Holidays - Make them merry for your animals!

Holidays mean stress, who hasn’t experienced it. There are parties to go to, presents to buy, cookies to bake, gifts to wrap, and invited in-laws to accommodate. All these errands and additional chores will somehow result in you cutting down on your pet’s leisure, walking, play and cuddle hours. Cats might show you that they are annoyed or at least displeased, dogs can get really rambunctious and might forget what well-behaved means.

It is proven that petting an animal is one of the best and most efficient stress relievers. Keep that in mind and schedule some time to spend with your cat or dog. Cuddle of with your pet in a cozy place, have a cup of hot cocoa or tea, have a cookie and enjoy your furry friend. Or, put on your best walking shoes and take your dog for a stroll, maybe to the dog park, to let him run and to get rid of pent-up energy.

Try an evening at home and while watching a Holiday movie on DVD or TV, brush your pet’s coat. If you have an open fireplace, even better!

Get your cat a few new toys, like the Mews Ments Catnip Mice Cat Toys or Mews Ments Cat Teaser Cat Toy. Cats just love catnip and they also love the teaser toys! Catnip Toys will your kitty keep busy! Try some from SBCrochet, or get patterns to make them yourself.

While you are enjoying your turkey dinner, refrain from letting Fido eat the bones. Much healthier are dog biscuits and treats. To honor the holidays, buy him Holiday-Shaped Rawhide 2-Packs, or get a Bake-at-Home Brownie Mix for Dogs (that makes about 1 lbs. of treats), just for him! Again, I will repeat that over and over again - NO chocolate! Chocolate is very dangerous for cats and dogs! Please read our article about >> Holiday Dangers!

We recommend buying the presents early and giving it to them before the holiday hectic starts. A cat will be happy to sit on it’s new window perch (a nice one is Lazy Pet Kitty Window Perch), watching you doing your preparations, decorations, baking, or the birds outside. If you want to be more generous, get her the Green Duck Cat Castle, or the Green Duck Half Moon Multi-Level Cat Tree , perfect places to hide, play, scratch and rest. Cats can get stressed out by unusual activities, prevent this by supplying a place where they can feel safe and cared for. Cats like to be treated like royalty, but who doesn’t?

A great gift for both, cats and dogs is a cuddle up, or heated bed. There are many on the market, we have tested and rated them. See our >> Product reviews - Heated Pet Beds . There are two more that would make a great gift, the Flexi-Mat Orleans Cuddle-Up Beds and the Flexi-Mat Deluxe Zippered Snuggle Balls.

The new Clevercat® Top Entry Litterbox with top entry might be a gift for the both of you. No more spilled litter on your floor, great privacy for your pet. We have done a test and >> Review on this one also. Do consider though, that this litter box is NOT ideal for old cats that might have arthritis, or very heavy cats.

Whatever you decide upon, it’s easy to show your animals love by including them in some activities and spending time together. Lots of purrs, kisses and “loving eyes” will be one of your greatest holiday gifts!