Cat-friendly Christmas gifts for a safe and happy Christmas with your feline friend
Christmas can be a stressful time for our cats. We have visitors, we might travel away and take the cat to visit our relatives, and the house is full of unfamiliar decorations. We'd like to share our top tips for Christmas gifts to help give your cat a safe and harmonious Christmas.
Calm indoor enrichment
Enrichment doesn't always have to mean your cat's activity level increases, for example, chasing a toy. Enrichment is also great for calming your cat and giving them things to focus on when things get a bit chaotic around them. Below are some suggestions for Christmas gifts to boost your cat's wellbeing.
Puzzle problem solving. Wrap up some enrichment toys and see if your cat can open the packages. Put in some tasty treats or similar items to get your cat interested in the contents. There are many enrichment toys where you can put in pieces of treats and let your cat solve the puzzle of getting them out. This is a calmer form of enrichment than, for example, having your cat chase an object, and during Christmas, peace and harmony are the best gifts.
Snuffle matA snuffle mat is made of fleece fabric and is designed for hiding treats in. Give your cat a safe place to relax and offer little moments to sniff out treats during the day.
Slow feederA slow feeder looks like a food bowl but has patterns in it that make it a little harder for your cat to get food or treats out. It's excellent enrichment for cats that eat quickly but also need to work a little harder for their food.
Give your cat some quiet time this Christmas
Private time in the house.A popular Christmas gift is to give your cat some dedicated quiet time during the festivities. It's very important when things are chaotic around them that your cat has the opportunity to recharge. Set up your cat's favourite things in a bedroom and let them have their own space for moments during the day. Take the opportunity to do this when it's particularly difficult for your cat to settle down, for example, when guests arrive.
Take your cat for a walkIf you have an indoor cat, it can be very beneficial for them to step away from the Christmas chaos for a while and go for a walk. If your cat is an outdoor cat, you can let them out when you know it's going to be particularly noisy indoors.
