AD / Gifted - Gus And Bella Box July 2019 Edition - Treats For You And Your Cats*

It seems to be an almost unwritten rule that you shouldn't work with children or animals, well in my case my cats are my children, and believe me this blog post has tested every ounce of my patience. I do forgive them though, I've had cats ever since I was a tiny little girl, and my 3 despite their many indiscretions really are my babies, all be it babies with whiskers, four legs and tails!

Okay, I probably do sound a little bit crazy, but I don't think there's anything wrong with that, any pet owner will tell you that their pets, aren't just animals they actually become part of the family, and their health and happiness is as important as any human in the household.

Someone who would agree with that statement entirely is Emily McMahon. Inspired by her experience of finding ways to both entertain and care for her two London born and bred, indoor cats, Gus And Bella. Emily created the Gus And Bella Box, which is specially designed to "deliver happiness to both cats and their humans".

I'm a huge lover of the subscription box idea, and being the crazy cat lady that I am the Gus And Bella box just ticks so many boxes for me. Not only does it contain a variety of high quality treats and wellness items for your furry friends but also contains cat themed treats for us human cat lovers. Every box contains 2 to 3 cat themed products from humans, 3 to 4 treats for your cats, the Gus And Bella Guide To Healthy Happy Cats, as well as the chance to win fabulous prizes with a random golden ticket giveaway.

Like most subscription boxes now there a variety of different subscription options, the best value option is to sign up for a monthly subscription option which costs £26.95 a month with £2.95 tracked P&P, but if that sounds like too much, you can also opt to receive a box every 2 months for £28.95 with the same P&P. If you aren't a cat fan though (why? what's wrong with you?) but someone you know is, you can also buy a one off gift box for £30 with the same tracked P&P.

The first box which is the July box is just hitting doormats now and Emily and the team were kind enough to send me a box to review.

 The box itself is made of a nice, sturdy cardboard, it can be easily closed and sealed back up so it's definitely one that you could reuse. The first things that you find when you open the box are two leaflets. The first one tells you about the box and the contents, and the second leaflet is The Gus & Bella Guide To Healthy, Happy Cats. This particular edition is all about having a healthy happy cat this summer and includes tips on how to keep you cat cool in the warm weather, and how to make your own kitty pool.

Underneath the leaflets, the contents of your box is securely wrapped in a large sheet of tissue paper. There were actually two layers of products in the box separated by a whole pile of white shredded paper. My boys especially have a thing for shredded paper so I'm not sure if it was the box contents itself or the shred that sparked Charlie and Max's interest - I'll let you decide ;)

Sass & Belle Set Of 3 Cutie Cat Lunchboxes

I think the thing that I really like about the whole Gus And Bella concept is the fact that is contains goodies for both yourself and your cats. Every Gus And Bella box will contain cat themed self care, beauty or lifestyle treats for you. Loving cats as I do I have loads of cat themed things around the house, from mugs, to aprons, t-shirts and even a couple of Sass & Belle cushions. I love Sass & Belle and their cute and quirky, home and lifestyle ideas and the first edition of the Gus And Bella Box contains two Sass & Belle items from their Cutie Cat range. The first item in the box was a set of three mini lunchboxes, the largest one is is just big enough for a sandwich or a pasta salad, and the two smaller ones are perfect for fruit or veg snacks. They are microwave safe without the lids and retail at around £6 for the set.

Sass & Belle Cutie Cat Picnic Bag 

The box also contains a coordinating lunch bag, also in the cutie cat design. It features a black and white cat design on a peach and pink background, and it has two peach, fabric carry handles. It's has an insulated foil lining, so all you need to do is add a cool pack, and this little bag is perfect for picnics and even for brightening up your work or school lunch. It has a recommended retail price of £5.

Candy Kittens Eton Mess Gourmet Sweets - 24g

I think all subscription boxes should contain sweeties, and in keeping with the cat theme, this box contains a packet of sweeties from one of my favourite brands Candy Kittens. Now I'm not that familiar with Made In Chelsea, but if you are Candy Kittens is the brain child of MIC alumni Jamie Laing. The gummies are gluten free and are suitable for vegetarians. These particular ones are strawberry flavoured and contain only natural colours and fruit juices, in the this real strawberry juice and coconut water. The peach ones are my real love but these are pretty nice and their shaped like cats! I can't find this particular size bag online but their 54g Pop bag retails at £1.

Test Your Cat - The Cat IQ Test By E. M. Bard

If you have pets how clever do you think they are? Mine definitely have their derpy moments and at times I think Charlie especially is a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic but there is no doubt cats are very perceptive, and they figure things out pretty quickly. This next item is something for both you and your cats. This 128 page paperback book contains a series of questions and tasks, so you can find out just how clever your cat really is. I'm definitely going to do this with my 3 and who knows they might surprise me! This book has a recommend retail price of £5.99

Now the rest of the box is especially for the furry members of the family, although certain things like this teaser may cause happiness elsewhere depending on how acrobatic your cat is..

Rosewood Jolly Moggy Teaser Collection Premium Catnip Toy - Patchwork Fish Teaser 

When they were younger Charlie and Tallulah loved this type of toy, chasing things and jumping in the air, now they've reached feline middle age and beyond though, they are a lot more sedentary and not quite as playful, but they still have what we call their mad half hours where they'll run round and play with anything in the their way. Still being a kitten though Max loves toys and especially teasers like this, he'll chase them, roll around, and even do somersaults if the mood takes him.

Compared to some of them that we already own this is a nice quality one, it has a shorter, thicker, sturdier wand, that has a nice velour feel. It features three nicely designed and made, patchwork fish, that contain kitty crack itself catnip. Apologies that the video isn't the best but if you have Instagram keep on my account over the next few days, to see how Max really does love his patchwork fish!

As well as treat for us and toys for the fluff, the Gus And Bella Box also gives you the chance to to make better food choices for you cat. A lot of the cat food that we buy contains somewhat questionable ingredients but Gus And Bella promises to give you the chance to try some high quality, natural and grain free cat food brands. Cats can be notoriously picky and awkward when it comes to food, so this a great chance to try before you buy

Hi Life Chicken Breast Treats - 10g

Chicken, every cat I've ever owned has worshipped the poultry god, cooked, raw, in nuggets, or cat food, they don't really care - they just eat it, but what about freeze dried? These treats contain nothing but 100% natural, freeze dried chicken breast. There is nothing added just small bite sized pieces of chicken. Being a vegetarian I really notice how bad some cat treats smell but there was no real scent from these and the proof is in the eating I guess, Tallulah was a huge fan, and I had no complaints from the other two either. This 10g retails at around £1.59 and I will definitely be tracking some more of these down for the chicken eaters!

Purr And Miaow Complete Gently Steamed Chicken With Trout Fillets In Broth - 85g

As well as the treats July's Gus And Bella Box also contained two wet food pouches I haven't managed to try these on the babes yet but I will post "their thoughts" to Instagram when I do . This pouch from the fabulously named Purr And Miaow contains real meat and fish, with no sugar, no grains, no hidden ingredients and no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. This pouch has an estimated RRP of 89p

Blink! Roasted Chicken & Tender Duck Complete Cat Food - 85g

Now I've seen a few ads for Blink! on Instagram so I'm quite curious to see what the monsters think about this one. Made in Northampton this pouch contains real, natural shredded fillets of meat, it contains no meat, derivatives, and again no added sugar, salt or grains. I can't find a price for the individual pouched but 8 x 85g pouches retail at around £7.50.

Pawsecco Freeze Pops - 50ml 

The final item is something a bit unusual. I saw a few bottles of the liquid Pawsecco in various supermarkets before Christmas but this is especially for summer! Basically what it is, is a ready to freeze ice lolly not for you but for your pets. Suitable for both cats and dogs these are ice lollies that are created with veterinary experts to help your pets stay refreshed in the summer heat. Obviously they're alcohol free, and they contain no grapes, but they contain lots of safe herbal extracts. I'm going to wait until it's bit warmer to try this out but if I can't persuade them to have a taste (because it isn't chicken!) then you can melt them into a bowl and they might drink it that way. If you fancy trying these for your pet then they retail at around £5.99 for 6 x 50ml lollies.

I've got to say that I love both the concept and the execution of the Gus And Bella Box. A box with cat themed items on its own would be perfect for a cat lover like me but team it up with treats for my hairy children and everyone is happy. I love the whole idea of trying new and more natural cat food brands, and I like the idea of, and the health and happiness information in the Gus And Bella Guide To Healthy, Happy Cats. 

I'm definitely going to consider subscribing myself and if you're a crazy cat person like me, and you fancy trying a Gus And Bella Box either for yourself or as a gift, then use my code LOULOU5 before 14th August to get your box for a special price starting at just £24.90 depending on which subscription option you choose. You can find out more about Gus And Bella and how to subscribe on their website.

If you have any questions please let me know , and if you're a cat own leave me a comment below and tell me about your cats x 

*Press Sample