JOIN USScouting for festive gifts may be a pain, but if you looking for something special for your pet, the market is flooded with thoughtful, fun options, writes Sandip Shah.
Having a pet at home is like having a child, a loving friend, a close family member. Whether one is conventional and raises a dog, parrot or cat, or is more experimental and gets home a serpent, lizard or hedgehog, pets are great fun. Naturally, you would want the festive season to be special for them, too. Sure, you can pamper your pet with love. But good health and grooming products, homes and playthings will go a long way in ensuring that your pet’s overall happiness is accounted for.
The world has never been more innovative in coming up with pet products. Be it food for iguanas, terrariums – big and small - or fly masks for horses, the world of pets just got exciting.
With a slew of interesting to useful, quirky products flooding the market for these furry and feathered friends, it is time to do a quick scan and know what is what!
Love is in the details
It is important that every little aspect in a pet’s life is taken care of so that they have nothing, but the greatest comfort. In the unpredictable monsoons, a pet raincoat is a great and useful investment. A nail trimmer for a pup or cat and a shedding stump for herptiles are other great buys.
With the winters approaching, an insulated pet-house would come in handy and so would an indoor bird house. There are even pet strollers and carriers that could help in taking the pet for a little ‘look-around’ the locality.
A gift for your pet can actually be a gift for you! From easy poop cleaners and leashes to grooming, training and behavioural aids, there are scores of products suited to specific needs.
For those who have been too scared to take the plunge and get home a pet, this is a good time to discover the joy of owning a pet. Once you invest in the right products to help the maintenance and health of your new friend, everything else will fall into place.
Health first
If one knows what it means to love a pet, one would wholeheartedly agree that they have their own set of good and bad days. This is generally caused by ill health, depression (yes, even pets have the blues) and maybe, uncomfortable living conditions. Dogs and cats face flea and tick infestations, and there are a range of solutions, including creams and sprays, pills and anti-flea rings, for this.
Aquarium treatments and carbon filters make sure the fish are fine; some mineral supplements that can be mixed with the pet’s food are often a convenient way ensure its good health.
Health is not just of the body, but also of the mind. And thankfully manufacturers have understood this. A little aromatherapy can go a long way in easing out a rogue pup’s mood swings. And they come in a whole range of sprays, shampoos and candles in varied fragrances to improve the health, calmness and happiness of pets. Just in case one has a hedgehog that is going the obese way, there is even a low-fat diet in the market to get the pet back in shape!
Then some pampering
Apart from all the essential healthy additions to their lifestyle, pet product manufactures have gone one up and brought out spa treatments, horse boots and dog clothing lines, too! Pets really have it good with tail and mane conditioner for horses and bath spritz with essential oils for dogs. When it comes to their furry friend’s happiness, pet owners are ready for just about anything; so we find soft terry bathrobes, cockatiel bird baths and deluxe bath fittings for dog bathing and more. There are eye wipes and dry baths and even a mesh hammock for reptiles and geckos!
Time for fun and games
Just like us, pets love some fun, too. So, before they scratch a fancy leather couch, it might be a good idea to buy some good game and activity products for them. Scratching poles and chewable fake mice for cats, bird activity centres equipped with ladders, rattles, perches, piñatas and swings, ropes and plush toys for pups, fetch-and-treat balls for dogs and cats, teethers and every other toy conceivable is now up for grabs.
A little digging (pun intended) at the local pet store or careful sifting online will sure get you the perfect goodies for your furry and feathered friends.
Remember, the more you love them, the more selflessly they love you back!
(The author is the co-founder and MD of Shop Your World)