GIFTS FOR PETS & THEIR OWNERS
For the holidays there are gifts for pets and gifts for people who love animals.
Who says cat lovers don’t have a sense of humor? The DJ Cat Scratcher Pad and Turntable combines fun and functionality. The plan is the cat claws the spinning turntable instead of a favorite couch. Available online for $34.95 at the locally owned MyThreeCats.com, which also has more conventional scratching pads and posts as well as cat toys and furniture. Also, gifts for cat-loving people, including cat-themed scarves, gloves, mugs, socks, tote bags, umbrellas and jewelry from designer Laurel Burch.
Bird feeders sold at the National Aviary gift shop are pretty enough to give as gifts to people and likely to bring native birds to your yard, because they’ve been picked by avian experts on the staff. This one is top-of-the line at $89.99. It will hold suet or seeds and is designed to deter squirrels. An array of bird feeders is available, starting at $16.99. They include classic seed tubes, elegant glass water dispensers and eco-friendly recycled plastic feeders. You don’t have to pay admission to the North Side facility to shop in the two gift shops.
Hyper Pet Lickimat Boredom Busters are a “medically free way to promote calm behavior.” Spread your dog’s or cat’s favorite soft treat into the nooks and crannies of the surface. Their repetitive licking to get to the food is soothing and releases calming endorphins into the body, say the folks at Healthy Pet Products, where the mat is sold for $7.99 in locally owned stores in McCandless, McMurray and Cranberry.
The Advent Calendar for dogs comes with 55 grain-free, meat-flavored treats. There are 25 little treat-filled “doors” in the calendar, and one is opened each day up to Dec. 25. Flavors include duck fillet, chicken, hamburger and turkey, and each all-natural treat has just two ingredients. Sold for $9.98 at Sam’s Club stores and at www.samsclub.com.
The hand-illustrated Jungle Dogs mugs from locally owned Wear Wag Repeat features four breeds — Labrador retriever, pit bull, doodle and Boston terrier — trimmed with pink or yellow accents. Each mug is $18 at shop.wearwagrepeat.com. Tori Mistick, of Point Breeze, caters to “goods for stylish dog moms” and their dogs. Her own dogs, chocolate Labs Burt and Lucy, feature prominently on the apparel and gifts she sells. Her Wear Wag Repeat blog includes many DIY projects for dog-loving women.
From a tiny poison dart frog to towering African elephants, fan-favorite animals in our own zoo in Highland Park are featured in the
Brushstrokes of Conservation 2020 calendar, published by the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, with interesting facts about each of the animals. The clouded leopard kitten on the cover and the other animals have been “captured” by Paul A. Selvaggio Wildlife Photography. The calendar is $10 and available only in the gift shop of the zoo.