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!
My dog LOVES the Snuggle Rug! Highly recommend:)
It is still a favorite of Luke’s too!
it’s a toss up for me… the snuffle mat or the tunnel. I think I might get the mat for Sampson and the tunnel for Delilah…that way I don’t have to choose. LOL
Thanks for sharing, I love hearing what others think of products.
Absolutely, you should get both! That reminds me, since we’re getting some pretty cold weather right now, that I should get the tunnel out and set it up in the hallway again.
Hi, Samantha! Always nice to see you 🙂 I wonder if our Layla would like the snuffle mat. I think she gets bored sometimes when she’s in the office with me, and it might be good for her to have something to work on.
I think Layla would love that. If I didn’t have to worry about my two fighting over it, I would have it out every day!
Sam says hello back! ♥
That is a great list! The boys are anxious for their snuffle rug.
I was wondering if you’ve made any progress on moving?
What a great list. Samantha, we’re a little jealous that you have your very own catnip plant. We couldn’t have one of those here inside the house because some cat (Wally!) would probably dig it up and make a huge mess.
We understand that! There was a time when Sam would have done the same thing (in fact we have a blog post that shows when she had done just that), but luckily she doesn’t do that anymore (knock wood though). 🙂
Enjoyed this post, thanks for the suggestions. My girl is a ball hound, she has the original Zogoflex, and I agree, it is hard. Perhaps we should look into the Zogoflexair ball. She also has some Planet Dog balls, but not the Orbee-tuff squeak ball. Hmm, another gift idea for her because she loves a good squeak.
That’s exactly why I got that one for Luke, he just loves to get that thing squeaking! I think Cricket likes the Zogoflex Air for it’s softness, especially now that she’s older. Plus it’s a softer hit when they accidentally get hit with one – LOL!
Thanks for mentioning the water fountain I was actually just looking them up for hank the Clinic cat.
Hank loves running water, doesn’t he? I’m thinking I’ve seen photos of him in the sink there. 🙂
the Rowdies interest me for Dakota, might check those out!
They are such cute toys!
Lots of fun stocking stuffers in this post. I have always wanted to try one of the Wooly Snuffle mats
It really is so much fun to listen to them sniffing away at it!
That is a nice bunch of goodies! We love our PetSafe fountain too Samantha!
good gift ideas. Can’t wait to read part 2
Samantha is such a sweet kitty. I’m sure hearing the water draws her to it. I know our kitty sis Sophie comes running when she hears any water running as she loves fresh water.
Sam used to love drinking out of the faucet and getting in the tub; she’s always been a water lover. But now she just can’t see well enough to get to either of those places. That makes me sad but I’m glad we can at least have this for her.
that are some super nice idea… I will look for some gifts this year I can use for training too… hope I will find something :O)))
Luke says you should try a clicker! We did include some of those in our amazon store. 🙂