I joined Martha Stewart with her newly adopted cat and with some cat breeds that make great pets. I explain which cat breed may be right for you and the differences between purebred cats.

Although I was happy to discuss purebred cats with Martha Stewart, who had just gotten a Persian cat herself, being on her show was important to me so that everyone would know that kitty came from a rescue and was not purchased.

HALO is terrific in their support of shelters and rescues across the country and they share my plea to everyone to always try to adopt, no matter what breed of cat (or dog) you want. Over 30% of the animals in shelters are purebred, so with a little detective work and patience, you can find the pet of your dreams by adopting, not buying.

HALO shows their support of shelters and the animals in them by donating thousands of meals to those pets through Freekibble.com (which I play every day and am learning lots of fun facts at the same time!).

Watch this video clip:

Tracie Hotchner, author of The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible, guest blogs here every Thursday on healthy, natural choices for pets.

I got this letter recently from a pet sitter who works for Lydia Best in Leesburg Virginia and attended the seminar on pet nutrition that I gave last year…

HALO is completely different from other commercial dry foods. The biggest difference is the fact that it is made with only real chicken, real beef, real salmon, or real lamb. They don’t use any rendered products like chicken meal (which is unfit for human consumption) to achieve their protein content.

… I hope you’ll also take to heart the fundamentals of my “nutrition seminar,” which is that an all-kibble diet is not balanced or healthy because even the finest kibble (which I believe HALO to be, based on the source of their ingredients) is still highly processed carbohydrates and Holly needs quality protein and fresh vegetables and even some fruits. So if you can balance out her kibble with an equal amount of protein from your own table like meat, chicken, eggs, cottage cheese and of course fish (which has to be easy when you’re sailing!) you’ll be giving her the optimal diet.

Click over to my original blog on “Halo Is Way Different Than Other Kibble! (Update)” for the whole story!

Tracie Hotchner, author of The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible, guest blogs here every Thursday on healthy, natural choices for pets.

Did you catch the news splash about Uncle ChiChi, a rescue poodle from New York City appeared on Good Morning America this week because he may be the world’s oldest dog? His age is somewhat vague because he was adopted from a shelter around 2 years old, but deaf and blind as he is, the old guy is still going strong. When asked what the ancient but perky dog ate, the owner said, “He eats Spot’s Stew, made by a company called Halo and it’s really healthy stuff.”

Click over to my original blog on “Worlds Oldest Dog Eats Halo! Same Good Stuff Mine Do” for the whole story!

Tracie Hotchner, author of The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible, guest blogs here every Thursday on healthy, natural choices for pets.

I really had fun giving folks on local Sacramento TV some tips on pet travel when PETCO sent me to the West coast recently. If only they had asked me something like pet grooming when traveling – I was thinking that while the nice hotels give out sample shampoo and conditioners, it would be so cool if the pet friendly hotels gave out little bottles of Halo’s Cloud Nine Herbal Shampoo!

It is an absolute favorite in our house where all three of my gigantic dogs gets a bath at least twice a month and truly no shampoo comes close to Halo’s for easy rinse-ability, soft skin, and cleaning without being harsh.

Maybe one of the nicer hotel chains like the Four Seasons – which puts out bowls and beds and leashes for their traveling dog guests – could also pop some Cloud Nine Herbal Shampoo in there and people could take advantage of the nice low edges on hotel bathtubs to give their travelling four-leggeds a little bubble bath?

Here’s me, sent to Sacramento by Petco to chat about pet travel issues. You can see it’s pretty fun! Sacramento & Company TV Appearance.

Tracie Hotchner, author of The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible, guest blogs here every Thursday on healthy, natural choices for pets.

House-training a puppy means house-training you, too. If you follow my simple rules, you’ll have your puppy going where he’s supposed to, and not on the carpet, in no time.

Tracie Hotchner, author of The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible, guest blogs here every Thursday on healthy, natural choices for pets.

Watch my video hand selected by the Vodpod community.