The Missing Link is just a group of people who love pets and want to make their lives better. Join us as we learn more about the people responsible for making TML thrive and the pets who inspire them in The Missing Link Team Spotlight!

Dorrie Boyd is our eCommerce Manager for Marketplaces and websites. She makes sure that all of our products are well represented and available on a variety of digital platforms, so our customers have choices of where they most want to shop and can get their questions answered quickly. Here’s a little bit about Dorrie and her fur kids!  

TML: Please tell us about your cats, and what is unique about them.  

Dorrie: We have three cats now – I blame the pandemic.  We’ve had Bailey our orange tabby since 2009 -- she’s 14 now. We decided to adopt two rescue kitties from Alabama in 2020 during lockdown; so Lily and Jack-Jack (sister and brother) became part of our family. It was the first time we’ve ever had very young kittens which was a learning curve!   

Bailey is still not a big fan of the “kids” as she doesn’t like sharing human attention or her food, but she’s learning to tolerate them. All of our cats are Holiday Cats.  Bailey was born on St. Patrick’s Day, and the other two were both born on Cinco DeMayo. My daughter loves having holiday-themed birthday parties for them.  

TML: What products from The Missing Link® do you use with your fur kids, and why did you start using them?  

DB: I give all three cats The Pet Kelp® Feline Wellbeing Formula. I like the fact it is limited ingredient, because I try to eat that way too. Bailey was 10 when we started her on it, and within days I noticed her energy level was much improved.  She is a much more active cat now; she used to sleep most of the day, now she’s happy and busy. We think it has helped manage her healthy weight too.   Jack-Jack is super soft, which we also attribute to the addition of the supplement.  

No cat parent would be surprised to hear that I add the formula to their diets, differently for each of them due to their preferences and, well, eating quirks. Bailey is easy, I just sprinkle the powder on top of her wet canned food. Jack-Jack also has it with his canned food, but I have to mix it in well, and he must eat in private because he doesn’t want others around while he eats. And lastly for Lily, we are managing her weight so she gets very specifically 10 nuggets of dry food soaked in water, then the powder mixed in well. 

TML: What are each cat’s most amusing personality traits or habits ?  

DB:  I’ve learned with a multi-cat household, it is handy to have the same number of humans as they each have selected their favorite human to bond with. Jack-Jack has bonded most to me, which surprised me because he’s the most comical busy hunter trouble-maker of the bunch. I thought I was safe hiding their treats up on a cabinet, but he has found a way to climb up into the cabinet and climb the shelves to try to help himself.   

 

Lily has bonded most with my daughter and is the most stereotypically “cat like” – because everything needs to be on her terms.  She enjoys playing “otter”, laying on her back with her paws curled up on the air.  

 

Bailey loves my husband, but honestly, she is snuggly and friendly with anyone – strangers or family! She regularly participates in our video work meetings, generally trying to curl up on my lap and neck. I also learned the hard way that I have to drink from covered water bottles unless I want her helping herself to my beverage.   

 

Because we are crazy, we are adding a fish tank to our household, because what could go wrong with three cats and a bunch of fish?  

TML: Any great tips you can share if someone is considering adding a cat to their family?  

DB: One thing I would have done differently when adopting is to meet the cats first to gauge personality and whether they would be a good fit with any other pets already living in the house. We weren’t able to do that with Lily and Jack-Jack.   

We’ve always taught our daughter to recognize the body language and cues from the cats, respecting each other’s space.  Because of that, we’ve never had any issues or problems with behavior. This is probably why Lily likes her best!  

Also, cats and Lego building don’t mix. Jack-Jack likes to carefully remove favorite pieces from constructed Lego structures.