What's the nicest thing you ever did for your cats?
October 25, 2017 5:45 PM Subscribe
My cats, Arthur and Nikki, have been kind of needy lately, and I already have scratching posts, treats, toy mice, and a few other toys. I pet them and brush them fairly often, and one of them hops on my shoulder all the time. I'm looking to do something extra-special for them. Any suggestions?
For what it's worth, the nicest thing I ever did for my cats was to get them an old carpeted car subwoofer box, which is apparently the world's best scratching post.
For what it's worth, the nicest thing I ever did for my cats was to get them an old carpeted car subwoofer box, which is apparently the world's best scratching post.
A heated cat bed!
Also, my indoor car loves it when I take her outside on a leash, but then she just whines for more.
posted by carolr at 5:59 PM on October 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
Also, my indoor car loves it when I take her outside on a leash, but then she just whines for more.
posted by carolr at 5:59 PM on October 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
I asked my partner what the nicest thing we did for the cat we had was, and he said "let them roam outside when they were old enough." Our kitten was going STIR crazy, and having off-leash access to the dynamic sights & scents (etc) of the great outdoors once they were fixed was just the thing for them. The indoor cat equivalent would probably be a catio.
They also loved chasing snowballs that one time it snowed.
posted by aniola at 6:15 PM on October 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
They also loved chasing snowballs that one time it snowed.
posted by aniola at 6:15 PM on October 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
They also liked learning new tricks. Are your cats clicker trained?
posted by aniola at 6:16 PM on October 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by aniola at 6:16 PM on October 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
+1 for heated bed
plant some catnip, although keep in mind it'll bring all the boys to your yard
this YouTuber makes sushi and other food for his cats (as a birthday treat)
posted by AFABulous at 6:17 PM on October 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
plant some catnip, although keep in mind it'll bring all the boys to your yard
this YouTuber makes sushi and other food for his cats (as a birthday treat)
posted by AFABulous at 6:17 PM on October 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
And! Not my cats, but I used to have a friend who lived in a house with cats who had branches they could climb where they could perch way up near the ceiling.
We did something sort of like that by creating access to the tops of our tall bookshelves. We also moved the bookshelves out a few inches so the cat could go behind them.
posted by aniola at 6:18 PM on October 25, 2017
We did something sort of like that by creating access to the tops of our tall bookshelves. We also moved the bookshelves out a few inches so the cat could go behind them.
posted by aniola at 6:18 PM on October 25, 2017
I don't know what you feed them, but one time, following a party of our neighbors that was catered with smoked salmon, we gave our cats a lot of smoked salmon. For two days, happiest cats you ever did see.
I would get them some special food they don't normally get (that is within ok to eat for a cat range) such as salmon, tuna, turkey, or some other deli delight.
posted by AugustWest at 6:31 PM on October 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
I would get them some special food they don't normally get (that is within ok to eat for a cat range) such as salmon, tuna, turkey, or some other deli delight.
posted by AugustWest at 6:31 PM on October 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
Nthing heated cat bed.
Canned sardines in olive oil.
Grow some wheat grass.
(P.S. Oh Arthur. What a face!)
posted by elsietheeel at 6:54 PM on October 25, 2017
Canned sardines in olive oil.
Grow some wheat grass.
(P.S. Oh Arthur. What a face!)
posted by elsietheeel at 6:54 PM on October 25, 2017
My pet store sells live catnip plants, and my cat loses his mind for those. He can smell it when it's still in the paper bag, then he runs around meowing until I get it out for him.
If you've got a window with an interesting view, these window perches are very nice.
posted by gladly at 8:04 PM on October 25, 2017
If you've got a window with an interesting view, these window perches are very nice.
posted by gladly at 8:04 PM on October 25, 2017
Husband wears ratty old T-shirt that I'm about to tear into rags, then puts it over a cardboard box with the neck exposed as the 'cat hole'--cat is instantly happy. Box. Stinky T-shirt. Hidey-place.
posted by BlueHorse at 8:07 PM on October 25, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by BlueHorse at 8:07 PM on October 25, 2017 [5 favorites]
By cream, heavy cream, and give them a Tablespoon every other day.
posted by Oyéah at 8:23 PM on October 25, 2017
posted by Oyéah at 8:23 PM on October 25, 2017
This will sound odd, but our cat absolutely adores the Zero Odor spray from Bed, Bath and Beyond. Any time we use it, she winds up writhing on the floor like it was catnip squared. (I sure hope their claims that it's non-toxic are true. And we use it sparingly. But she loves it SO MUCH…)
posted by Lexica at 8:28 PM on October 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Lexica at 8:28 PM on October 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
Cat #1: Heated cat bed, all the way. When we got it, he basically stayed in it for 30 hours straight, exiting only to eat and poop.
Cat #2: Hot Cats catnip cigars. That stuff is potent.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 8:28 PM on October 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
Cat #2: Hot Cats catnip cigars. That stuff is potent.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 8:28 PM on October 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
I can't find it, but some time in the early 2010s I remember reading a comment somewhere on Metafilter about a person who came back into the kitchen to find their cat sprawled out in the roasting pan still full of warm fat.
posted by aniola at 8:51 PM on October 25, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by aniola at 8:51 PM on October 25, 2017 [10 favorites]
another vote for heated cat bed!
posted by The otter lady at 8:54 PM on October 25, 2017
posted by The otter lady at 8:54 PM on October 25, 2017
As catnip is to wacky weed, so valerian root is to LSD, but I must warn you: it smells like a dirty sock. That the devil himself farted in. After eating lots of garlic.
Anyway, they'll love it if you can stand it.
posted by armeowda at 9:15 PM on October 25, 2017
Anyway, they'll love it if you can stand it.
posted by armeowda at 9:15 PM on October 25, 2017
This will sound odd, but our cat absolutely adores the Zero Odor spray from Bed, Bath and Beyond.
OH. MY. GOD. Our Maisie also does this. The other cats couldn't care less.
She also has the same blissful squirmy reaction to my sweaty running shirts. And to my shoes.
Ours are all climbers, and as kittens made it very clear by longing stares and attempted jumps that they wanted ways to get up high: on top of the kitchen cabinets. Giving them ways to do that, and catwalks between high areas, made them very happy.
We also do the "pull the furniture away from the wall slightly" thing so that they can chase each other around the perimeter.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 9:31 PM on October 25, 2017
OH. MY. GOD. Our Maisie also does this. The other cats couldn't care less.
She also has the same blissful squirmy reaction to my sweaty running shirts. And to my shoes.
Ours are all climbers, and as kittens made it very clear by longing stares and attempted jumps that they wanted ways to get up high: on top of the kitchen cabinets. Giving them ways to do that, and catwalks between high areas, made them very happy.
We also do the "pull the furniture away from the wall slightly" thing so that they can chase each other around the perimeter.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 9:31 PM on October 25, 2017
have you seen the Licki Brush?
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1046165765/licki-brush-lick-your-cat
posted by alchemist at 11:42 PM on October 25, 2017
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1046165765/licki-brush-lick-your-cat
posted by alchemist at 11:42 PM on October 25, 2017
Once I owned instead of renting, i put up cat shelves along a wall so they can basically jump from shelf to shelf all the way to the ceiling. Regular shelves, covered in carpet and otherwise left empty.
A rediculous 7 ft high cat tree.
And scratching posts. Lots and lots of scratching posts everywhere.
posted by cgg at 12:14 AM on October 26, 2017
A rediculous 7 ft high cat tree.
And scratching posts. Lots and lots of scratching posts everywhere.
posted by cgg at 12:14 AM on October 26, 2017
My cat's treat is getting to watch YouTube videos. His favourite channels are this bird channel (which includes lots of videos meant for cats), this raccoon channel, and Maru the cat who loves boxes.
posted by easternblot at 1:53 AM on October 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by easternblot at 1:53 AM on October 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Dried cuttlefish
Any Yeeoww catnip toy
Nthing the Cat Dancer
Also Go Cat Cat Catcher with mouse (not bee, not rat-- mouse). My cat sitter turned me onto these. The mouse is made of something evocative, possibly deer hide? Cats LOVE this. I got one for the cats I was babysitting in the summer and when I saw them again last week, grumpy cat was carrying it around with her like it was her binky. When I first got one, I had to keep it in the refrigerator because the cats would paw at any drawer or closet it was in. Lazy cats jump for it. You can introduce the bee or the butterfly or the rat later, but start with the mouse. I usually have extra mice around, too. They're fun even without the wand.
posted by janey47 at 3:20 AM on October 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Any Yeeoww catnip toy
Nthing the Cat Dancer
Also Go Cat Cat Catcher with mouse (not bee, not rat-- mouse). My cat sitter turned me onto these. The mouse is made of something evocative, possibly deer hide? Cats LOVE this. I got one for the cats I was babysitting in the summer and when I saw them again last week, grumpy cat was carrying it around with her like it was her binky. When I first got one, I had to keep it in the refrigerator because the cats would paw at any drawer or closet it was in. Lazy cats jump for it. You can introduce the bee or the butterfly or the rat later, but start with the mouse. I usually have extra mice around, too. They're fun even without the wand.
posted by janey47 at 3:20 AM on October 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Soft, fuzzy sherpa blankets! My and my parents' cats go nuts for these--they spend hours kneading them (and, of course, sleeping on them).
posted by thomas j wise at 3:24 AM on October 26, 2017
posted by thomas j wise at 3:24 AM on October 26, 2017
OMG janey47 yes those mice! I got a box of 'refill' mice and I give them as gifts to other people's kitties when I visit them. Mine went nuts when I brought them home, and I have yet to meet a cat who doesn't lose their mind over them. They'll chase them, on the string or off, carry them around, neglect all other toys in favor of those specific mice.
And the Yeeoww toys are fantastic as well - I think it's the canvas fabric (as compared to the velour-type fabric lots of catnip toys are made of). The carrots are a particularly good choice, as they have feather 'tops'.
If you have a window where you can put a bird feeder near, bird feeder, good bird seed (get the cardinal or fruit and nut blends), kitty seat. You might even get to hear your cats (who btw are magnificent fuzzbeasts good job) try to talk to the birds...
If you think either of them would be willing to get wet in exchange for something fun to BATTLE, get a waterproof swimming toy (I got a small motorized kid's bathtub toy that's kind of fishlike and swims and dives in the water) and fill up a big clear tub with water (or even the bathtub) and launch it. Like fighting an actual fish but without having to subject a fish to that. My Harvey (WARRIOR PRINCESS) will get wet if it means she gets to KILL STUFF.
These Purr Padds are a self-heated cat bed, and mine always loved them. They come in a cup/dish/tunnel shape too, but my cats completely ignored those, go figure.
posted by dust.wind.dude at 8:06 AM on October 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
And the Yeeoww toys are fantastic as well - I think it's the canvas fabric (as compared to the velour-type fabric lots of catnip toys are made of). The carrots are a particularly good choice, as they have feather 'tops'.
If you have a window where you can put a bird feeder near, bird feeder, good bird seed (get the cardinal or fruit and nut blends), kitty seat. You might even get to hear your cats (who btw are magnificent fuzzbeasts good job) try to talk to the birds...
If you think either of them would be willing to get wet in exchange for something fun to BATTLE, get a waterproof swimming toy (I got a small motorized kid's bathtub toy that's kind of fishlike and swims and dives in the water) and fill up a big clear tub with water (or even the bathtub) and launch it. Like fighting an actual fish but without having to subject a fish to that. My Harvey (WARRIOR PRINCESS) will get wet if it means she gets to KILL STUFF.
These Purr Padds are a self-heated cat bed, and mine always loved them. They come in a cup/dish/tunnel shape too, but my cats completely ignored those, go figure.
posted by dust.wind.dude at 8:06 AM on October 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
This very week my husband bought an automatic sensor for our bathroom sink faucet so our cat Corky can drink water on demand without needing a human to turn it on for him. Corky also has a downstairs drinking fountain.
Unfortunately, Corky still also begs for me to sit on the kitchen floor at least once a day and let him drink cold water from my Pyrex measuring cup.
posted by little mouth at 8:06 AM on October 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Unfortunately, Corky still also begs for me to sit on the kitchen floor at least once a day and let him drink cold water from my Pyrex measuring cup.
posted by little mouth at 8:06 AM on October 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Electric blanket for me makes my bed into a cat trap.
I leave my sneakers out, filled with cat toys.
A rotating arrangement of blanket forts draped over chairs.
Those soft toys with the pocket on the side that you fill with catnip. I always forget to put these away when the cats are done, and inevitably step on one later when it's sopping wet with frenzied cat spit.
Catnip is easy to grow and dry, and stays potent for at least a few years without any special treatment or even bring kept in something airtight (in my experience). All the cats i know prefer mine to any purchased kind.
Letting soft cat toys and catnip steep in a Ziploc overnight means you get all the frenzy with none of the mess.
Piling all cat beds high with luxurious soft sweaters (ripped/damaged, 50 cents at Goodwill) in the winter.
Snake-shaped stuffed animals from the dollar store.
posted by jessicapierce at 9:05 AM on October 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
I leave my sneakers out, filled with cat toys.
A rotating arrangement of blanket forts draped over chairs.
Those soft toys with the pocket on the side that you fill with catnip. I always forget to put these away when the cats are done, and inevitably step on one later when it's sopping wet with frenzied cat spit.
Catnip is easy to grow and dry, and stays potent for at least a few years without any special treatment or even bring kept in something airtight (in my experience). All the cats i know prefer mine to any purchased kind.
Letting soft cat toys and catnip steep in a Ziploc overnight means you get all the frenzy with none of the mess.
Piling all cat beds high with luxurious soft sweaters (ripped/damaged, 50 cents at Goodwill) in the winter.
Snake-shaped stuffed animals from the dollar store.
posted by jessicapierce at 9:05 AM on October 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Cat tunnel! I have an expandable one from amazon (check the ratings, some are poorly rated, I have a giraffe print one). My cats love hiding in it, putting toys in it, its the most fun.
posted by agregoli at 9:23 AM on October 26, 2017
posted by agregoli at 9:23 AM on October 26, 2017
I love this thread!
All these examples of people making such an effort to be kind to their pets makes my heart really happy.
Plus, I now have some new ideas for a couple of holiday gifts for my own lovely cat!
posted by bookmammal at 3:58 PM on October 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
All these examples of people making such an effort to be kind to their pets makes my heart really happy.
Plus, I now have some new ideas for a couple of holiday gifts for my own lovely cat!
posted by bookmammal at 3:58 PM on October 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
We put cardboard boxes with a door cut out over a heating vent, which makes a kitty sauna. And you can decorate it to look like a castle or an oven.
posted by The corpse in the library at 4:20 PM on October 26, 2017
posted by The corpse in the library at 4:20 PM on October 26, 2017
My husband got our kitty Whiskas milk last weekend and she loves it. It's super creamy.
Oh and if you don't have one already, get a window seat and a bird feeder on the other side of the window = kitty reality tv
posted by Tarumba at 7:18 PM on October 26, 2017
Oh and if you don't have one already, get a window seat and a bird feeder on the other side of the window = kitty reality tv
posted by Tarumba at 7:18 PM on October 26, 2017
this is better than any suggestion I came up with
posted by ominous_paws at 4:57 AM on October 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by ominous_paws at 4:57 AM on October 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
For our cat, crustaceans and shellfish are the best food ever. Cooked shrimp are pretty good, crab and lobster are delicious, but there is no finer food than scallops. When we go to our favorite local eatery, we sometimes bring Rupert a single sauteed scallop. The kitchen knows what's up and often the chef draws a cartoon kitty face on the container. Recently, there was a new server and so we began explaining what we wanted. When she looked confused, we told her that the kitchen would understand if she asked for "a scallop for Rupert." She gave us a big smile and exclaimed, "Oh! I wondered what that button in our POS [Point of Sale] system was for!" We were so proud.
posted by carmicha at 5:31 PM on October 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by carmicha at 5:31 PM on October 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
If they are indoor kitties, get some harnesses and leashes and take them outside! Walks are my cats favorite activity. Anytime I open the closet where we keep the harness he comes running. Definitely not like walking a dog.. You have to take it at the cats pace.
posted by Orrorin at 12:39 PM on November 1, 2017
posted by Orrorin at 12:39 PM on November 1, 2017
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posted by jgirl at 5:57 PM on October 25, 2017 [5 favorites]