CatStuff: Shopping Ideas for Cats and Cat Lovers

Shopping Ideas for Cats and Cat Lovers

In almost all cases below, I have purchased items from the sites listed or read the books mentioned.
Some simply provide ideas that are too cool not to share. :-)

Great Books: Cat Behavior

Starting from Scratch: How to Correct Behavior Problems in Your Adult Cat, by Pam Johnson-Bennett
Psycho Kitty?, by Pam Johnson-Bennett
Hiss and Tell: True Stories from the Files of a Cat Shrink, by Pam Johnson-Bennett
Cat Vs. Cat: Keeping Peace When You Have More Than One Cat, by Pam Johnson-Bennett
Think Like a Cat: How to Raise a Well-Adjusted Cat--Not a Sour Puss, by Pam Johnson-Bennett
Cat Vs. Cat: Keeping Peace When You Have More Than One Cat, by Pam Johnson-Bennett
Twisted Whiskers: Solving Your Cat's Behavior Problems, by Pam Johnson-Bennett
Is Your Cat Crazy: Solutions from the Casebook of a Cat Therapist, by John C. Wright
The Cat Who Cried for Help: Attitudes, Emotions, and the Psychology of Cats, by Dr. Nicholas Dodman
House Cat: How to Keep Your Indoor Cat Sane and Sound by Christine Church
Outwitting Cats: Tips, Tricks and Techniques for Persuading the Felines in Your Life That What YOU Want Is Also What THEY Want by Wendy Christensen

Heartwarming Reads: Books about Cats

Angel Cats: Divine Messengers of Comfort, by Allen and Linda Anderson
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, by Vicki Myron
Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul: Stories of Feline Affection, Mystery and Charm, by Mark Victor Hansen
Stories About Cats and the Lives They Touch, by Peggy Shaefer
More Stories Of Cats and the Lives They Touch, by Peggy Shaefer
Cat Miracles: Inspirational True Stories of Remarkable Felines, by Brad and Sherry Hansen Stieger
Animals and the Afterlife: True Stories of Our Best Friends' Journey Beyond Death, by Kim Sheridan, Ph.D.
Making Rounds with Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat by David Dosa, M.D.
Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper

Mystery series with Cats

The Cat Who series of novels, by Lilian Jackson Braun The series features Quilleran and his cats Yum Yum and Koko (my favorite series!) and his journey from newspaperman to philanthropist, solving murders everywhere he travels.
The Alice Nestleton Mysteries, by Lydia Adamson. Alice is a sometimes-employed actress who cat sits for the well-to-do. Every murder she solves has a cat involved.
Midnight Louie mysteries, by Carole Nelson Douglas. The novels feature public-relations wiz Temple Barr and his tomcat sleuth Louie [the animals talk].
Mrs. Murphy mysteries, by Rita Mae Brown. Postmistress Mary Minor Haristeen (Harry) and her cat Mrs. Murphy and dog Tucker solve mysteries [the animals talk].
Amazon.com has an entire mystery book section of Cat Sleuths

You'll find more recommended books here.

Great cat trees

Armarkat is the brand of cat tree we have in our house. In fact, we just got a new one, because the old one, after many many years of service, was showing signs of energetic use.

Armarkat's prices are REALLY low and the product is durable.

And if you buy an Armarkat Cat Tree on Amazon, the shipping is almost always free!

Mike's Cats Mats

Mike's Cat
Mats in Use

If you want a truly sweet handmade-for-your-cat item that they'll love, consider these mats. The mats are made of thick yarn hand crocheted in a large circle for cats to lay on and play on. They've been used by the Animal Defense League in San Antonio, and the Cat House on the Kings in California has over 100 in use. The creator of Mike's Cats Mats, Diana Ackerman, is currently recovering from spinal surgery. She is interested in wholesaling the mats. The cost is just $14.00 each or 2 for $25.00, with shipping around $3.50. Wholesale would be at an even lower cost. Make your inquiries directly to Diana via email.

Kit-Cat® Clock

The classic American-Made clock has been bringing smiles to people’s faces since 1932. Visit the Kit-Cat Clock website to order your clock today!

Unique Assortment of Gifts and Supplies

Miles Kimball has a variety of holiday-specific and general items you may find of interest for your pet or for giving to fellow pet lovers. Shop pet supplies at Miles Kimball

Hammock for your Cat

SnoozePal Cat Hammock in a Box

The SnoozePal™ Cat Hammock in a Box will appeal to your cat's senses: safe and secure in a box but with open front and porthole sides, and a comfy hammock to curl up in.

The box is made of heavy-duty cardboard.

Clothing for the Cat Lover

Cat T-Shirts (at Amazon)
Cat T-Shirts and Humorous Cat T-Shirts (at SSJ T-Shirts and Sweatshirts)
Animal Lover T-Shirts (at ChoiceShirts.com) - mostly humorour or whimsical
1st Choice Cufflinks: These first-class, finely crafted cufflinks are perfect for any pet lover, and would make the ideal gift for that special someone.

THE best Scratching Posts we've ever found

TopCat Sisal Scratching Post It's made out of rough sisal (NOT the rope, a weave!). It's tall (29 inches), doesn't fall over, doesn't wobble, and doesn't slide across the floor. And, of course, the best part: cats love it. I wrote about it in this article.

If you need an even taller scratching post, check out the Smart Cat Ultimate Scratching Post, which is 34.5 inches tall.

Cat posters and prints

AllPosters.com and Art.com If your cat-loving friends don't have enough cats gracing their rooms, give them some to put on their walls! This site has a huge assortment of posters and prints, at very reasonable prices. As of this writing, there are over 2,500 posters/prints just of cats. Both sites can frame the print for you with your choice of molding and matts; Art.com can transfer it to artist canvas as well. Speaking of canvas, futher down the page is a link to a website where you can put your cat's photo on canvas.

Here are some you'll find from Renoir:

And you'll probably recognize these from Theophile Steinlen:

Cat Calendar

All Posters has nearly 30 different cat calendars to choose from. Here are just five of them:

Cat Note Cards

Helen Stevens creates wonderful note cards: gift cards, sympathy cards, anniversary cards, get well cards - and cards with cats! Check out her charming Cats Who Read collection. The cards are very high quality – nice paper, printed by lithography - in Maine (USA). Helen takes a lot of care in matching each card with a complimentary premium envelope.

Five solutions for cats who shred the toilet paper!

Toilet Paper Guard	Hardware House 582809 Toledo Toilet Tissue Holder with Lid Chrome	TP Saver

EZ-Load Toilet Paper Holder		Gatco 786 Recess Toilet Paper Holder with Cover, Satin Nickel

A drinking water fountain for the cat

As you may have seen in one of my articles, I'm very much in favor of these - the cats like the moving water to drink, and it's healthy.

Hagen catit® Drinking Fountain

Petmate® Fresh Flow Cat Fountain

Petmate® Drinkwell Fresh Water Fountain

A food dish pedestal for the cat

I love this idea! Having the food dish at shoulder height just seems so much more comfortable for a cat! (We've had our cats' dishes elevated for quite a while and they really seem to enjoy it.)

Order them at Classy Cat Dishes. (They even have a dish with a "backsplash"!)

Cat Breed Gifts

A big variety of items: clothing, mugs, calendars, stickers/buttons/magnets, custom postage, etc., which you can choose for your favorite cat breed. These are offered by individual sellers at CafePress.

Abyssinian
American Curl
American Shorthair
Balinese
Bengal
Birman
British Shorthair
Burmese

Burmilla
Chantilly
Chausie
Colorpoint Shorthair
Cornish Rex
Devon Rex
Exotic Shorthair
Himalayan

Maine Coon
Manx
Norwegian Forest
Oriental
Persian
Ragdoll
Prussian Blue
Scottish Fold

Siamese
Siberian
Singapura
Snowshoe
Somali
Sphynx
Tonkinese
Turkish Van

A "painting" of the cat (photo on canvas, towel, tapestry, etc.)

Create memories with unique mementos at PersonalThrows: have a photo printed on towels, handbags, tapestries, pet beds, blankets, pillows, or create a photo mural.

Off the Mark Cartoon Gifts

You can put Mark Parisi's cartoons on clothing, aprons, calendars, mugs, or frame them.

Assorted cat toys

The best cat toy has a human at the other end, as I wrote about in this article.

Of course, PetSmart also has cat beds, carriers, dishes, kitty litter and boxes, cat trees, catnip - basically everything a cat could ever want. :-)

Roomba robotic vacuum

The Roomba is a great gift to yourself. This smart vacuum features iRobot’s proven and patented three-stage cleaning system. Innovative spinning side brushes grab dirt and debris from corners and along wall edges, then two high-speed, counter-rotating brushes pick up pet hair, food crumbs, and other debris. The powerful vacuum sucks up the debris and deposits it into a large, easy-to-empty bagless dust bin. You can schedule it to start at your convenience. It really makes a big difference for families with pets - we love our Roomba!

Just cat furniture

CatFurniture.com offers an online cat furniture selection of kitty cat trees, condos, scratching posts, cat carriers, and cat toys.

Dean Koontz books

I have observed that most people who love cats, love Dean Koontz. My Dean Koontz website is up to date, so you can read about the most recent releases. I buy all my Koontz novels from Amazon or if they're out of print, on eBay (look particularly in the Books: Antiques & Collectibles category)

since Nov. 23, 2006