Compensation was provided for this post by Purina

Sometimes the best moments in life are the ones you don’t see coming. The funny thing is, I’m not a very risky or adventurous person and I’m pretty calculated in my actions and life choices. It’s pretty rare that I make a split-second decision, but a few years back I went with my gut and ended up finding a new best friend and family member.

On a mild fall night in October 2011, my boyfriend (now husband) William and I were driving back from a wedding and were making our way through Oakdale, a small town in California. As we were driving by a factory parking lot, I looked in my rearview mirror to see a little blonde kitten dart behind our car onto a four-lane highway. My heart sunk at the thought of the poor kitten getting hit in oncoming traffic and I knew I had to turn around. I immediately made a U-turn, stopped, and William jumped out of the car to chase the kitten down. The little guy was so scared to see someone coming for him, and he tried to make a quick escape through a chain link fence. Even though the kitten resisted capture and did everything to wiggle through the tight opening of the fence, William returned to the car with the frightened feline in his arms.

We stopped at William’s mom’s house to spend the night and put the kitten in the laundry room, since it was small and cozy and he couldn’t really get lost in there. The little blond tabby immediately started coming out of his shell and showing his personality. I took this photo of him sitting in my mother-in-law’s dog food dish. It was at this point I knew he was a keeper.

This was the first time in my life that I was responsible for a baby kitten inside my home! We gave him a bath and got him acclimated to his new life in our apartment. William and I introduced him to Pixie, my older and skittish black cat, and she was not very happy about her new housemate at first. It took a while for them to bond, let’s just say it was and still is a love/hate relationship.

We decided to name him Dexter (after our love of the TV Show) and I quickly became THAT Mom … you could call me the “Pawparazzi.” I took a billion photos … I mean, just look at that face! We spent all of our free time with him snuggling and playing. I realized that Dexter’s carefree attitude and quirky and curious spirit was bringing a lot of joy, laughter and better communication out of both William and I. He definitely filled a void we didn’t know we were missing. What was cool about it was that this wasn’t “my cat”, he was “our cat” and that little two-bedroom apartment became a home filled with lots of love and happy activity.

A few years have passed and we are now in a house with much more space for Dexter to roam. Even though he’s larger in size, Dexter still very much remains our baby and it’s important to us that he’s healthy. Last year, he concerned us big-time when he navigated under our crawl space and became severely dehydrated. This resulted in a kidney scare and a stint at the animal hospital. Having faced such a critical situation, we knew we needed to take his daily nutrition needs more seriously. Luckily Purina Pro Plan has provided us with healthy formulas that put us at ease knowing he’s getting protein-packed ingredients that support his digestive health.

While we have normally served Dexter the dry variety of Purina Pro Plan, we recently added the wet food into his feeding routine. Dexter was crazy for the wet White Meat Chicken and Vegetable Entrée and couldn’t wait for me to empty it out of the can. What’s nice about the wet food is it’s a great way for him to get added hydration. He hasn’t always been the greatest at drinking from his water bowls throughout the day, and this food is packed full of moisture so I can be more at ease. If your cat is like Dexter and you are looking for ways to get him or her to drink more water, check out this article. There’s some great insights on why your cat might be avoiding the water bowl and what you can do to change up in your environment to help your cat stay hydrated.

As you can tell, Dexter LOVED this this wet food. He licked the entire bowl and even tried to see if any was left in the can. If you are looking for a new, healthy option for your cat, follow this link to Purina Pro Plan’s Wet Cat Food site, where you’ll find a coupon to save on this food. There’s a ton of awesome flavors, proteins, and textures for even the pickiest of eaters, in varieties that include pasta, vegetables, cheese and rice. It’s also nice to know that Purina’s nutrition is backed by a team of over 400 scientists, including nutritionists, behaviorists and veterinarians. Dexter isn’t just a cat, he’s a member of the family, and I’m grateful that Purina provides ingredients that elevate his quality of life.

Yeah, this little guy has my heart and I’m so glad I made the choice to make a U-turn and save him from that busy road. William and I are lucky to call him our own and the love we have for him grows every day. We can’t wait to share many more indelible moments together.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa (and Dexter)

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Purina Pro Plan. The opinions and text are all mine.