Lauren Makofsky, owner of Maya the Cat, shares thoughtful habits that help every pet in their household feel loved and well cared for.
How do you manage Maya’s weight and overall health through her diet?
Maya has no “off button” when it comes to eating. She’ll devour anything put in front of her, if given the chance. Then, she’ll go on to steal her sister’s food. We have her eating gut health food and using an elevated slow-feeder bowl. Then, we have a “decoy” bowl on the way to where she’d go to steal her sister’s food — and put a little bit in that, too. It’s ridiculous, but it works for us.
Are there any special treats or snacks she particularly loves?
Honestly, Maya’s pretty picky with treats and snacks — unless it’s human food. She loves chicken, turkey, and salmon. She also loves Catit’s squeezy treats.
Dragon loves pretty much all cat treats (and chicken, turkey, and salmon, too). Our dog, Mordecai, exclusively eats Jiminy’s food and treats. It’s made with insect protein that’s super nutritious and sustainable. He has allergies and gut health issues, and this food has changed all of our lives. If they made cat food, we’d absolutely switch.
How often do you brush Maya, and what grooming tools do you find most effective for her coat? Does she shed a lot?
She’s a short-haired cat, so she does shed, but she doesn’t shed a ton. She hates being brushed, but she’s very good at grooming herself. We just use a traditional cat brush and set of nail clippers on her, and a wet paper towel for when her eye gets gunky. Nothing complicated here!
Dragon, on the other hand, is a paralyzed long-haired cat. Her back legs drag, and she doesn’t groom them, so we regularly brush and trim her backside to keep her clean and mat-free. She loves being brushed since she can’t scratch herself, so we’re super lucky about that! When her nails need clipping, we don’t clip them all at once because she uses her nails to pull up onto furniture. We do every other!
With the rise of pet tech, are there any gadgets or devices you use to make Maya’s life easier?
Honestly, we don’t use anything! We tried an auto-flopping fish and a ball that rolls around on its own, and she has no interest.
Have you tried automatic feeders or pet cameras?
We used an automatic feeder for a while, but it died, and we never replaced it. We find it easier to control how much and how quickly she eats with a slow feeder, and since I now work from home, it’s easy to just feed them. We don’t need cameras for that reason.
Pet insurance can be a lifesaver for unexpected vet visits. Do you have insurance for Maya, and if so, what made you decide to go down that path?
We actually don’t have pet insurance for any of our pets because they’ve all had health issues, and the prices were really high. We figured we’d save the monthly fees and just pay up front for our needs. We’ve been pretty lucky so far. Maya’s only had urinary crystals and needed some lysine. Since she’s paralyzed in her back legs and getting older, Dragon has had to have a few thousand-dollar poop-removal procedures, as her digestive system isn’t working as well as it once was. Expenses are just a part of pet ownership — disability or not.
Other than food, is there anything you give your pets to care for their health and well-being?
Dragon takes FortiFlora to help keep her digestive tract moving. She’s also on Prozac for extreme anxiety.
Mordecai is a double merle Australian cattle dog mix. They tend to have joint and gut health issues (on top of eye and hearing issues). He takes a hip and joint medication to help keep him spry, and it definitely helps.
What are the key things you focus on to make sure Maya is healthy, happy, and thriving?
We make sure Maya and all of our pets get plenty of enrichment, along with exercise, a balanced diet, grooming, and, of course, love. We recently had a baby, so we’ve been trying our best to make sure our pets, our first babies, are still getting the play, enrichment, and attention they need to be happy.
We rescued Maya not knowing much about her condition or what health concerns may crop up. Luckily, apart from leaky eyes and lots of sneezing, she’s been pretty healthy. Part of adopting a special needs animal — or any animal, for that matter — is knowing that you’re responsible for their care. Whether it’s an unexpected medical need, a special diet, extra playtime, or extra grooming, our pets depend on us to keep them happy, safe, and healthy.
