Gifts your cats want for Christmas

Updated for the 2024 Holiday season!

It seems like every year I get gifts for Christmas that are really for my cats. I don't mean cute cat themed shirts or figurines, those are for me. More like cat toys and treats. Yup, people give me cat toys for Christmas! Does this happen to you too? So this year I decided to write a gift guide for the cats themselves! 

Many of these things were given to me for a gift, so they have been cat tested and approved. 

Cats are pretty easy to buy for, after all they're happy when they have a comfy bed, treats and some toys to bat around a bit. But it's Christmas and I know you really want to spoil them this year! So what can you get to make your cats feel extra loved during the holiday season? Well, yummy treats and fun things to do of course!

Does an older cat need special care?

I have had cats since I was a child. As all living things do, they eventually get older and need special care to stay in top health. Just like people, cats have different needs as they get older. From diet to grooming and even their sleep habits change. It can be difficult to keep up with.

It's especially hard if you have several cats of all different ages. You may wonder "How can I care for my older cat when I have a younger cat too?" After all, many multi-cat households share the same toys, treats and food bowls for all the cats, so things can get complex! 

You obviously won't care for your aging cat the same way you would care for a kitten, though they are similar. Here are a few simple tips to help you take care of your older cat.

Bathing your cat without getting scratched to shreds!

Is it possible to bathe your cat and not get scratched to bits? Of course! Now it is much easier if you start when your cat is a kitten and basically train them to accept the water. Older cats can be bathed too though. Although your cat doesn't realize it right now, after some tender loving care and a little shampoo, he will appreciate it.

Why would you want to bathe a cat? Well, they can get dirty and can become flea infested just like a dog, so they do need a bath in these instances. Sure a cat bathes themselves and most of the time that is sufficient. If your cat happens to get into something like car grease (walking or sleeping under a car) paint, any chemicals or pretty much anything they get into that you don't want them licking off their fur.

What people food can cats eat?

I've had some cats over the years that tried to eat my food every chance they got, and others that couldn't care less what I was eating. They would rather eat their cat food and treats. It seems to me like interest in people food really depends on the cat, but if the cat does seem interested in my food...what is safe to give them?

While we love giving our feline friends the occasional treat, it's important that we make sure the food we're feeding them is safe. When it comes to people food, there are a few things you should never feed your cat. Fortunately the vast majority of foods that are good for humans, are ok for cats too.

Why Do Cats Knead?

One of the sweetest things cats do is to 'make biscuits'. It's even more adorable when they do it on your lap or while laying next  to you. Trixie does it every morning while we're still in bed. She purrs so loud while kneading the blankets...that's usually what wakes me up each day!

If you think your cat holds you hostage from moving when she's sitting on you just wait till she starts kneading and purring. You're not going anywhere! I mean, how could you disturb such wholesome behavior as a cat pinning you down and loving on you?

While it's an adorable behavior, have you ever wondered 'Why do cats knead?' Kneading or "making biscuits" is a common behavior in felines. Have you ever noticed that your cat appears to knead their cat bed or your lap when they're happy? This motion of pressing their paws back and forth against a surface does imitate the motion you use when you knead bread dough. But, what does it mean?

How to de-skunk a cat

I don't know if you noticed but skunks have started to come closer to the city than ever before. We see them (and smell them) in the suburbs all the time. Unfortunately for outside cats, they sometimes run into skunks. If a cat runs into a skunk it usually ends  up with the cat getting skunk sprayed! Then we innocently let them in the house and the smell gets inside! So what do you do when your cat is sprayed by a skunk?

Well there is nothing as hard to remove as that stinky, oily, skunky residue! All the things we've been told work like tomato juice...well, those absolutely do not work! Luckily, it is possible to get skunk spray out of animal fur (or your clothes) with just a few simple household ingredients!

The first time my cat got sprayed I tried soaps, shampoos, tomato juice. You name it and I tried it. They didn't work though. I finally found the perfect skunk spray remover! It wasn't easy, it took till about the third try between dogs and cats to get this recipe just right. Let me tell you how it went.....