{"id":1570,"date":"2022-12-03T10:26:28","date_gmt":"2022-12-03T10:26:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/?p=1570"},"modified":"2022-12-03T10:26:28","modified_gmt":"2022-12-03T10:26:28","slug":"gifts-for-our-animals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/gifts-for-our-animals\/","title":{"rendered":"GIFTS FOR OUR ANIMALS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the Holidays roll around and shopping lists are prepared, be sure to include your fur-children!&nbsp; Dogs and cats deserve holiday gifts, too. &nbsp;What I love about purchasing items for my animals is the fact they don\u2019t care about the price point on the gift, and they don\u2019t pass judgment on the item itself; there is nothing superficial about animals.&nbsp; Buying for them embodies what the holidays are all about: giving.&nbsp; There are no rules that you must buy them anything at all.&nbsp; However, I could make a pretty good argument that they deserve a present more than half the people on your list.&nbsp; And if you get them something you aren\u2019t sure is a good match, who cares?&nbsp; They won\u2019t hold it against you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you are having a bad day, who climbs into your lap to make you feel better?&nbsp; When you feel like the whole world is crashing down on you, who accepts and loves you for who you are?&nbsp; And when you don\u2019t feel like talking, who is happy to oblige and sit by your side without muttering a word?&nbsp; Animals provide unconditional love.&nbsp; While the holiday season layers on the stress, our animals help us deflect it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What should we buy for our favorite animal?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I have comprised a list of my top picks of gifts for the family dog and family cat!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dogs<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Whistle Collar:&nbsp; This device clips on to the dog collar to track your dog\u2019s activity throughout the day, similar to a FitBit.&nbsp; It will also track other daily habits, such as scratching and sleeping.&nbsp; And, most importantly, it is a GPS that works off cell service.&nbsp; You will need to pay for a data plan to go along with the device, and the price point for the collar and data plan are reasonable.&nbsp;&nbsp; Provided you take your dog to areas with cell service, it assists with tracking your dog if he\/she should slip away from you.&nbsp;&nbsp; The product is small and does not add much weight to the dog collar.&nbsp; The small device has a light that can be turned on remotely, and this is nice for night walks.&nbsp; The Whistle Collar is durable and can handle rough play.&nbsp; It is water resistant, but not totally waterproof.&nbsp; If you plan to do back-woods hiking away from cell-towers, then you should invest in a heavy-duty Garmin radio collar instead.&nbsp; The Whistle works best as an urban GPS.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Appropriate Chew Toys:&nbsp; Avoid chewing items that are hard, such as bones and antlers.&nbsp; These will fracture your dog\u2019s teeth.&nbsp; Rubber chewing surfaces are much better, as they have some \u201cgive.\u201d&nbsp; KONG makes many great products that are heavy-duty and are for the toughest of chewers\u2026 without breaking teeth.&nbsp; Always monitor your dog while chewing on any items and remove them if they begin to fall apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are looking for safe items to chew on AND consume, please visit&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.vohc.org\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">www.vohc.org<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp; This website has a complete list of veterinary-approved dental foods and treats.&nbsp; Let\u2019s face it, good-smelling dog breath is the gift that keeps on giving!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Seatbelt.&nbsp; We all buckle up for the ride in the car.&nbsp; We should do the same for our pooch.&nbsp; Dogs get injured in car accidents, too.&nbsp; When slamming on the brakes, dogs will fly around in the car, and possibly out a window.&nbsp; Harness seatbelts keep your dog secure in his\/her seat while allowing them room to find that cozy position.&nbsp; It\u2019s also a safety measure for when you need to open the car door.&nbsp; We all know those exuberant dogs that are ready to fly out of the car into traffic when the door opens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Home-Cam.&nbsp;&nbsp; Do you ever wonder what your dog is up to while you are at work?&nbsp; Setting up some home-cams is a great idea and can give you peace of mind.&nbsp;&nbsp; My personal favorite camera is Wyze:&nbsp; this can be purchased on Amazon.&nbsp;&nbsp; I like this camera because it has a running feed, so if you need to go back and review footage, it allows you to do so.&nbsp;&nbsp; The Wyze camera is a good price point with good quality.&nbsp; There are many other brands of video cameras out there, such as Ring and Arlo.&nbsp; Some are marketed as Petcams, but really, any home security camera will do the trick!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>CATS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; String on a stick (\u201cCat Wands\u201d):&nbsp; Cats LOVE this because it triggers their prey-drive.&nbsp; Some of these toys have clip-on strings, so you can alternate between feathers, fabric, and toys on the end of the string. I recommend being careful with the cat wands made of fabric, as some cats can easily chew through and swallow large pieces of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Catnip Mice:&nbsp; These little toys are super basic, super cheap, and super fun.&nbsp; These can be found in just about every pet store. Some cats prefer larger mice, others prefer smaller toy mice with a bit of a tail on them.&nbsp; Use care when choosing your toy: if there are strings hanging off the toy, ensure they are not too long to be accidentally ingested.&nbsp; Cats will often swallow string-like material, and this can cause an obstruction.&nbsp; Always watch your animals when they play with toys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Cat Trees:&nbsp; Providing your cat with a vertical surface to climb and hide and scratch is a wonderful gift.&nbsp; Cat trees aren\u2019t cheap, but they are well worth the money.&nbsp; They may look large in size, but most cat trees will fit nicely in any home.&nbsp; Placement of the cat tree is important, too.&nbsp; Cats love looking out windows and surveying the area.&nbsp; If your cat seems uninterested in it, try placing it in a different location.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Warming cat bed:&nbsp; Cats always seek out the warmest spots to rest.&nbsp; Never ever use a warming surface that has an electrical component.&nbsp; Animals can \u2013 and will- get burned by these.&nbsp; Warming beds are simply beds that retain heat \u2013 their heat.&nbsp; They come in all kinds of shapes and sizes.&nbsp; It might be wise to purchase a few different options and let your cat pick which ones they prefer!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When shopping for your animals, remember to shop smart.&nbsp; If it is an item that looks like it could be consumed, do not purchase it.&nbsp; And if it gets destroyed from playing, throw it in the garbage before parts of it get eaten.&nbsp; If gifting with food treats, use caution.&nbsp;&nbsp; A quick change of food can flare up the sensitive guts of our heartiest animals.&nbsp; And, always avoid toys with batteries.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Have fun shopping, and even if your budget does not allow you to purchase items for your animal, the gift of your time and your love will be cherished instead.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Laura D<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the Holidays roll around and shopping lists are prepared, be sure to include your fur-children!&nbsp; Dogs and cats deserve holiday gifts, too. &nbsp;What I love about purchasing items for my animals is the fact they don\u2019t care about the price point on the gift, and they don\u2019t pass judgment on the item itself; there &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/gifts-for-our-animals\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;GIFTS FOR OUR ANIMALS&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1001,"featured_media":1572,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[521],"tags":[588,589,585,582,586,583,587,85,170,584],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1570"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1001"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1570"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1570\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1574,"href":"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1570\/revisions\/1574"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/old.momstribute.com\/company-blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}