This week’s gift guide is a nifty mix of different items suggested by the team here at SBTB HQ, and we hope you like them! Some we’ve featured before, but remain excellent gifts for your friends both human and fuzzy, and some are new ideas. Happy shopping!
NB: Some of the links are affiliate coded, so if you use them, we may earn a commission – and if you don’t use them, that’s totally cool, too. Thanks!
The one I purchased for the cats is currently sitting in front of a window, and most of the day, Wilbur is stretched out on it. One of the best things I’ve ever purchased.
I know Elyse has one of these for Dewey and Fish, but it may be a different model. I’ve also seen these at Chewy.com, and there are many on Etsy as well.
Including one that looks very much like an upright sperm.
This is a pricey scratching post, but I bought one over two years ago, and it’s still going strong. It’s shredded a bit on the curvy parts, but I flip it over and dust it with catnip to promote renewed interest in it from Wilbur. I also parked it behind the chair I didn’t want him to scratch – which seems to have worked!
A tip: you can put it on its side, too, so the white edge is facing up, and that creates a new dimension of happy scratching. Wilbur particularly likes this when he has a case of the zoomies.
And if you need a duplex scratching condo for your cats, there’s one of those, too!
My two dogs and the cat dislike brushes, but they love this mitten. Technically it’s called the “Better Petter,” but we call it “the Love Glove” and it removes an absolutely astonishing amount of hair when I use it. Buzz the Anxious who dislikes most things loves being rubbed with this, and will come find us if he hears the velcro. And Wilbur the cat will shove both dogs out of the way so we can pet him.
A total win for $5, and did I mention astonishing amounts of hair? Like entire fur tumbleweeds in a few minutes of work.
I’ve written about this before, and I’ve told countless people about it: take two of your old pillows (when is the last time you got yourself a new pillow, btw?) and put them in this DIY bag. Zip it up, and The Best Smelling Dog Bed In Your Dog’s Opinion is made! This holds two King size pillows, but there’s also one for Queen/Regular pillows, too.
If you have sewing skills, you can probably make one easily, but this is without a doubt one of the greatest things we’ve done for the dogs. They spend so much time on this bed, especially since I put a fleece blanket on top of it for them to dig around in.
Elyse: We have this water fountain and really like it:
After the initial investment you just replace the filters periodically and they aren’t expensive. It’s easy to clean and both our cats love running water to drink from.
Sarah: Does it get slimy? I had a metal one in NJ and had to clean it weekly. I wonder if ceramic is better!
Elyse: Only if you never wash it. I clean it about once every two weeks.
And now, recommendations and ideas for other gifts from the crew at SBTB HQ!
Sneezy:
At the risk of stereotyping myself: Behold!!!! My favourite rice cooker!!!!!!!!
This is one of of those oldie-but goodies, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of you either have one or at least heard of it. The beautiful thing about this rice cooker is it has an inner and outer pot. If you remove the inner pot, you can use the outer pot to make soups, have hot pot without the hassle and hazards of a portable stove top, or whatever else.
You can use the inner pot or a wire rack to steam whatever will fit in there, or plop the dish that fits on top of the inner pot that these rice cookers come with to make rice AND a ,aom course at the same time. Depending on the size of your family or appetite, that’s easily a full meal.
My mom still remembers all the exchange students and other foreigners lugging one home after staying in Taiwan a bit.
Susan:
Oh, a life-saver for me and my friend with ADHD: Tile are these bluetooth-enabled trackers that you can put on your keys/diary/phone/whatever, so when you lose them you can make the tiles beep at you so you can find them:
I only ever have my phone’s location on when I’m playing Pokémon Go so I can’t comment on how well the location tracking works, but being able to make my keys play a tune at me first thing in the morning when I’m trying to go to work has saved my arse a few times.
Elyse:
Not sure if this qualifies as tech, but I really like this tens unit for helping with pain
You put the pads on the affected area and it sends an electrical impulse into the muscle. It’s not painful; it feels like a buzzing sensation. It disrupts pain, but it also loosens tight and sore muscles.
I use it on my upper back. It’s small enough to be pretty discreet. I’ve used it at my desk at work and just run the lines under my sweater.
Shana:
A bunch of friends are getting this notebook as gifts:
Proceeds benefit The Trevor Project. I’ve bought a bunch of their stickers and postcards before and have been happy with the quality.
I love this dish drainer, but I actually use it in my bathroom for toothbrushes. It’s adorable and keeps our brushes from sitting in liquid.
My wife has this key holder, and recommends it: KeySmart Pro with Tile – Organize and Track Your Keys!
Does a vibrator count as tech? Because I bought one last month that I’m in love with:
It has a usb charger, is relatively quiet, and can be locked for travel.
Amanda: Shoutout to Good Vibes! We have a couple locations in the Boston area and they’re always wonderful.
Catherine: I’m very fond of the Radical Tea Towel Company’s work.
Lara: It’s hi-tech, but not really tech: a staple-less stapler. Every time I use it, I feel invigorated. I bought this one, which only punches 5 sheets:
Amanda: I buy a lot of craft beer and since I share a fridge with my roommate, I didn’t think it was fair to crowd the shared space with my beer. When we moved I bought my own beer fridge and it fits perfectly under our countertop. The door can be changed to open on either side and the comments on Amazon have a hack to make the fridge colder if you want.
IIRC, the shelf heights are adjustable, so I made one for regular cans, tall boys, and bottles. I can also send you a photo of the fridge in action, Sarah.
Shana: I’m not Sarah but I want to see the fridge in action.
Sarah: Out here killing it like always, y’all.
Aarya: If anyone would like a bookish treat and support an independent romance bookstore, Love’s Sweet Arrow is selling holiday book boxes (mystery gift-wrapped books with candles and soap) based on trope.
There’s enemies-to-lovers and second-chance romance. Both are available at the $35 and $45 level. It looks so fun and I wish I read print books enough to justify the purchase.
Sarah: COOL!The Ripped Bodice also has a holiday shop, with blind date books, tea, candles, pins, and more.
One more pet idea from Shana!
Shana: On the pet front, I love this slow feed dog bowl.
My yellow lab mix would INHALE her food in seconds and then treat us to dog farts for the rest of the day. None of our other slow feed bowls really worked until my wife found this one. It’s like a food puzzle and actually takes her 8ish minutes to eat. (The manufacturer claims it will take 15 minutes but they’ve clearly never met my furry vacuum cleaner).
Elyse: We have one for the cats and I love it. We use it for treats.
Shana: That’s a pretty ringing endorsement b/c my dog will eat out of anything but cats have standards.
So what about you? What useful, fun, adorable, or otherwise terrific items do you love for yourself or for your pets? As always, please feel welcome to comment, or to email me your gift guide ideas at sarah@smartbitchestrashybooks.com.
My cat loves playing with her water. Two years ago I bought her a Catit water fountain that work great until two weeks ago, when she figured out she could hook a nail into the filter and tip the ENTIRE WATER FOUNTAIN over. I had to search for a new solution. I needed something with a lot of surface area that was too heavy for her to tip over.
Solution? A Pyrex glass rectangular storage container! Surface area! Too shallow, low, and heavy (with water in it) for her to tip over or drag! Nothing for her to hook nail into!
Because she automatically starts to dig/paw around her water before she drinks, I put a cheap fabric place mat in front of it so she has something to paw. I put the lid of the container underneath it so she can tell the difference between the bottom of it and the floor.
She’ll dip her paw in before drinking and sometimes swish a paw in it but it’s too wide for it to slosh over the sides. I refill halfway through the week and wash it once a week.
It has worked wonders.
Thank you for these great ideas! People love their kids almost as much as their pets!!! They will say, “Oh No, you shouldn’t have” if you gift them or their kids, but if you gift their pet, “Oh Boy! Thank you!”
we’ve had the PetSafe Drinkwell Fountain Pagoda (in white) for about 3 years now, and it’s still working just fine. the ceramic part can be run through the dishwasher, but the internal bits need hand washing. we recently bought a replacement kit for some of the white & clear internal soft bits (silicone?) as one had become a bit discolored.
our younger cat gets very put out when ‘his’ fountain is not available and he has to drink out of a dish.