If you are in the market for the ‘paw-fect’ pet present, then this is the best guide to Christmas presents for pets.
Whether it’s mince pies for dogs or advent calendars for cats, there’s something for all pets this Christmas.
For many pet owners, spoiling their four-legged friend during the festivities is an enjoyable part of the celebrations.
And why not? Since many of our pets are seen as being part of the family and deserving of a present and so should be involved in the Christmas fun.
That said, it’s often a lot easier to please a dog with a Christmas gift than many people we know!
There’s no doubt too that this is a growing trend with Sainsbury’s this year unveiling its own pet- themed Christmas range featuring meaty strips made with Turkey and sage are a tasty choice when dishing up Christmas lunch.
Believe us, Christmas presents for pets is becoming a very popular part of the retail sector!
Mince pies made from Turkey
Though the mince pies made from Turkey and carob will probably create that festive spirit for your four-legged friend too.
If you don’t live near a Sainsbury’s supermarket, then other stores are offering similar products, including John Lewis & Partners with their Fred and Ginger dog mince pies and Amazon having ‘Good boy’ mince pies available too.
Also, Christmas pudding-shaped dog biscuits are available along with calendars and crackers aimed at pets, so your canine friend really can enjoy Christmas Day with you.
And while will you may enjoy a Christmas stocking filled with treats, you can also buy toys and snacks too.
One offering from Cupid & Comet is for a Christmas dinner dog stocking costing £3.99 and it contains three Christmas dinner treats in cheese, Turkey and salmon flavours along with two toys – a tennis ball and a squeaky cracker toy.
Along with Christmas stockings for dogs, there’s also an interesting range of hampers and gift box sets for your four-legged friend.
Non-alcoholic dog wine
Among the offerings the Christmas.co.uk team like is a Christmas set from Pooch & Mutt that has non-alcoholic dog wine – ‘Pawsecco’ – a bow tie, a squeaking radio toy along with a Christmas lunch of duck and turkey.
While most dog owners will be aware that chocolate is a toxic offering for their pooch, you also need to be wary of mince pies and Christmas pudding since these will contain grapes as well as dried fruits such as sultanas and raisings which are also toxic and could potentially cause kidney failure.
But it’s not just about giving your pooch a treat this Christmas – there’s also the opportunity of toys that could deliver a huge amount of entertainment on the day and in the weeks and months afterwards.
One great example of this is a pet snack launcher from Pressie Box at £5.99.
You simply load up the launcher with snacks, take aim and then fire. You can use it in the home or on walks and since there are no batteries, it could last for a long time and deliver a source of amusement for you and your dog (but mainly you, obvs).
Be careful what you feed your dogs over Christmas
While we love our pets, we need to be careful about what we give them as treats over Christmas.
We have already mentioned in this article that some foods, such as chocolate can be toxic for dogs, but there may be Christmas gifts and food items you may not realise are quite dangerous for your pet.
In this article, the food gifts we are highlighting have been specially produced to ensure your dog will not be harmed or made ill after eating them.
There’s no doubt that on Christmas Day, you may be tempted to plate up an extra portion of roast Turkey and the trimmings without realising this can be a dangerous treat to offer.
The best advice for those thinking of offering their pet a plate of food is to be wary that items, such as garlic, onions, shallots and leeks can cause diarrhoea in dogs as well as vomiting and serious damage to red blood cells that may cause anaemia. These issues may only occur several days after the meal was been eaten.
So, here’s the Christmas.co.uk guide to which foods are safe to feed your dog this Christmas:
- Turkey with no bones or skin
- Salmon fillets are OK but not smoked
- Lamb meat with no bones
- Green beans
- Scrambled egg
- Parsnips and carrots
- Peas
- Swede
- And mashed potato – but don’t add butter.
- Gravy is also a no-no as this contains a lot of salt.
Dogs are also sensitive to the fungus in most blue cheeses which could lead to seizures and muscle tremors.
Also, you should make efforts to dispose of any Christmas dinner food that remains so your four-legged friend does not over-indulge.
Great Christmas presents for dogs
Luxury Christmas crackers for your pet
Other great Christmas presents for dogs can be found from niche retailers such as NotOnTheHighStreet and their excellent offering of luxury personalised Christmas crackers at £12.50.
The crackers are handmade with red and gold paper and finished using soft velvet ribbon. The crackers are also personalised with the pet’s name and they contain either a yummy premium dog biscuit or a mouse toy for cats.
For those who want to spoil their pooch, then retailer Dog With A Bone is offering a Christmas deluxe dog gift box at £29.99 containing natural treats, including vegan options, as well as nose and paw balm and a shampoo bar.
Our search for Christmas pet treat also extends to those who don’t want to buy manufactured dog meals and fancy making a dog’s dinner when it comes to feeding the dog.
Dogs’ Dinners
This is where the book by Deborah Robertson, ‘Dogs’ Dinners – The healthy, happy way to feed your dog’ may prove to be a great festive investment.
It’s available on Amazon for £9.68, so you can treat your pooch to a life of home-made dog’s dinners, so there’s no more dry food or cans of shop bought food.
These healthy one pot dinners are easy to make and there’s a long list of biscuits and treats to create as well. There’s even a recipe to make a birthday cake for your canine friend.
While this may be the ultimate way of indulging and spoiling your pet dog around the year and not just for Christmas, just remember they probably deserve being treated in this way.
‘Bottom Sniffer’ beer for dogs
Finally, of the growing numbers of non-alcoholic beers for dogs to enjoy, we can recommend the unusual offering from Woof & Brew and their imaginatively titled ‘Bottom Sniffer’ beer for dogs.
It costs £3 and is a great way to share a beer with your favourite dog and this non-alcoholic, non-sparkling offering contains healthy ingredients, including malt barley extracts, seaweed and natural chicken flavouring.
While you are enjoying the festivities, it could be the perfect liquid refreshment for your dog – especially after a Christmas Day walk in the fresh air and after overindulging on various dog treats. Enjoy!
Christmas gifts for cats
While dogs are probably the easiest pet to buy treats for and watch them being enjoyed immediately, then you may need to consider what Christmas gifts to buy for your cat.
Whether you have a kitten continuously climbing into your Christmas tree to play with the baubles or an older feline who prefers to spend their day curled up by the fire, there are presents available for them to enjoy.
While some may believe that investing in a present for a cat may be a silly thing to do, for cat lovers this is a great way to bring their beloved feline into the family celebrations.
As with dogs, there is a wide range of presents available, from cheap to expensive and here we’ll take a look at some of them.
Climbing tower for cats
We have been taken by the modular climbing tower created by Catissa and though it costs £445, it’s a novel and unusual creation. It’s also a talking point in your home.
Once it’s been installed – it and the steps leading up to it are screwed to a wall – it’s something that Tibbles will certainly enjoy.
As with dogs, there are cat hampers available as well as and we like the offerings from the well-named company Cat Hampurr.
They are offering an excellent hamper for £19.90 containing toys, healthy treats and catnip that will see your cat can enjoy over Christmas and the weeks beyond.
For those who have a laptop and try working from it without being interrupted by their cat (that will be us then!), then there’s an excellent offering from suck.uk.co with a cat laptop.
Decoy laptop
Yes, you read that right. Their offering is essentially a decoy laptop which may come in handy to distract your pet cat with fish as the screen saver and a keyboard that doubles as a corrugated scratcher. There’s also a really cute mouse as the laptop mouse.
For those who work from home, this could be the best £20 you ever spend!
Among the popular retailers, Pets at Home are offering a nice range of Christmas presents for cats this year to help them get into the festive mood.
Along with tasty treats, there are also Christmas stockings and fun festive neckties.
We rather like the pet’s parcel which contains seven Christmas gifts though our vote goes to the cat advent calendar.
Advent calendar for cats
It might be hard to believe but Lily’s Kitchen has created an advent calendar for cats to help your puss enjoy the build-up to the big day of pressie opening. The calendar costs £10 with each window offering a tasty, healthy cat treat.
It’s the pawfect present!
Cat lovers can also buy a nice range of Christmas presents for their cat including a laser toy chaser (hours of fun right there!), a Santa hat tunnel and a velvet bow tie.
For more pawsome gifts, then head over to purrfectcatgifts.co.uk for some really impressive and novel ideas for festive treats.
The presents are cat-themed and include beauty products, soaps and bags – though these are for the loving cat owner and not puss!
There are also lap trays, aprons and oven gloves available, and lots more, with lovely cat pictures on them.
Presents for your pet cat or dog
While it may be tempting to spend a small fortune on presents for your pet cat or dog, there are lots of other options for spending a lot less and still getting lots of fun on Christmas Day.
One of the best offerings we have found comes from retailer B&M who are tapping into this lucrative pet Christmas gift buying market with a range of products to suit every personal wallet.
Among them, is a cranberry suet yule log for £1 and Christmas dog onesies for £4 – if you want to dress your favourite pooch up as either Rudolph, Santa or an elf.
And the fun doesn’t stop there! The retailer also offers a range of treats, including Christmas stockings packed with toys and nibbles and a Christmas gift tin of dog biscuits.
There’s also an advent calendar for dogs – filled with Scooby snacks, costing £2, and a turkey flavoured bone from Pedigree at £1.
Buying presents for your pets at Christmas
When it comes to buying Christmas presents for pets, it’s not just about treating cats and dogs since small children may have other pets as well.
Thankfully, Pets at Home have come good this year and offer a range of Christmas treats for pets, including hamsters, such as a cute hideaway in the shape of a turkey, festive coloured pom-poms to chew on and various small animal treats.
The pet store’s offering for Christmas presents for guinea pigs includes large and small animal beds, though these are also suitable for rabbits, a festive tree forage box and even a £2 advent calendar for guinea pigs and rabbits to enjoy.
Christmas presents for small pets
These Christmas presents for pets are also suitable for the likes of chinchillas and hamsters and mice.
There’s also an impressive small animal tunnel tube available in natural wood from Amazon and Pet Planet have, for £12.99, a Rosewood bunny fun tree.
Essentially, this is the time of year to enjoy Christmas present giving and the receiving of them.
And there’s no need for your pets not to enjoy this exchange and in addition to buying an interesting present, you can also have the thrill of seeing your pet enjoy what you have bought them as well.
