Our Favorite Things Old and New – Pet Gift Guide 2017 (Part 1)

As a pet blogging family, we are lucky to get to try a lot of different products. I’m careful about what I pick, so most things are a hit with us. But some are just better than others, and turn out to be real “keepers”. Some of our other favorite products are ones that we purchased, and it goes the same way with those! Sometimes you hit it right, others, you wish you hadn’t wasted your money. Sometimes a product we get to review, or that we buy, are great products, but just not perfect for our needs. It’s nice to be able to research ahead of time to be sure of what you are getting, and that’s how we hope our pet gift guide might help you.

If you’re still looking for some gifts for your pet family, we’ll give you some ideas of things that we have come to love. I let each pet pick two favorite things, and then I’ll fill in the rest tomorrow! Oldest to youngest, not counting me (ha ha). Some of the things we have chosen have been shared in years past, just because they are still the favorites!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, designated by a *. If you order through those links, we will receive a small commission, which is greatly appreciated!

Samantha

At 15 years old, our cat Sam doesn’t need a lot and she can be pretty difficult to please. She’s picky about food, and she doesn’t play with toys. Even when she was younger, it was hard to engage her in play. She’ll still play with a catnip toy, but only when you first give it to her, and then never again! She sleeps where she wants to sleep, which is not in the nice tower I got her, and she prefers human furniture over cat beds; though if I throw a cat bed or mat on her favorite piece of furniture, she’ll use it there!

But there are some things she loves and uses consistently, and one of them is her PetSafe drinking fountain. We have the original Drinkwell Fountain*, and since we’ve gotten it, I never have to worry about whether or not Sam drinks enough water. I see her at it all the time, and she drinks from the water flowing out of the top. I think the sound of the flowing water helps her to find the dish, since she is mostly blind.

Sam’s second favorite thing is a homemade gift of sorts. She has her very own catnip plant in her room by the window, and she loves it. It’s such a simple idea – buy a pretty flower pot and some potting soil, plant some catnip seeds in it (we prefer organic, non-GMO seeds*), and let it go! Sam’s plant was starting to look a little sad lately, so I re-potted it in some fresh organic soil and it really came back to life! If you’re not into potting, just visit your local nursery/greenhouse and you may be able to find one already started there.

Cricket

If you’ve been reading this blog for long, you already know what Cricket’s favorite thing is, because it never changes. Well, it has changed just a little bit though. Cricket loves to play ball and West Paw Zogoflex balls are her favorite. The only thing that changed is that she now prefers the Zogoflex Air* over the original Zogoflex, which is a little harder. She gets a new one every Christmas. These balls never get destroyed, but they do disappear sometimes! I currently do not know where any of them are other than the “Dandelion (yellow)”. I saw the “Cranberry” color around here not too long ago, so this year she’ll get the “Peacock” in her stocking. I wonder if she hides them in case I’m considering not getting her a new one this year?

I never thought Cricket would really be one to like any kind of puzzle toys or sports. But she enjoys nose works, and she loves it when I get out their Wooly Snuffle Mat. I love listening to her snuffle away, and she’ll still have her nose in that long after she’s found all the treats! If I don’t have a lot of time, it’s easier to set up than a whole nose works search. (Luke loves it too.)

Luke

While Luke doesn’t play fetch like Cricket does, he still loves a good ball as well. He likes to play keep-away from his sister, and he enjoys chomping away on a nice squishy ball. While the Zogoflex Air fits that bill, his favorite ball to chomp on is the Planet Dog Orbee-Tuff Orange Squeak Ball*. He’s chewed on it so much, I don’t think it squeaks as loud as it used to! We’ve had other squeaky balls, and he’s destroyed every one of them, but this one has been with us for quite a while.

Luke’s other new favorite toys are the West Paw Rowdies*. We just recently received and reviewed these (“West Paw Rowdies – Can Luke Choose a Favorite?“), he is a dog who usually loses interest in toys easily, but he has still been playing with them (and still can’t choose a favorite!).

We’re excited to have our own Amazon Affiliate page now. Follow this link and you will be taken to our Wag ‘n Woof Pets page where we share all our favorite products in one place. You’ll find most things listed here, along with some of the crew’s favorite treats, toys, and other goodies. I also included some of my favorite cruelty-free health and beauty aids and household products.

Come back tomorrow where I’ll share a few things that are MY favorites – for the pets, and even something for me!