post will explore an aspect of the Better With Pets Summit that I found to be the most significant and meaningful, to ME! (Let's hope I can zero in on just one!) Hope to see you then!!! 

About Nestlé Purina PetCare
Nestlé Purina PetCare Company is a global leader in the pet care industry. NestléPurina PetCare promotes responsible pet care, community involvement and the positive bond between people and their pets. A premiere global manufacturer of pet products, Nestlé Purina PetCare is part of Swiss-based Nestlé S.A., a global leader in nutrition, health and wellness.

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