If you’re anything like me, buying a holiday gift for your pet is essential. I have three cats of my own which are treated like little kitty children – spoiled rotten and allowed to do basically whatever they want (this is how I imagine I would parent a non-feline child so it is probably for the best that I don’t have any human children). I am partial to cats since a little clowder of them live in my house but I am an admirer of all animals – anyone who knows me knows that I dream of having a couple of dogs, some chickens, ducks, goats, horses, cows, etc. – and of course a few more cats. The first half of this gift guide focuses primarily on the pets, but the second half includes some ideas for those people in your life who are general animal lovers. Here are a few gift ideas for your little cat or dog pals:

1. Custom family pet & people portrait $77, Lili Di Prima – This is more of a gift for the humans, but I think there is something really special about custom pet portraits. Also, I love how this artist has done the portraits – I find a lot of the custom pet portraits to be a bit cheesy or “funeral programmy” if that makes sense, but these are a bit quirky and would look very lovely in a black oval frame with a cream colored mat.

2. Da Bird cat toy $12.01, amazon.ca – These are my cats favorite toy by far – they have gone through a few of them and our current one is being held together by electrical tape in order to squeeze the last ounces of life from it. They are actually decent quality, but one of my cats is very rough on all toys, so I’m pretty positive this toy would hold up much longer with a non-psychotic cat.

3. Cardboard kitty scratcher $19.99, Target – My cats love scratching cardboard the most. They don’t really go for carpet or sisal rope scratchers (the couch is another story). They especially love cardboard structures that they can go on top of or sleep inside of. Cats are weird.

4. Sponsor an animal or make a donation to your local shelter in your recipient’s name. Our local no-kill animal shelter, The Meow Foundation, offers a sponsorship program during the holiday season for $25 per cat. While I love to receive material gifts, this is one of my favorite things to receive because I want all the cats to be living as comfortable lives as mine do.

5. Leather & rope dog collar $50 and rope dog leash $60 , Old Faithful Shop – If I had a dog, I would buy this set. It reminds me of horse tack which is probably why I am so attracted to it.

6. Kitty basket bed $112.00, Mungo & Maud – This cat bed is a little on the pricey side, but I love that it is so simple looking and my cats do love to sleep in baskets.

7. Pet tent $114 , Urban Outfitters – Every pet needs a tent, right?

And of course you can’t forget those people who are just general animal lovers!

1. Alpaca socks $15.00 – Anthropologie – I’ve been into knitting socks this last year but it does not stop me from buying socks with critters on them. Alpacas!

2. Knit Your Own Dog kit $14.99 – This would be the perfect gift for the dog-loving knitter!

3. Cat dishtowel $18.00 – Anthropologie – Adorable, enough said.

4. Moose string lights $28.00 – Urban Outfitters – My sister loves moose and has a moose room so I know she would love these. But I kind of want them for myself too!

5. Horse Backpack $55.00 – Little Burgundy – I’ve been coveting this pattern for several months and I’ve been waiting for this to go on sale so I can buy it for myself.

6. Cat & yarn salt & pepper shakers $12.99 – Modcloth – I have had a strange spinster lady desire to go out and start a novelty salt & pepper shaker collection but unfortunately have not taken that plunge yet. Perhaps buying this set will give me the motivation to go out and finally do it.

7. Swans iPhone case $36.00 – Rifle Paper Co. – I’ve had to limit myself to only one iPhone cover BUT if that one decides to die, I will be getting this one!

8. DIY racoon embroidery kit $20.99 – Kiriki Press – I think I’m going to have to treat myself to this, it is just too adorable to pass up. And lucky for me, my favorite local knitting store carries Kiriki Press kits!

As with all of my gift guides, the items are carefully selected by myself and all opinions are my own. I am not receiving compensation for any of these products – I just love them!