Holiday Gift Guide for Cat People
Junipurr: I just came for the cardboard box
Some people start holiday shopping in October. Some start in June. Others eschew the consumerist impulse of modern society altogether by building tiny yurt homesteads, growing their own food, and writing poems on leaves to be delivered by wind power. Ahh, the glorious diversity of humankind!
In our household, we kick it old school when it comes to the holiday season: No Christmas talk until after Thanksgiving, and heartfelt gifts made by hand or shopped from ethical (socially and environmentally conscious) sources. To paraphase our favorite Julie Andrews’ song:
Raindrops on organic catnip and whiskers on kittens
Supporting indie bookstores and handmade mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with biodegradable strings
These are a few of my favorite things!
You sing this tune too? :)
As we face the imminent reality of a socially distanced holiday season, gifting palpable touchstone to loved ones feels as close to a real-lfie hug as possible. And shopping in a way that aligns with our values feels more imperative than ever. So, as much as possible, our gift guide features gifts that: keep giving through a buy one give $X model; support animal welfare non-profits, cultural institutions, indie bookstores or artists; are handmade (all about that DIY!); and/or, come from waste conscious stores.
Voilà, the three part Junipurr Studio Holiday Gift Guides
Gifts for Cat People: Below! We’re talking Wearable Swag + Cat Parent Self-Care + Games & Crafts + Home Is Where The Candles Are All Cat Themed
Gifts for Cats: Right this way! That’s right, it ain’t just about the cat parents. Furbabies need some love too. Also, Resources is here for ya with tried and true cat gear.
Gifts for Meowmy & Me: Coming soon! You guessed it - books & bookish things get their very own guide, because books are the ultimate Lockdown Survival Gear. Also, we love cat books & we cannot lie ;)
p.s. Felinthropy - For many cat lovers and cats, a donation in their honor to a favorite animal shelter or advocacy non-profit might just be the ultimate gift. An Animal-Lover’s Guide to Giving Thoughtfully has you covered with some pro tips.
You down? LET’S DO THIS!
GIFTS FOR CAT PARENTS
Wearable Swag
Tattly temporary tattoos are “wearable art,” according to The New York Times. Created by Tina Roth Eisenberg of SwissMiss (the design blog, not the hot chocolate) & CreativeMornings fame, Tattly temporary tattoos are designed by artists who get a cut of every sale, printed with vegetable-based ink, and FDA-compliant. I’m a fan of The Cat Club set because #allthecats, obv. You can also get individual designs (Rainbow Kitty is my fav & Punk Cat is Junipurr’s).
Confession: I’ve never actually seen the movie When Harry Met Sally. *gasp!* Nonetheless, I can appreciate the genius behind the “When Hairball met Sally” tshirt from Pasadena Humane, one of West Coast’s oldest (we’re talkin g117 years and counting!) yet most progressive animal shelters. Buying from their threadless store supports their “lifesaving programs and services to the community that support the human-animal bond and keep pets healthy and safe.” Pretty sure both Harry - excuse me, Hairball - and Sally would both approve.
Buying gifts through museum and library gift shops is one of my favorite ways to support these venerable cultural havens (twofer!), and this Boss kitty purse from the LA Public Library sounds like cha-ching! Also, that Everyday is Caturday iron-on patch is (a) my life motto, and (b) going on all my clothes :D
This hand-printed pocket peekaboo cat shirt from Etsy shop ninety5prints is, as the kids nowadays like to say, everything.
Speaking of tshirts, the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s “40 Years of Justice” tshirt looks like a Zodiac chart and reads like a victory map. The special edition shirt highlights 20 animals' legal rights victories: “each highlighted victory is identified by animal and year on the front, with a corresponding explanation on the back of the shirt.” Now that’s legit.
For all my tie-wearing cat parents out there, I present … the Black Cat Tie, inspired by Edouard Manet's cat Zizi, from the Getty Museum gift shop. Go ahead and wow your Zoom peeps with this sexy silk tie ;)
The Entire Cat Population is My Bestfriend sweatshirt from The BalletCats Social Work. Word. I mean, does anything else need to be said? Oh right: Created by Jakarta-based artist Jordan Marzuki, the BalletCats’ mission is to “make the earth is a better place for unfortunate cats.”
It is the tradition of some families, I hear, to give socks every Christmas. Whether in earnest or in jest, may your sock-giving this year be a gift that keeps giving. These Fair Trade Certified Socks that Protect Animals by Conscious Step via EarthHero “donates $1 per pair towards protecting sharks, protecting elephants, and saving dogs through Oceana, Conservation International, Best Friends.” I’m no socks expert, but they purport to “feature a seamless toe closure.” Uh, stepping into that! Also: Socks That Save Cats from Uncommon Goods, which also donates $1 from each sale to Best Friends Animal Society.
Cat Parent Self-Care
It’s joyful but exhausting sometimes to be a pet parent, especially during the pandemic. You gotta fight those murder mittens for access to the computer. You gotta apologize all day long to coworkers for that cat butt cameo or that rated R yowling. Maybe there’s a protest poop situation once in a while. So: Make time to love on yourself! Meditate, journal, go on socially distanced walks, nap, whatever you gotta do.
I personally like hot showers as a reset. The Pink Rose clay soap and Organic Face Cleanser by Meow Meow Tweet, the vegan skincare brand that gives back, are made of certified organic and fair trade ingredients. If you purchase from FillGood, a refill store, you can enjoy the cat-themed packaging and know that you are supporting an organization focused on creating a zero waste alternative to product packaging too. P.s. Yes, I’m aware they have a juniper carrot face oil, too. Though it literally calls my (baby’s) name, the packaging design of a bird of prey about to grab a cat I cannot abide by :/
Showering may be a reset, but sleeping is a rebirth. How incredibly cute & utilitarian are these DIY cat eye masks? The step-by-step tutorial is at Shelterness.
Games & Crafts (i.e. Lockdown Survival Gear)
I do not know how to play poker. Adulting is a process, ok?! But, this does not stop me from collecting playing cards, and this Cat Lovers Playing Cards from the LA Public Library gift shop makes me feel oh so cool as I pretend to shuffle and act like I know how to play poker.
If you have a washi tape collection, a scrapbook toolkit, or even a stationary stack, this Custom Pet Return Address Stamp from Etsy artist PaperPastries may be just what you need to wow your penpals’ (animal protecting) socks off.
Cat Stax from the LA Public Library! The appeal is self-explainatory. (I’m not the only one with fond childhood memories of playing tetris, right?)
Strategy games more your jam? I don’t like anything fiercer than Scrabble, but Juni’s Favorite Parent plays chess 3 hours a day. This Cantankerous Cats Card Game, which “will have you clawing your way to victory as you live the life of a cat,” from Uncommon Goods is for you people ;)
Now, a peaceful, harmonious activity like photobook making is my kind of lockdown activity. Nothing tickles pet parents’ heart like customized calendars and photobooks with their furbabies, you know? I usually use Mixx, but this year I’d like to try Artifact Uprising. It seems more expensive, but higher quality. Also, they use recycled and reclaimed materials.
Home Is Where The Candles Are All Cat Themed
The power of scents on healing, uplifting the mood, and conjuring memories is well documented. Naturally, for a cat parent, home Is where the candles are all cat themed. Also, their sense of smell is like our furbabies’ claim to fame, so this is a double nod. Just make sure open flame is securely out of furbabies’ way and no essential oils get on them (yup, sadly, essential oil diffusers are bad news according to the vets at the Veterinary Advice, Animal News & Views podcast). One last note: handpouring your own soy wax based candle is super easy! #DIY
Pure + Good has probably the best animal-themed names in the Candle Universe, and Smelly Cat Pet Deodorizing Candle is my fav. That reminds me, I need to go rewatch Friends again. Party Animal, I can also get behind. Pure + Good was started by a mother-daughter team who is “passionate about Pet and Environmental health.”
The Austin Press’s Cat’s Pillow candle from CatBird was “inspired by a beloved kitten lounging on her beloved velvet pillow.” Huh? It has “notes of lavandin grosso, green herbs, tonka, rosemary, and ginger. “ Double huh?? Not to be outdone, Kitten the Candle conjures “visions of dusty records, lipstick, and feather pillows and notes of musk, amber & hand-picked violets.” Sounds like some trust fund furbaby stuff, eh? What I am able to comprehend and appreciate is that this year, a portion of all holiday sales from CatBird will be “donated to Food Bank for New York City and Color of Change.”
P.s. Stay tuned for the gift guide for cats!
