Do you buy your pets Christmas presents?

Its that time of year again when people are encouraged to spend vast amounts of money they haven't really got on things they dont really need for a few days of total debauchery (Dont worry I normally get out of the "bah humbug" mood in time)
One of the things that are now heavily promoted is "Christmas presents for pets". Now its all very well giving your cat or dog a small (and I mean small) amount of turkey but the encouragement now is to get them special toys and even costumes (I always think the pets in the pictures of costumes look embarrassed) and generally involve them in everything.

So do you get your pet into Christmas in a big way - do you buy them special presents or do you just give them a bit of turkey and thats it?

Our dogs usually share some of whatever we are eating, so they definitely get turkey, dressing and even a bite of pumpkin pie for Christmas (and of course, for Thanksgiving as well) ; but as far as getting them presents for Christmas, that is totally not happening.
Animals , dogs especially, enjoy being a part of the family celebrations, and I like to keep them included as much as possible. However, even if they undertstood about Christmas and presents (which they don't), they would still just want the turkey, and not a new doggie toy.
I think this is somethingthat each family has to decide. If people enjoy buying presents for their pets; then by all means, let them have their fun and buy presents; but it is not something that is going to matter to your dog or cat whether hegets a Christmas present or not.

We do. Of course, we can never know which one will end up with something, though. Bird, a feral cat that we took into the house and had until we lost her a year ago at the age of 23, was a toy-player. Throughout her life, that cat knew how to play with a toy, and she claimed them all. When she was still an outside kitty, during the time that I was feeding her but hadn't taken her in yet, I watched her batting a large inflated ball around that she had found somewhere. It was between the size of a softball and a beachball. When she was done playing with it, she pushed at that thing until she had it wedged under the vacant house that she was living in. She'd never be able to get it out again, but neither would anyone else. It was her's.

When we bought toys for our cat, Bird would claim every one of them. Periodically, she would round them all up and store them in one place, whether under a couch, a corner of a room, or even a box. It was hilarious. She would put away her toys, and everyone else's.

I blamed my nephew, who we were raising, for stealing a pen from my desk. Later, I watched Bird jump up on my desk, pick up another pen, and jump down with it, claiming that as her's as well.

Her first Christmas in the house with a Christmas tree, she knocked it down in short fashion. After we secured it better, she'd climb it and pick ornaments off the tree. The tree was in the upstairs living room and my wife and I were downstairs when we saw Bird coming down the steps with a wrapped present in her mouth. She was something else, and I really miss my Birdie.

I was watching an ad on television for a Christmas present for the family dog. Apparently, the stores think that just bombarding us with ads for Cuddle Pets (or whatever it is those things are called) from Grandma is not enough, so now they are advertising a new squeaky toy for dogs.
It actually looks like kind of a neat toy if you have a pet that likes to carry around a ball in their mouth.

What it does, is make kind of a squeaky sound, but not such an irritationg one as most of the squeaky toys make, plus it has places for the dog to grip the ball, so actually just about any size of dog could easily play with the ball and carry it in their mouth.
I am not even sure if they said how much this wonderful toy costs, but if you just pay extra shipping , they will even send you TWO of these dog toys .
What a wonderful Christmas surprise !
I am sure that all of our doggies are now going to sleep at night and dreaming of Christmas and their new squeaky ball.....

I tend to consider if there is anything big the cats need - like a new bed or play centre or whatever. Something I would be looking to buy anyway but I get it just before Christmas so they can have it when everyone else has their presents.

I will also give them a bit of turkey - you do have to be careful with animals and human Christmas food - watch the dog does not steal the chocolates and make itself ill and things.

I'd just give my cat food, like ham and a little bit of turkey, maybe a tiny bit of beef jerky.

(12-03-2014, 05:51 PM)batool100 Wrote: I will not buy the pet at this time.

I cannot believe that there are still people in the world (or part of it that celebrates Christmas) that think it is a good time to buy a pet. I mean I can get if there is a well thought out proper plan to get a pet having the idea presented at Christmas with maybe the equipment for the pet as the present, with a definite date for getting the actual animal in early January but to bring an animal into the house during Christmas is just insane. The household will be up in the air with no routine and no chance for an animal to have quiet time to settle in.

I don't see any problem with getting someone a pet for Christmas, as long as it is a planned for thing, and not just a total unexpected surprise. Unless you know exactly what the person is looking for, and know for sure that they want the puppy or kitten (or anykind of pet); then I certainly think that thisis a decision that is best made by the person who wants the pet.
I think that this would normally be how it is done, and the person who is getting the pet would pick it out, even if it were being given to them as a surprise.
You see pets advertised a month orso after the holidays, just because someone thought that their spouse, child, or parent would just love the cute cat or dog.
Now, they are tired of trying to housetrain it, and all the slippers in the house have been shredded, and they just want the pet GONE !
Even if it is not at Christmas, or any other holiday; I think that people should only get a pet when they pick it out for themselves, by and large.

My dogs love it when all the members are present to jump over and cuddle with. So that's what they get in heaps on various occasions such as Christmas for instance. Of course, a new chew toy is always welcome, but they are simply just happier with all of us stuffed in the living room, singing carols or playing cards or just plain staring at the fireplace. They do get a goodish share of the Christmas dinner, and as for presents, they love those glittery gift-wrappers more!

Yes animals that are well established in the home generally do enjoy Christmas and all the extra attention and people and things. It is just not good for a new animal to be bought in - they are already under some stress because they have been moved from where they are used to and they need to be able to settle quietly with a good routine and be given the chance to get to know people without the fuss and excitement that is happening during the holiday period.

One source of confusion in this thread, I think, is that some people are talking about buying Christmas presents for their pets, while others are talking about buying pets as Christmas presents.

The one, I believe, is a good thing. I know my cats just love it when wrapping paper is being torn off of presents, and thrown around the rooms, and they enjoy being able to play with some of that stuff themselves. A new toys is always nice, although they generally prefer the wrapping paper and the boxes.

The other, buying a pet for someone for Christmas, is probably not a good idea, for all of the reasons stated here. In fact, except for parents getting a pet for their children, it's probably not a good idea to buy a pet for anyone other than yourself. Either way, I agree that Christmas is not the best time to introduce a new pet into the household.

Well-said, Kfander, and thank you for getting us back on topic in this thread. I realized that Cyberpupper had changed the topic to something that sounded close; but meant something entirely different, and decided to go ahead and answer her new alternative topic instead of ignoring it.
I do think that most of us who have pets, love our pets, and often think about them as part of the family. At least, that is how I feel about mine. So, if we are having something special, then Chipper and Tootsie are also having something special, and it seems like they usually enjoy trying out a new food.

If there is a turkey, or some kind of roast cooking, then, anytime I get up to check on it; they are right there, at my feet hoping that it is done, or that at least i will give them a taste while we are waiting for it to get done.
If we have company, then they have to be put away while we are eating, but they still get to have their portion afterwards.
The dogs don't really care about playing with the wrappings or ribbons off of presents like a cat does; so they usually just doze through anything that doesn't involve food.

Actually I opened the original topic to explore how people engaged with their pets over the holiday period and simply answered someone who stated they would never give a pet as a present.

I think it is nice that people do try to bring their pets into the sharing of festivities but I do worry the number of people who seem unaware of extra dangers this time year. I think most people (hope most people) know about chocolates and dogs but there are plenty of other festive foods that good for people are not good for pets and you do have to be careful.

We used to get our cat Christmas presents. Usually it was just something really simple like a new collar or a bag of kitty treats. She obviously didn't understand at all. She was a outside cat so she didn't even see anything that had to do with Christmas other than the outdoor lights. She always liked getting kitty treats though. She would smile when she ate them.

Yes I buy gifts on every occasion for my pets because they showed their happiness when I bought some gifts for them and I love them a lot.

Yes, I gave him a new Toy box with full of chewing toys and treats

I'm a bit late responding to this, as Christmas has been and gone for another year. But yes, I absolutely buy my pets Christmas presents. People think I'm a bit crazy, because our pets even have their own Christmas stocking that is embroidered with their name on it. They are as much a part of our family as anyone else so it wouldn't feel right not to get them something as a gift.

As for what I get for them, it depends. Their Christmas stockings always contain some food based treats that they like, a toy of some description, and the Christmas just gone I also got them new pet beds each. They usually sleep on our bed anyway, but the pet beds are good to take if we are traveling, and plus they were just really cute designs so I had to buy them!

We also got our cat an outdoor mesh cat run for the yard, we ordered it on Amazon. Our cat likes to go outdoors but we're too scared to let him simply roam free, in case anything was to happen to him (I've had a cat that sadly was hit by a car several years ago, so I don't like leaving our current cat outside unattended for any reason). The mesh cat run is good because it is spacious, nice and breathable, and has podiums and a hammock too for our cat to jump on or lay in. I think it was a really good gift to get for him, because it allows him to enjoy the great outdoors but gives us the peace of mind that he's not going to run off and get into any trouble! He loves it!

I generally buy my dogs Christmas presents. I don't really know why I do because they don't know what day it is but I do it anyway. I suppose it is because Christmas is a time to spread love and enjoy your loved ones. My dogs are considered family, therefore they are my loved ones too! I normally buy my dogs their favorite toys, large bones and really good dog treats that I don't normally get them. My small dog is always cold, generally, so I bought him a couple of sweaters. I also take that time to buy them other things I want them to have such as a new pet bed as well.

We do buy our pets Christmas gifts, but it is more for the excitement for the kids than for the pets. I know, that sounds pretty silly. Once the kids are older, we probably won't buy things for the pets anymore. Since Christmas only comes once a year, it is about the only time we get them anything "new and exciting". A new toy may be a special treat for them. They already have so many toys, they really don't need anything new. Honestly, what we usually get them are the things that they need like dog food or treats. Maybe a new collar will be in their stocking if they are in need of a new one. We just have so many toys laying around the house that I can't see getting them new toys every year. For our dog, we do splurge on bones though. That's one thing that really keeps her busy for hours on end without needing to be right at our feet all the time.

Some people may think that buying gifts for your pet is silly. I however think that they are part of the family and treat them that way! I even have a stocking that goes on the fireplace for our dog. He always gets treats in his stocking that he gets to open along side the kids. I also wrap presents and put under the tree for him. Each year when we make our Christmas cookies, we make special dog edible cookies for him. I have never left him out of any festivities we have! He I also in all of our Christmas card photos with us.

Pets have a distinct advantage that they are usually not aware of seasons and events. They live each day and each moment as it comes. But they have the ability to discern that something big is in the offing what with the whiff of roast meat and strange visitors in the compound wearing a rainbow of colours during Christmas. However, this does not apply to birdy pets. My take is that no pet would not appreciate a treat, anyday. Treating your pet on Christmas is more of a conscience and benevolence issue. So I make sure they have plenty of their favourite meal.