When there are major changes in your life, there’s always a marked shift in your habits and routines … and, invariably, the promotional products you use.

It’s not hard to come up with examples. Think of the new backpack or branded clothing you sport when starting a new job. Going on a diet? Get used to lunch coolers and labeled containers for the food you bring from home. And certainly once you become a parent, it’s a never-ending parade of new stuff, many of them easily branded: sippy cups and baby bibs, wipes containers and diaper bags, and on and on.

These changes are expected though. In fact, as a distributor, it’s your job to anticipate these developments and sell the products that will meet people’s needs as they enter these new life stages. In all these scenarios I just recounted, the branded merch that we end up using isn’t a surprise.

This isn’t one of those stories.

Ollie is the new head of the Mittica household, where all the subjects do his bidding.

Meet Ollie. He’s the product of years of pleading from our oldest daughter despite resistance from both my wife (allergic to cats) and me (allergic to additional responsibility). He’s fun and friendly, a wonderful addition that, in the words of my wife, “completes our family.”

He’s also certified crazy – running all over the house and getting into places I never thought possible. Outside observers who didn’t know any better would quickly surmise that his name is “No, Ollie!”

We have a dog as well (Kali, a graceful old lady at age 12), so the journey of pet ownership isn’t new to us. And there are definitely many new items that have entered our life as expected: litter boxes, wet food, cat toys, etc.

But then there were the unexpected consequences, because, of course, cats. No more food left on the counter. Blankets pulled apart thread by thread. Hair bands and Legos that instantly became playthings.

And oh yes, the drinkware.

I work from home multiple days a week. A glass of water (and sure, other beverages occasionally) is constantly by my side. So I was shocked to learn that whenever I poured myself a drink, our newest household companion instantly had a thirst that rivals Hemingway (a famed cat lover, by the way).

I don't mind sharing my morning smoothie with my coworkers. It's just the kind of guy I am. #catlife pic.twitter.com/yKDf8SDRby

— C.J. Mittica (@CJ_ASIMedia) February 14, 2023

Now I know what you’re thinking: “You’re the owner. Don’t let the cat up on the table. Exercise some discipline!” And I have a perfectly valid rebuttal: I’m a tremendous softie with pets. Plus, he’s adorable, so he can get away with just about anything. (Also, don’t tell anybody, but I think that persistent little bugger is mentally tougher than me.)

So instead of handling the situation directly, I did what any rational human being would do: I was going to outsmart the cat. And I was going to do it using promotional products.

My first plan was a simple one. My wife received a couple of branded silicone mug covers. They’re really meant to keep coffee or tea hot, but they were given new life as a feline anti-hydration device. What creature could possibly breach this impenetrable fortress?

Branded silicon mug covers, though handy to have around the house, are no match for the genius of cats.

It worked …. for the first few times. Then Ollie determined that by nudging the mug cover with his nose or batting at it with his paw, this setup would fall apart quicker than Wile. E Coyote’s ACME products. The great drought was over in the Mittica household – Ollie’s thirst had been slaked.

I had to up the ante. Reusable drinkware is a staple in our house, and used daily, but typically on the go. When I was in the office five days a week, branded water bottles were constantly within reach. But working from home now, I opted for drinking glasses and used our logoed water bottles less and less.

Desperate times, though, called for desperate measures. And I can happily report, branded drinkware finally ended the Liquid Theft Crisis of 2023.

Don’t get me wrong, Ollie tried. He sniffed. He padded. He stuck his nose in the little opening. But the combination of stainless-steel walls, plastic lids and silicone straws have foiled this animal mastermind.

This 9-oz. tumbler (999571) from ETS Express (asi/51197) keeps drinks cold – and cats at bay – for hours.

As a result, I’m using a lot more reusable drinkware. My favorite is the 9-oz. remi tumbler (999571) from ETS Express (asi/51197) that was given out for Product Editor Joe Haley’s 25^th anniversary at ASI – just the right size for home use. Plenty of other drinkware that I’ve accumulated in my life are seeing action as well, including Viking tumblers from IMAGEN Brands (asi/93990) and Lifefactory glass bottles. It saddens me though that my growing collection of branded beer glasses is going neglected. I’ll pull one out occasionally, but I do it with the covertness of a partner sneaking a swig away from the eyes of a disapproving spouse.

This exercise of cat-and-human over the past few months has really taught me that our habits can change in remarkably unexpected ways. It’s an instructive lesson for distributors to not just assume how the products you’re selling will be used. Take the time to dig deeper and ask what might feel like silly questions. How often do you use the products? Where do you use them? Why do you use them? Maybe the answers will be expected. Or maybe there’s a hidden force – furry, black, big eyes perhaps – influencing their behavior in surprising ways.