Cat-friendly Christmas gifts for a safe Christmas with your cat
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 strange decorations. We'd like to share our top tips for Christmas gifts to give your cat a safe and harmonious Christmas.
Calm indoor activation
Activation doesn't always have to mean that your cat goes up in activity level and chases a toy, for example. Activation is also great for calming your cat down and giving them things to do when things can get messy around them. Below are some suggestions for Christmas gifts you can give your cat to increase their wellbeing.
Puzzle problem solving. Wrap up some activation toys and see if your cat can open the packages. Put in some treats or similar items to get your cat interested in the contents. There are many activation toys where you can put in pieces of treats and let your cat solve the problem of getting them out. This is a calmer activation than, for example, having your cat chase an object, and during Christmas, peace and harmony are the best Christmas gifts.
Snuffle Mat. A snuffle mat is made of fleece fabric and is for hiding treats in. Give your cat a safe place to stay and offer little moments to sniff out treats during the day.
Slow feeder. A 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. Excellent activation for cats that eat quickly but also need to work a little harder for their food.
Give your cat some time to himself at Christmas
Private time in the house. A popular Christmas gift is to give your cat his own time during Christmas Eve. It's very important when it's messy around that your cat has the opportunity to gather new energy. Put your cat's things in a bedroom and leave it alone for moments during the day. Take the opportunity to do this when it's a little extra difficult for your cat to settle down. For example, when all the guests arrive.
Take your cat for a walk. If you have an indoor cat, it can actually be very valuable for the cat to get out of the Christmas festivities for a while and go for a walk. If you have an outdoor cat, you can let it out when you know it's going to be extra boisterous indoors.
