Informal survey: Special gifts for cats?

Do you buy special things for your cats that you know they won't
recognize or appreciate? Things like a nap pillow or dinner plate with
a cat-oriented design? In other words, the cat will appreciate a nice
soft pillow and a plate of good food, but has no idea about the design.
And you know this, but you still seek out a "special" design.

I know I do this myself. But what percent of you do the same? Or do you
just care for your kitty with plenty of love & good food and all, with
no regard to things that the cat cannot understand?

Just wondering.

katdad wrote:
Do you buy special things for your cats that you know they won't
recognize or appreciate? Things like a nap pillow or dinner plate with
a cat-oriented design? In other words, the cat will appreciate a nice
soft pillow and a plate of good food, but has no idea about the
design. And you know this, but you still seek out a "special" design.

I did buy special cat bowls with little paw prints all over them. Obviously
Persia doesn't know they are anything other than bowls which contain food.
I stopped using the water dish for water when I got her a cat-fountain. I
now use that to put her weekly soft food in and the other for her daily
crunchies. I didn't buy her a special pillow; she prefers my bed or the end
of the sofa and that became quickly apparent

Jill

On 8 Jan 2005 09:34:10 -0800, "katdad" yodeled:

Do you buy special things for your cats that you know they won't
recognize or appreciate? Things like a nap pillow or dinner plate with
a cat-oriented design? In other words, the cat will appreciate a nice
soft pillow and a plate of good food, but has no idea about the design.
And you know this, but you still seek out a "special" design.

I know I do this myself. But what percent of you do the same? Or do you
just care for your kitty with plenty of love & good food and all, with
no regard to things that the cat cannot understand?

Just wondering.

It's impossible to give Stinky something he doesn't "appreciate,"
since he thinks everything that comes in the house is for him, anyway.





Theresa
Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh
My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com

Kreisleriana wrote:
On 8 Jan 2005 09:34:10 -0800, "katdad" yodeled:

Do you buy special things for your cats that you know they won't
recognize or appreciate? Things like a nap pillow or dinner plate
with a cat-oriented design? In other words, the cat will appreciate
a nice soft pillow and a plate of good food, but has no idea about
the design. And you know this, but you still seek out a "special"
design.


It's impossible to give Stinky something he doesn't "appreciate,"
since he thinks everything that comes in the house is for him, anyway.


Theresa
Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh
My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com

Excellent point, Theresa! The only thing other than food bowls which scream
"cat", of course I had to buy Persia her own furniture. I didn't have room
for a large, tall cat tree but she's perfectly happy with the
low-to-the-ground cradle with the barrel on the side.

Jill

katdad wrote:

Do you buy special things for your cats that you know they won't
recognize or appreciate? Things like a nap pillow or dinner plate with
a cat-oriented design? In other words, the cat will appreciate a nice
soft pillow and a plate of good food, but has no idea about the design.
And you know this, but you still seek out a "special" design.

I know I do this myself. But what percent of you do the same? Or do you
just care for your kitty with plenty of love & good food and all, with
no regard to things that the cat cannot understand?


What makes you think they don't understand? Sorry, pulling your leg.
Yes, our cats have special food dishes that are theirs, blankets, beds,
specialty snacks and nip, and any other goody we can find for them. I
used to think it was just me, but once I found Rob checking out cute
little cat tents. He blushed with embarrassment when he saw me watching
him. "I just thought that this would be comfortable for Tanada," he said.

Pam S. who knew he was thinking about how the color would look against
her fur.

Nope, never did that. I hate to say NEVER but I just can't remember buying
something with those intentions.

Either they adopt anything of mine that they decide should be theirs or I
buy something after thinking through whether or not they would like to use
it, play with it, "kill" it, snuggle with it,on it,in it etc. My mind is
more on getting value from functional enjoyment rather than aesthetics.
(My sister's got the decorating gene, I got more of the creative but
practical gene I guess)
Michelle

On 2005-01-08, katdad penned:
Do you buy special things for your cats that you know they won't recognize
or appreciate? Things like a nap pillow or dinner plate with a cat-oriented
design? In other words, the cat will appreciate a nice soft pillow and a
plate of good food, but has no idea about the design. And you know this,
but you still seek out a "special" design.

I know I do this myself. But what percent of you do the same? Or do you just
care for your kitty with plenty of love & good food and all, with no regard
to things that the cat cannot understand?

I wouldn't say "for my cats." When I decided to switch Oscar to canned food,
I got her two ceramic bowls whose design I like, but that's not for her --
that's for me. The patterns, not the contents.

I do try to find collars that look nice. I search and search to find a
non-gaudy (to my eyes) collar to set the fur off nicely. Again, that's for
me, not for them =P

--
monique, roommate of Oscar the (female) grouch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eros was adopted! Eros has a home now! *cheer!*

On 2005-01-09, Cheryl Perkins penned:
Not for the cats. I've bought and been given cat-themed things, but they are
really for me, not them. They don't care if the cloth in the bottom of the
cat carrier is printed with pictures of cats or a plain old towel. And they
don't care if I give them their food in one of the official cat food bowls,
or just an ordinary one from my cupboard. Someone asked me only this
Christmas what I got the cats for Christmas, and didn't seem to believe me
when I said I didn't get them anything!

They do get special treats once in a while, like bits of human food or
catnip or cat treats. But it isn't for any special occasion.

Oscar didn't get any "Christmas" presents, but in the several months preceding
Christmas, she got two new scratching posts, a host of toys, and a
rediscovered cat bed.

Of course, that's pretty much par for the course around here ...

--
monique, roommate of Oscar the (female) grouch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eros was adopted! Eros has a home now! *cheer!*

On 2005-01-08, jmcquown penned:
I didn't buy her a special pillow; she prefers my bed or the end
of the sofa and that became quickly apparent

Don't I know it. Oscar loves diving for small enclosed spaces, like behind
the stereo equipment *sigh* or into the bottom of an unstable shelf unit. So
I got her a cat tent. Did she use it? Noooooo. I ended up donating it to
the shelter.

She does use a crinkly, furry cat bed sometimes, but I think that's just
because I put the bed right under her favorite sunbeam.

--
monique, roommate of Oscar the (female) grouch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eros was adopted! Eros has a home now! *cheer!*