Cat Sushi - A Delicious Treat That Will Have Your Cats Meowing For More! (And A Giveaway)

This past July, when I attended Matilda’s Annual Celebration & Cat Fashion Show at the Algonquin Hotel in Manhattan, I was introduced to Dennis Scheyer, Creative Director/Marketing for Cat Sushi. The conversation took a familiar course with questions such as “where are you from?”, etc. It turns out Dennis lived in Queens, NY (where I live) for many years, and lo and behold, we are from the same hometown – Rockland County, NY. Not many people know of Rockland County, and to meet someone who was also raised there is a rarity. We immediately had a connection, talking about the old days and how neighborhoods have changed. And of course, being at a cat event, the conversation turned to felines and Cat Sushi (which was in our goody bags.) 

As I learned more about the product, I told Dennis I’d be happy to write a post about Cat Sushi for my blog. 

The story starts with the rescue tale of Dennis' cat, Velvet.  

Velvet

In 2012 Dennis’ mother wasn’t doing well health-wise. One day while riding in the car with his daugheter she asked Dennis if they could get a pet after her Grandmother passed away. After deciding the pet would be a cat, they started doing a search for the purrfect cat. Dennis had no experience with cats (having grown up with a Dalmatian), but he knew he wanted a “dog” cat – one that was cuddly and would be “man’s best friend as a cat.” Their search led them to Nine Lives Foundation in Redwood City, CA. They were introduced to a beautiful part Maine Coon black cat named Velvet, who jumped right into Dennis’ lap and started purring away. They decided to put a hold on her and return the next day to visit with her again. When they arrived, Velvet was fast asleep in a cat tree. After being woken up she again jumped in Dennis’ lap and started purring. The deal was sealed as Velvet found her forever family.

Velvet

Not much is known about Velvet’s past except that she was found in a bad part of the city with an injured leg that eventually healed. She was in the shelter for about eight months and was about  1 ½ years old when she was adopted. All of that is behind her now as she reigns as Princess of the household where she is 100% an indoor cat. She never needs to leave the house, even for the vet, who makes house calls for her. And every day at 3:00 PM she gets her Cat Sushi. If someone forgets, she makes sure to remind them. 

Every day Dennis is thankful for Velvet and told me that if he didn’t adopt this “beautiful creature” there would be no Cat Sushi. Nine Lives Foundation gives adopters a coupon for 10% off at a local pet store that donates products to shelters in the Bay Area. As they were driving down Lombard Street, Dennis’ partner pointed out that there was new pet store. When Dennis saw that this store, Wolf & Lion, carried upscale products, he decided he wanted to support this new business. Wolf & Lion is run by Spyq and John (both in their mid-20’s with experience in the pet industry that seems way beyond their years) and their advisor, Barry (who has owned multiple pet stores in San Francisco and the Bay Area over the years.)

Dennis, with years of experience as an advertising/creative director and marketing for animal shelters, asked Spyq and John who was doing their marketing. That conversation ended in an agreement to barter his services for everything Velvet needed. Dennis created several ads for the store, which pulled in a lot of customers, and created their tagline: “The Biggest Little Pet Store In San Francisco.” 

One day, Spyq told Dennis that they were going to start making pet products starting with a cat treat that had one healthy ingredient: Bonito (Tuna) flakes from Japan. There was an existing major brand already out there, but the quality of it varied. The goal was to offer a treat made with human grade flakes and to come up with a name that reflected this new, upscale product. 

Sasha, the original taste tester.

Dennis had named a lot of products during his career, but he always felt that he had to believe in them to come up with a memorable name. He brought some home for Velvet to test, and she started meowing like crazy! Sasha, who John rescued and lives at Wolf & Lion, went equally crazy when she taste tested the treat. 

Sasha

Dennis came up with the name Cat Sushi, along with the tagline, “When your cat meows, it’s saying Cat Sushi!” It was initially distributed in San Francisco (Pet Food Express put it in all their stores) and currently is available at independent pet stores nationwide and on Amazon Prime. A thick cut version for easier hand feeding has been developed, and a toppers product will be coming out soon for cats who are finicky about their food. 

You know that Lola The Rescued Cat loves a company that gives back, and Cat Sushi does just that! Cat Sushi is helping cats in need by offering their product to all of the shelters affiliated with The Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals as well as other shelters in need who have reached out to them. 

So, what do Lola and Lexy think of Cat Sushi? Just watch Lexy chow down on it! 






She seriously can’t get enough of this stuff! When I brought home my goody bag from Matilda’s Fashion Show she immediately stuck her head in it and took out the Cat Sushi bag. I had to lock it away securely in the closet so she wouldn’t overindulge when I wasn’t home. (Lexy has a reputation of cracking open the treat closet.) Lola didn't try the Cat Sushi, but I think that's because she had difficulty smelling her food due to her chronic sinusitis.

The list of ingredients in Cat Sushi is simple: 100% tuna sourced from only one manufacturer. No additives, no preservatives. It’s a high protein, low-fat delicious treat your cat will love. Cat Sushi is simply Katsuobushi (a hugely important food in Japanese cuisine) for cats. Katsuobushi is made from Katsu (Skipjack Tuna) in an ancient process in which the fish is slowly dried, before being sliced into extremely thin pieces with a Bonito Shaver. Before our katsuo flakes become Cat Sushi, they are carefully sifted to select only the largest flakes for a tasty treat your cat will love.

Thanks to a couple of cats who were rescued from shelters, cats everywhere are meowing with joy! You can purchase Cat Sushi for your cats on the Cat-Sushi website, Amazon, or find a store near you. 

The folks at Cat Sushi gave us three bags to give away to our readers! Just enter via the Rafflecopter below. The giveaway is open to U.S. residents, 18+ years of age, except where prohibited by law. Three winners will be selected randomly by Rafflecopter and contacted via email. The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize. Failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the prize, and a new winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter. The giveaway closes on Saturday, November 11th at Midnight Eastern. 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck, everyone! To stay up to date on Cat Sushi, make sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter. 

Would your cat love Cat Sushi as much as Lexy? Tell us why! 

Dawn