This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Food Lion. All opinions are 100% mine.

We have 3 wonderful cats in our home, and our daughters delight in getting to play with them. Our oldest daughter, in particular, seems completely smitten with cats and has been asking for even more pets for the past year.

My allergies will tell you that we already have one cat too many in the house (yes, I’m allergic to cats and yet I own 3!). But what I have suggested to Darah is that she start to take on more responsibility for the cats we have now, and that will give me peace of mind that down the road, once one of our senior cats passes away, she will be ready to not only play with a new cat, but also to take proper care of it. Here are some of the key things I’m trying to teach my daughter now about pet care.

Knowing How to Shop for Supplies

It’s important for kids to truly understand the commitment of adding a pet to your family, including recurring expenses. Darah has gone shopping with me to our local Food Lion to check out prices for items we have to buy regularly: wet and dry cat food and cat litter. It’s always important to shop for quality when it comes to these purchases, but it’s also important to get a great value. This is why I love shopping for Companion products, which is the in-house brand for cat, dog and bird supplies at Food Lion. This brand used to be called Home 360, and has simply undergone a name change. I am able to buy quality without paying extra for a national brand name. Shopping smart like this makes it easier to afford the overall costs of keeping 3 cats at home. It’s important that my daughter understand what to look for in our pet care products, and also how to shop with the best interest of our pets AND our wallets in mind!

Memorizing and Performing Daily Pet Care Chores

Darah is learning that cats need the following from their humans every single day: fresh food, fresh water, clean litter boxes, brushing and play time. Already she has taken on the responsibility of feeding, providing water, and playing with the kitties.

I’m in the process of teaching her how to brush the cats (2 out of 3 kitties here have long hair, and in the summer, even the short-haired cat is shedding a lot). We are also working on the hardest chore: scooping the litter. There’s nothing glamorous about this job, and with 3 cats and 3 litter boxes to contend with, it requires daily attention. But it’s a very important aspect of cat care and Darah knows that if she isn’t willing to scoop litter, then she’s not ready to take on the responsibility of another cat down the road. I’ll call this bit a work in progress!

Monitoring Supplies

Darah is also in charge of keeping an eye on our supplies of wet and dry food, as well as litter. It is now her job to let us know when we need to head back over to Food Lion to purchase more. This requires thinking ahead of schedule, as you don’t want to find yourself completely out of food or litter. Being aware of when more products need to be bought is one more way to show responsibility and care for others.

We are working hard on helping Darah become a responsible pet owner, including teaching her how to save time and money by stocking up on many of our pet care needs at Food Lion by purchasing the Companion brand. If you haven’t yet tried Companion at Food Lion and want to learn more, definitely give it a shot, because all private brand items at Food Lion have a double your money back guarantee! For More Information about Food Lion’s Private Brand labels click here