Do You Buy Holiday Gifts for Your Pet?

awatkins · Nov 28, 2005

There's a huge market for gifts made especially for pets. Do you buy holiday gifts for your pets?

My guys all have Christmas stockings and ornaments with their names on them.

PattiTheWicked · Nov 28, 2005

I don't buy them gifts, but I did stitch up some catnip mice and braid up a chew rope out of leftover fleece this afternoon, does that count?

I'm waiting to see if the Ten Ton Calico gnaws thru the wrapping paper.

awatkins · Nov 28, 2005

Hi Patti,

Yes, that certainly does count! I can't believe I forgot that when I set up the poll. Take a look--I've edited it to include your idea.

Thanks for the reminder!

PattiTheWicked · Nov 28, 2005

Woohoo! Go me, I've been added to a poll!

Seriously, I've got enough leftover fleece (from making scarves and hats for all the kiddoes on my holiday gift list) that I've made all kinds of pet stuff. I made a dog blanket out of colored squares for my niece's puppy and I sewed up some catnip mice for my kitties. My favorite, though, is the chewy braid. Take three thick strips of fleece (about 6" by 1 yd), tie a knot in one end, and braid them together. It makes a nice fat braid that's fun to play tug of war with, and you can toss it in the washer when it gets slimy. If you're really digging the pet thing, braid bits of rawhide into it as well. I made one for my dog a while back, even though he's not a chewer, and he carries it with him EVERYWHERE, it's like a security blanket.

awatkins · Nov 28, 2005

Wow, what great ideas! I've got a couple of cats on my list I bet would love those things--the catnip mice AND the braids.

You know, you should write that up and pitch it to one of the pet mags. A pet-related crafts article just might strike some editor's fancy.

mkcbunny · Nov 28, 2005

We usually get the cats a new toy each to replace one that's on the outs.

But the best "present" is little wads of wrapping paper. We give them that same wonderful gift every year.

awatkins · Nov 29, 2005

Heehee. Ah, yes, the wadded paper gift. Given more than a few of those, myself, I have. :ROFL:

DaveKuzminski · Nov 29, 2005

But what do you get for fish?

Now you're making me feel guilty for accusing them of sneaking out of the tank at night to take the chocolate covered cherries from the pantry. Cella's, of course, which we have to wait for because they're only available in our area just before Christmas.

My wife still doesn't believe that their little wet tracks dried before she got up.

Actually, we discovered in the past year that our fish will go into a feeding frenzy for dried daphnia which we get at the local PetSmart. We give them that as a treat every other evening. One of the corys actually discovered the treat and took to skimming the surface upside down in order to get to it first before it sank where the other fish would generally reach it. The same cory even figured out that it would gather in clumps against the side of the glass and race along the glass to eat as much as possible.

awatkins · Nov 29, 2005

I can't believe your wife didn't buy that story. What's wrong with her? :ROFL:

For years we gave our guys shrimp pellets as treats because they really were crazy about them. Then the store was out of them one day so my husband picked up a can of TetraMin Tropical Crisps. Wow!!! You should have seen those fish when we dropped a few bits in the tank!

Our clown loaches shoot to the TOP of the water when we feed that stuff and they will even knock the 9" bala shark out of the way! It's hilarious to see them go so crazy over it. And in the other tank, the corys and kuhli loaches react the same way. I don't know what flavor attractant the company put in that stuff, but it works.

Looks like I might have to give dried daphnia a try, too. Thanks for the tip!

Random musing: Why are the plurals of 'cory' and 'platy' spelled 'corys' and 'platys' instead of 'cories' and 'platies?'

awatkins · Dec 2, 2005

Haha! I see that somebody chose That's just crazy talk. I was hoping somebody would do that. :ROFL:

TheIT · Dec 2, 2005

For a quick cat toy to make, take a couple of old socks, roll one into a ball, stuff it into the other one, then tie a knot in the outside sock. You could probably throw some loose catnip in there to make it more enticing. My cat loves flinging this toy into the air and running after it. Then again, my cat seems to love socks in all varieties, either on or off my feet. I had to chase after him when I was packing because he kept jumping into my suitcase and stealing my socks.

The discussion about the fish reminded me about my nephew's pet turtle (Turtilicus). At first the only food it would eat was frozen cantaloupe, which gets pretty expensive. It kept turning its nose up at the shredded lettuce it was supposed to eat. They finally figured out that it liked whole lettuce leaves instead of shredded. Imagine, a finicky turtle.

threedogpeople · Dec 4, 2005

TheIT said:
For a quick cat toy to make, take a couple of old socks, roll one into a ball, stuff it into the other one, then tie a knot in the outside sock. You could probably throw some loose catnip in there to make it more enticing. My cat loves flinging this toy into the air and running after it. Then again, my cat seems to love socks in all varieties, either on or off my feet. I had to chase after him when I was packing because he kept jumping into my suitcase and stealing my socks.

We have a game that we play with our 3 Ibizans called "fishing for dog". We have a heavy duty ocean fishing pole. Attached to the end of the line is a tube sock with a tennis ball in the end of it. We cast the "sock" and they chase after it. It drives them crazy with fun. Everytime that we get the pole out to go play they immediately start jumping and trying to get the sock.

So, if you have a sight hound you might try this as a Christmas gift (free to cheap one).

awatkins · Dec 5, 2005

Turtles are finicky? Who knew! lol

Thanks for the awesome ideas, threedogpeople and theIT. There are so many cool things that can be made for pet toys.

With all the great ideas in this thread, nobody's pet should ever be without a fun toy.

DaveKuzminski · Dec 5, 2005

Kittens in particular like to chase toes under the bedsheets. Of course, they're on top of the sheet and your toes are safely(?) beneath. If you move your foot and then wiggle your toes, it grabs their attention immediately.

You can do much the same with any cat by making a scratching sound on the wall just around the corner from them. It's entertaining watching them creep up and then whip around the corner to pounce only to find no prey there.

You can also get their attention with a paper bag should they enter it. Then you make a sight scratching on the outside bottom of the bag and they'll go bonkers trying to get through the bag to get at the critter they believe is there.

TheIT · Dec 5, 2005

I've had mixed reactions from different cats when playing in paper bags. My one cat, Rex, would try to dig through the back of the bag to get the sound if I scratched on the outside of the bag. Come heck or high water, he was going to get that sound going straight through. He'd do the same with laundry baskets. One of my other cats, Snowfire, was a little smarter, if not so determined. If I scratched on the back of the bag, she'd get out of the bag and come around back to see what I was doing. I think she realized the sound was coming from me and not the bag. Most of the other cats I've owned are a somewhere between the two extremes.

Another great cat toy is a laser pointer, though some cats love chasing the "little red bug", and others could care less. Just be careful not to shine it directly in the cat's eyes.

awatkins · Dec 7, 2005

My parrots like to play in paper bags. It's funny to watch them creeping around inside, making weird little noises. lol

The conure loves to play with sheets of newspaper, too. He crawls underneath it, crawls around and talks to himself, and finally pulls on it until he makes a cave. The Amazon enjoys shredding paper and making huge, elaborate nests.

Do You Buy Holiday Gifts for Your Pet?

Do You Buy/Make Holiday Gifts for Your Pet(s)?

Sometimes.

Always!

Never.

That's just crazy talk.

Only if they're getting something for me!

I'm crafty; I prefer to make my gifts.

I make some gifts and buy some gifts!

Not harboring illegal parrot

Unleashing Hell.

Not harboring illegal parrot

Unleashing Hell.

Not harboring illegal parrot

Bufflehead

Not harboring illegal parrot

Preditors & Editors

Not harboring illegal parrot

Not harboring illegal parrot

Infuriatingly Theoretical

This is my BEST side!

Not harboring illegal parrot

Preditors & Editors

Infuriatingly Theoretical

Not harboring illegal parrot