Gifts for Cats (and Their Owners) That Are Worth Knocking Off the Table

Cats: what would we do without them? To the cat agnostics, not to mention the cat haters, I say: don’t answer that! (Also, what’s wrong with you?) But to the cat lovers, my intended interlocutors here, I say: no need to answer, either. We both know. A catless world is a terrible thing to contemplate. No lap snuggles? No headbutts? No slow blinks? No raising of the rump to welcome a wealth of scritches? No occasional, inexplicable biting? We’d truly be lost without our fuzzy, innocent but knowing friends.

A catless world would also be devoid of a whole slew of objects and accoutrements, gadgets and doodads—some meant for cats and some for the humans obsessed with them—that turn a house into a home, or, in some cases, a living room into a giant obstacle course. There are two things I can’t resist: any item that might improve or enrich my two cats’ lives in some way (even if that perceived improvement is a pathetic fallacy that exists purely in my own mind); and any item that captures, for me, the half-sweet, half-tart character of the feline species. If there’s a special cat fanatic in your life (or a special cat!), why not treat them, this holiday season, to one of the below?

Children’s Books About Cats

It’s never too early for the cat-loving parent to Stockholm syndrome their kids into becoming cat lovers, too, a process that might begin with stuffing the proverbial stocking with a nice cat-centric book. My daughter is now past the age of picture books, but one of her favorites,and mine, used to be “Rich Cat, Poor Cat” ($29), by the magnificent Bernard Waber (best known for his Lyle the Crocodile series), in which a scraggly street cat named Scat finds a home. Other picture books we never tired of were Jenni Desmond’s “Red Cat, Blue Cat” ($14), about two feline frenemies; “No Kiss for Mother” ($21), by Tomi Ungerer, in which a young kit refuses to play nice; and Judith Kerr’s Mog the Cat series ($36 for eight of the books). For the slightly older child, I’d suggest either Esther Averill’s fantastic “Jenny and the Cat Club” collection ($22), about the shy black cat Jenny Linsky and her community of cat friends in nineteen-forties Greenwich Village, or Ursula K. Le Guin’s “Catwings” series ($28), about a litter of flying cats. Finally, a book for adults that kids will also enjoy leafing through is “The Encyclopedia of Movie Cats” ($50), from A24.

Cat Toys

The best gift for an actual cat is almost undoubtedly the gift of play. I love watching my cats go nuts for catnip, and these knitted cigarette-shaped catnip toys ($15 for three), for the bad-boy feline about town, are super cute. (For a healthier-looking playtime option, these felted vegetable toys, for $6, are also terrific.) Feather wands ($9) can help the rotund cat get her jumps in, but if she prefers a more brainteasing kind of exercise this tri-tier ball tower ($12) will keep her occupied. Finally, a clicker toy ($13) is my own cats’ personal favorite. Hours of fun following that little red dot . . . if only all of us were so easily amused.

Cat Furniture and Homeware for Cats

Let’s face it, neither a cat tree nor a scratcher is likely to stop your cat from shedding on your furniture, or destroying it (and I have the totally clawed-down Design Within Reach sofa to prove it). Still, it’s nice to make them feel like they have their own little domain, and if this domain is aesthetically pleasing, so much the better. This rustic pearwood-and-sisal cat tree-cum-scratcher (£90) will make one’s cat look like Robinson Crusoe sleeping in a tree; this fun cherry-shaped cat tree ($136) is very Claes Oldenburg; and this mid-century-modern scratching chair ($48) will class up any joint. A plush window perch ($23) will allow a bored house cat a view of the outdoors. (I always think of this kind of contraption as a public service, since there’s nothing that makes my heart beat faster than spotting an indoor cat lounging on one while walking down the street.) And, perhaps most useful, this techy litter robot ($599) will keep one’s home odor-free.

Cat-Themed Clothes, Accessories, and Homeware

I know, I know. Feline-themed clothing and paraphernalia can easily veer corny or “crazy cat lady,” but there’s some cool stuff out there that avoids these pitfalls. I, for one, always enjoy a good vintage Kliban shirt ($48). This nineteen-seventies Danish cat tapestry ($408) is giving Ingmar Bergman’s “Scenes from a Marriage” décor (in a good way), and drinking coffee out of this William Steig New Yorker-cover cat mug ($24) could turn a terrible morning into a good one. The cat bus from Miyazaki’s “My Neighbor Totoro” always gives me a warm, happy feeling, so falling asleep in a room illuminated by this night light ($57) seems very soothing. Another famous cartoon cat that I’m obsessed with is, of course, Garfield, and this vintage ceramic figurine ($35) takes me straight back to 1981.

Shelter Help

There’s never enough support for the people and organizations that are helping to save cats from the mean streets of America’s cities. I live in Brooklyn, and I adopted my extremely soft black-and-white cat, Gully, from Bushwick Street Cats, a nonprofit doing fantastic work with stray cats in the area. (They also helped neuter my other cat, the grumpy but loving Gingy.) Two other great organizations near me are Flatbush Cats and Brooklyn Animal Action. I can’t imagine a nicer gift than making a donation in someone’s name to one of these charities, or the cat charity of your choice, wherever you live.

And . . . a Bone for the Dog Lovers

Believe it or not, I love dogs, too (though maybe not as passionately as I love cats), so I was delighted to take my editor’s note and add a few choice finds for our canine friends. Since my knowledge of dogs is much less intimate, however, I solicited the assistance of two friends. Susan Korn, who owns both an accessories brand called Susan Alexandra and a gentle senior chihuahua named Pigeon, makes fabulous hand-beaded leashes ($155) and collars ($98). Pigeon, meanwhile, recommends this dog shampoo ($98) and this human-grade dog food (a basic plan starts at roughly $1 per meal). My friend Claire Jarvis has recently found herself the owner of a large, Marmaduke-like setter named Frankie, who’s been enjoying this wand toy ($32) and this harness ($40). He’ll also “walk on water” for these freeze-dried elk treats ($30). ♦