Gifts for Cat Lovers: Clever Picks for Them and Their Cats

Every town has one, according to the Archie McPhee Crazy Cat Lady Action Figure, and she comes with her six cats included. She’s 5-1/4 inches of hard vinyl with a wild look in her eye, packed in an illustrated window box. Give her to the friend who already calls herself a cat lady and means it as a compliment.

Then there’s the Lick’em Tongue Cat Brush, a food-grade plastic mouthpiece with a tongue full of small pegs, so you can hold it in your teeth and groom your cat by licking it. Both hands stay free for petting. It’s a gag gift with an actual use, and white elephant swaps were made for it.

For something more personal, Custom Cat Face Socks print a photo of the actual cat all over a pair of USA-made socks, with up to four different faces at no extra charge. They have a soft felt lining in the sole and come in three sizes. Pick a sharp close-up, since the print is only as clear as the photo.

A cat that always wants to be held fits in the front of the Pet Pouch Hoodie With Cat Carrier Pocket, a flannel pullover with a fuzzy-lined kangaroo pouch sized for a small pet. The lining zips out and goes in the wash. It runs small, so size up one or two for the work-from-home cat person who never gets their lap to themselves.

Cats put up with dress-up for a few seconds at best, which is what makes the 3D-Printed Cat Muscle Arms so funny while they last. The lightweight PLA bar sits across a cat’s shoulders and gives it a pair of giant bodybuilder biceps. Have the camera ready before you put them on.

The Exploding Kittens Card Game is a quick game where drawing the wrong card blows you up, unless you can defuse the kitten with a laser pointer, a belly rub or a catnip sandwich. The 56 cards are illustrated by The Oatmeal, it plays 2 to 5 people ages 7 and up, and a round takes about 15 minutes. Bring it to any game night with a cat owner in the room.

Finish the coffee in a Custom Peekaboo Pet Mug and the cat is waiting at the bottom. LycheeCeramic sculpts a small 3D figurine of the owner’s own pet from photos and sets it inside a handmade 350 ml ceramic mug, with an optional name on the outside. It’s dishwasher and microwave safe; order early, since each one is made to order.

Soup night gets a mascot with the OTOTO Katie Cat Soup Ladle, a black cat whose tail is the handle. She’s about 11 inches long and made from heat-resistant material, so she’s a working ladle for the cat lover who cooks, and a fun one to bring out at a Halloween party.

Pink and sweet at first, the Kisa Melting Cat Candle burns down over 20 to 25 hours to reveal a grinning aluminum skeleton inside. Icelandic designer Thorunn Arnadottir created it, and at 6.7 inches tall it holds its own on a mantel. It suits a cat lover whose taste runs more spooky bookshelf than kitten calendar.

Yes, the Homegroove Cat Exercise Wheel is a hamster wheel for cats, about 45 inches tall in solid fir wood and rated to 110 pounds. Quiet rollers, a lock for when nobody’s home and a narrowed gap that keeps paws from getting pinched show real thought. It’s the big splurge for a high-energy indoor cat, and it needs a good patch of floor and some assembly.

Instead of another carpeted tower, CatsMode Hexagon Cat Wall Shelves build a climbing route up the wall from interlocking wooden hexagons and suspension bridges. They turn a blank hallway wall into a raised cat highway with clean Scandinavian woodwork. Plan on drilling proper wall anchors.

Curl a cat up in the Ramen Bowl Cat Bed and the cat becomes the noodles. It’s a red and white instant-ramen cup with a cover, a removable cushion and a non-slip base, in a small size for cats up to about 6.6 pounds and a large one for cats up to about 22. It suits the cat owner who never stops taking pictures.

Each Handmade Felted Wool Cat Cave is felted by women artisans in Nepal from New Zealand lamb wool, then naturally dyed and dried outside, so no two match. The wool pod keeps a cat warm in winter and comes in sizes for cats from about 9 to 18 pounds. Give it to the cat who hides in closets, and to an owner willing to hand-wash.

The Cat Amazing Treat Maze Puzzle Box hides treats inside a cardboard maze, so the cat has to scratch, sniff and fish them out with a paw. It has three difficulty levels, works with catnip and small toys too, and got famous on Shark Tank. It’s an easy, low-cost gift for any indoor cat with energy to spare.

From a phone, the Furbo 360° Cat Camera lets you watch the cat in 1080p, talk to it and toss it a treat. The camera rotates a full 360 degrees, has color night vision and sends an alert when the cat meows, and the basic features need no subscription. It’s the splurge for a cat parent who misses the cat at work; check that their WiFi has a 2.4GHz network first.