I know what you’re thinking: A post about cats? On the Rightworks blog? Is everyone over there OK?
I can assure you, we’re all all right over here. Especially in my neck of the woods, the literal woods of New Hampshire, we’re feeling very much in the holiday spirit. So much so that I wanted to grant our audience a break from the usual. Instead, what you’ll get today is a fun post about what to get your cat this season.
(If you’ve been following our blog, you’ll know that we wrote a similar post about what to get your dog for Christmas last year and received a furry…er, flurry of complaints from our feline fellowship.)
If you have cats, if you know someone who has cats, if you are a cat, this post is for you.
No. 1: A cardboard box
I get it. You didn’t come to this post for me to phone in the gift guide. But I am telling you—if you present your cat with a cardboard box, they will be thrilled. Well, the cat version of thrilled. So, like, chaotic neutral.
Where to buy: Please don’t buy a cardboard box. You’re going to receive many cardboard boxes in the next few weeks. Simply open it up, remove whatever’s inside and then step back to watch what happens. Even better if you act like they’re not supposed to go inside the cardboard box.
No. 2: Catnip
Have you ever had a cat who truly loves catnip? Tuxedo—one of my cats—will hear the sound of the catnip jar, then run to the spot in the house where she knows we’ll give her a bit. It’s fascinating because she’s pretty low on the intelligence scale in every other way (probably because we give her too much catnip.)
Where to buy: Any grocery store will try and shell out their version of overpriced, low-quality nip. Splurge for the organic stuff. Tuxedo’s favorite is from chewy.com.
No. 3: Santa’s sleigh cat scratcher
It can’t be just any cat scratcher—it must be sleigh-shaped! In all seriousness, cats love a good scratch. And if you don’t give them something to scratch, they’ll find your favorite pair of boots and ruin them. (Although, who are we kidding? They’ll do that anyway.)
Where to buy: Etsy—the place to shop small this holiday season—has a variety of yuletide scratchers, like this precious sleigh.
No. 4: Tennis balls
There is nothing like the fresh scent of a newly opened can of tennis balls right before they get “egged” by a cat. Just me?
(Egging is when the cat perches over the tennis ball, collapses on it like a hen on its baby and then starts kicking the ever-living heck out of it.)
Where to buy: Your local sporting goods store, most grocery stores or check anywhere outside in New Hampshire. There seem to be many tennis balls lying around in our woods, inexplicably.
No. 5: A tiny (toy) mouse
Get that enormous rat out of here! Four out of five cats agree that life-sized toy mice are preferable to oversized, uber-plush, tripped-out pests. Give your cat what they want this season—a tiny white or grey toy mouse filled with fluff.
When it rips open moments after it’s gifted, make sure you have your sewing kit handy! Your cat will expect you to sew their mouse closed in the years to come.
Where to buy: The Shaw’s or Hannaford-brand mice are our Ragdoll’s favorite, but if you’re not a New Englander, any normal-looking mouse, like this one from chewy.com, will do.
No. 6: A rolled-up scrap of paper
Who says cat toys can’t be—dare I say it—thrifty? What better feeling than buying your cats toy after toy, only for them to prefer the rolled-up scrap of paper that missed the bin when you pretended to know how to shoot a basketball?
Give the kitties what they want! And what they want is a rolled-up scrap of paper.
Where to buy: Go to your mailbox, take out one of the many, many grocery store flyers, roll it up, toss it to your cat and see what it looks like to experience pure joy.
No. 7: The Ripple Rug®
“It’s the flippity floppity rug that cats and kittens love.” ripplerug.com
I don’t know what it is about a piece of leftover carpet with circles and shapes cut out of it that revs a cat’s engine, but it does. I can attest to the fact that cats and kittens alike adore this feat of carpeting ingenuity.
Where to buy: The only place to get the authentic Ripple Rug is ripplerug.com. Anywhere else is a knockoff copycat and could be dangerous to your feline friend.
No. 8: Floppy Fish™
Few know that the Talking Heads’ 1983 hit “Making Flippy Floppy” was inspired by a cat toy that would come out decades later.
OK, this was made up by me just now, but the fact remains: The floppy fish is to cats what TurboMan was to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s son in Jingle All the Way.
It flips, it flops, it charges via USB. Your cat will spend minutes biting this flip-floppin’ masterpiece until it decides that it would rather play with a scrap of paper.
Where to buy: Too many stores out there claim to have an animatronic fish that’ll entice your cat, but the only official Floppy Fish can be found at officialfloppyfish.com.
No. 9: Laser pointer
Warning: This toy isn’t for every feline. I’ve had many cats who’ve stared at the laser pointed at the wall with contempt. For others, it’s been a beacon of hope during an otherwise lackluster day.
If you want a tip—and I know you do—make sure your cat understands that you could not care less if they enjoy the toy or not.
Where to buy: This US-based shop on Etsy boasts 77 five-star reviews for its collection of laser pointers. And doesn’t your cat deserve the best?
In conclusion
We hope this post brought you joy this holiday season. And remember—whatever you buy your cat will only bring them temporary gratification.
No matter how many toy mice, scratching posts and tennis balls you purchase for your cat, they will inevitably get into (or onto) something they’re not supposed to. Like the top of the mantle.
Wishing you and yours good tidings,
Kiara, Tuxedo and Ruby
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