Christmas gifts for cats and cat lovers: a UK guide

Buying for a cat — or for someone who lives with one — is harder than it looks. Cats ignore half the toys they are given, and cat owners already have a drawer full of novelty mugs. The gifts that get used are the ones that fit how a cat actually lives: where they sleep, how they scratch, what they watch. Here is our guide to Christmas gifts for cats and cat lovers, from small stocking fillers to the one piece of cat furniture that stays out long after the tree comes down.

First, think like the cat

• Where do they sleep? Sunny windowsill, radiator, the back of the sofa? A gift that improves their favourite spot wins.
• How do they scratch? Up the side of the sofa, or down into the rug? That decides between a tall post and a flat scratcher — see horizontal vs vertical scratchers.
• How big are they? A kitten, an average adult or a Maine Coon need very different sizes.
• One cat or two? In a multi-cat home, anything that can be shared without an argument is gold.

Small gifts and stocking fillers

• A wand toy. The one toy almost every cat plays with, because a person is on the other end of it.
• A puzzle feeder. Turns dinner into a hunt — good for indoor cats and for cats who eat too fast.
• Catnip or silvervine toys. Worth knowing: not every cat reacts to catnip, and young kittens often don’t yet.
• For the human: a printed photo book or framed portrait of their cat is the kind of gift cat owners actually keep.

Gifts that improve the favourite spot

• A window perch or shelf. Indoor cats spend hours watching birds; give them a comfortable seat for it.
• A cardboard scratcher bed. Cats like to sleep where they scratch, and cardboard holds body heat — so a scratcher shaped to lie on gets used as a bed for hours a day. Our Terrace (77 cm) is a scratcher and bed in one; the curved Lounge (70 cm) suits most adult cats up to 6 kg.

The big gift: cat furniture that looks like furniture

Most cat furniture ends up hidden in the spare room because nobody wants carpeted towers in the living room — and a scratcher in the spare room doesn’t get used. The best big present is one that can stay in the room where the family spends Christmas. Every CAT JOY scratcher pairs a dense 5-layer cardboard core with a real wood facade in brown, white or black, so it reads as a low bench rather than a pet accessory.

• For a kitten or small cat: Snug, 59 cm — low, light and compact.
• For a cat who likes a hideaway: Pavilion, a 68 cm compact tunnel to scratch on and hide in.
• For two cats or a shy cat: Mews, a 76 cm two-level house — deck on top, hideaway below.
• For a Maine Coon or Ragdoll: Penthouse, the 85 cm XL house — and, new this autumn on pre-order, the XL Manor and XXL Rotunda.
• For a personal touch: Bespoke — any CAT JOY model engraved with your cat’s name; in-stock models are engraved and dispatched within 1 working day.

Not sure which size? Our three-question size finder or the size guide will tell you in a minute.

Practical notes before you order

• Delivery. Free delivery to an Evri ParcelShop (up to 5 working days), or Express to your door for £5.95 (1–2 working days). Order early in December so the present is under the tree in time — the busiest weeks are always slower for couriers.
• Colours. Popular colours sell fast before Christmas. If a colour is marked Pre-order, it is made in our next batch and delivered free to your door on 15–25 November — well before Christmas.
• Returns. If the size turns out wrong, you have 30 days to return it unused in its box.
• It arrives assembled — nothing to build on Christmas Eve.

A word on Christmas safety

Keep ribbon, string and tinsel away from cats — they love to play with them, but swallowed string can be dangerous. Wrap cat presents with paper only, and keep lilies and other toxic plants out of reach. And when the presents are open, give your cat the empty boxes: it is the one gift every cat agrees on. (Here is why cats love cardboard boxes so much.)

Questions gift-buyers ask

What is a good Christmas present for a cat that has everything?

Something that upgrades a place they already use: a better spot to sleep, a window perch, or a scratcher that doubles as a bed next to the sofa.

What do you buy a cat lover who doesn’t want more clutter?

One good piece instead of several small ones — a scratcher that looks like furniture, or a framed photo of their cat.

Is a scratcher a good gift for a kitten?

One of the best: a kitten that learns to use a scratcher early leaves the furniture alone. See our kitten scratcher guide.