Hi-ya, I’m Gus. I’ve been here at Twin Maples for 11 years! I was dropped off here as a stray in January of 2008 and I was so cutie, they decided to keep me as a house cat! My hobbies include swatting the humans here randomly whenever they walk by me.. Ya know, to keep them on their toes. I also have a thing furr shoes, I really like to rub against everyone’s shoes to get my scent on them.

Christmas is around the corner and all of the humans here talk about gifts they are getting or receiving. Sometimes us house cats will get a toy or two because of the holiday and we are so happy when we do! Today I will give you three suggestions as good toys to get your feline friends for the holidays. I’ve seen a lot of toys in my day but three of them that have been rated the best among my feline friends and I are a laser pointer, anything with catnip, and a crunchy tunnel.

I know that Thresh talked about laser pointers last month and how they are great furr giving us cats exercise. But those things are really fun, I promise you. Though the color of the laser pointer doesn’t matter, what is tempting to us cats is the way that you humans make that bright dot of light move. When it darts here, then pauses, and then dashes over there, you are mimicking the actions of prey animals (like deer, zebra, or rabbits), which we find very hard to ignore.

Catnip… holy smokes.. that stuff is great. They make toys that look like mice, bananas, ropes, and more! You can find these toys at any pet store and online! When us cats smell or chews on catnip, it triggers a response in our brain that creates a euphoric, sometimes hallucinogenic state of mind. Cats on catnip can often be seen rolling around, rubbing up on things, and drooling. We may even go into a frenzy and start dashing madly around the house. Some cats, on the other hand, show little to no reaction at all. Offering your cat catnip is a great way to encourage some extra activity, in addition to being highly entertaining for you humans to watch!

Last but not least, crunchy tunnels… wowwwww. Those are so much fun to run and play in. They give us cat places to hide, sneak, pounce, or just sleep; some of us cats love to chase each other through or play with their humans chasing cat toys through the tunnel. Most of the cat tunnels have crunchy paper or material that makes a rustling noise. Crunchy tunnels amuses most of us cats, but some can’t bear it. If you have a very timid kitty you might need to keep that in mind.

Now that you have some ideas on what to get your furry friends for Christmas, I must remind of a couple things that you shouldn’t give! Try to avoid toys with string, feathers, and rope toys. Those things are pretty hazardous to us cats and we don’t want to see them come in to the clinic after Christmas because we are possibly obstructed from a toy they ate!

I hope that you all have a lovely Christmas and New Year’s. Enjoy time with your family and friends; all of us cats here love getting to spend time with our Twin Maples family! May your days be meowy and bright!

-Gus