If you ever doubted it, pets are members of the family. According to the American Animal Hospital Association, well over half of all pet owners buy a holiday gift for their furry or feathery companions. In fact, one survey reports that the household pet is more likely to receive a holiday gift than a distant relative.
What follows are some gift ideas for Fido, Fluffy and Tweety:
– Her bio says singer/songwriter Ellen Bernfeld sang the classic disco version of “Memory” from “Cats.” Maybe that’s why she devised the CD “Songs for Cats,” which includes rockin’ tunes such as “Allergic To You,” “I’m Purrfect” and “Watchin’ Purry Mason.”
For Bernfeld and partner Anne Bryant, this is their follow-up to “Songs for Dogs.” Singles off that recording included the not-so-classic, but certainly memorable, “Follow the Bone Lady” and “If I Only Had a Thumb.”
CDs are $15.95, cassette tapes $10.95; call 800-624-5679.
– While it has the same name as a product made by Lucy and Viv on “The Lucy Show,” this Krazy Crunch is for the birds, quite literally. These treat sticks are filled with holiday-colored bits of fruits, nuts, vegetables and seeds. The price is $3.99; call 800-323-6878.
– Spare the bone and spoil the pup. The Bone of the Month Club sends homemade and heart-healthy biscuits. Deliveries can follow a theme; for the holiday season, choose either dreidel- or Christmas tree-shaped cookies. A one-year membership is $95; monthly rates are also available; call 800-598-3647.
– If “Granddog” or “Grandcat” live on the other side of the world, Best Bets For Pets (800-738-8885) will send holiday packages anywhere.
The Hanukkah package for dogs ($104.75) includes a fleece dog blanket in buster blue, leash emblazoned with menorahs and the Star of David, adjustable dog collar, Shalom squeaker bone, crystal dinner bowl and a Hanukkah dog picture frame just so you can capture the moment and show friends who don’t believe anyone would send all this stuff to a dog.
The Hanukkah package for cats ($76) includes a plush royal blue velour bed, Happy Hanukkah catnip mouse, ostrich feather wand, crystal dinner bowl and Hanukkah picture frame.
Similar Christmas packages are available, at about the same prices.
More affordable are Crunchie Munchies, all-natural dog treats, for $8.95. One bag of 12 Hanukkah Munchies includes menorah- and dreidel-shaped treats. One bag of Christmas Munchies features an assortment of candy canes, angels and Christmas trees. For cats, a 4-ounce package of Alaskan poached salmon filet is $7.95.
– You can participate in preparing a holiday basket for pups by choosing exactly which treats you want at Fido’s Food Fair and Fido’s Deli (5416 N. Clark St., 773-907-0305). You can include a variety of more than 100 cookies, pastries, bagels and twists made on the premises. The baskets, and also silver platters, can be delivered; cost is $19.95-$21.95.
– Ain’t No Creek Ranch (708-946-9750) is offering holiday red treadmills for African pygmy hedgehogs for $36.95. Without exercise, hedgehogs get portly, especially around the holiday season. The typical small-mammal running wheels with mesh can injure hedgehogs.
– For pals with alternative pets — including hedgehogs, sugar gliders, prairie dogs, European ferrets and some kinds of birds — a dehydrated fruit treat called Creature Crunch is available with holiday wrapping from Ain’t No Creek Ranch for $12.
– New squeaky holiday plush dog toys from Mutts & Mittens (800-464-8836) include a bear with antlers called a Reinbear and a red quarter-moon toy with a Santa Claus face, $12-$20.
– Even holiday games have gone to the dogs. “My Dog Can Do That!” really is a game for dogs. Of course, people play too. Game cards tell the players — each with their own colored game piece — what stunt the pooch should do. You can choose either an advanced trick, such as, “Your dog must shake itself as if it just finished a bath — no hoses allowed,” or a beginner question, such as, “Dog must sit following a verbal signal.” The more challenging the trick, the more moves your dog advances on the game board. It costs $29.99; call 888-788-6836.
