‘Tis the season for giving gifts and including your pets is fun. I have recently had the pleasure of testing some new toys and litter box paraphernalia that I learned about at the recent Cat Writers’ Association Conference I attended. Here are the ones that made my (and my cats’) favorites list.

Arriving first in LA I spent the night with my daughter who has two cats. I offered a Fat Cat EEEKS! mouse to the pair and watched as it was snagged by the fastest feline. He defended it successfully against his equally interested furry housemate, causing me to dig out another in the interest of fairness. Besides being very creative and cute, the toys are obviously instant favorites. Check out the whole line at www.bamboo-fatcat.com or find them at your local pet shop.

Finally arriving home I was too tired to unpack completely, leaving the open suitcase on the bedroom floor. Buried at the bottom under dirty clothes was a plethora of new cat toys. As the day progressed I began to notice that my cats decided to help themselves as the gifts, ones containing the coveted catnip, began appearing about the room. The Pawbreakers! disappeared completely, and I assume has been consumed being 100% edible catnip. Luckily there are more of these at www.edibleanimaltreats.com

Also in the suitcase was a pair of treat dispensers which my cats love. These are great for the cat left alone during the day and for “hefty” kitties in need of exercise. View four different styles at www.premier.com. A little trick I’ve discovered is to fill them with kibble from those free sample packets you sometimes find at the pet stores, along with a few dental and/or hairball treats.

The toy I have to hide is made by Nekochan (www.nekoflies.com). These life-like and sturdy wand toys are definitely on the “must have” list for my cats. I just have to open the closet and pull it out to bring my critters running to be the first to play with mom.

The Omega Paw Roll ‘n Clean Litter Box was an awesome find, especially for my multi-cat household. It makes litter scooping a thing of the past and cuts the cleaning time down to about 10 seconds per box. Listed online at $34.99, it’s worth every penny. Check out this demo for yourself at www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySGsis-W10A

If you prefer to continue scooping, try the Litter-Lifter “no clogging, no shaking, cuts dust” series. The inventor demonstrated the low dust feature quite effectively at the conference. Another feature I love is that it doesn’t drag through the litter as the flat-bladed scoops do. If you can’t find them locally, go to www.litter-lifter.com to order online.

And while still on this smelly subject, there is a stick-on gel disc from www.catsrule.com that deodorizes conventional litter boxes, open or closed styles. It can also be used near dog beds.

I wish you and your pets the best for the Holiday Season.