Posted on: December 23rd, 2014 by Dr. Dale Rubenstein

This holiday season we wanted to bring you twelve thoughts about how our staff celebrates with their pets. Last week we shared some stories about the special treats they give or their memories of the holidays with their pets. We left off with #7, so as Christmas draws near, here are the rest.

6. From Stephanie: My two cats (Piper is pictured above) and newly adopted dog are huge supporters of Christmas. They all love to get as close to the tree as they can but unlike most cats don’t bother exploring it! All of our pets have their own stockings and love pulling out whatever surprises they are filled with Christmas morning! (Note: While it makes for an adorable photo, we do not recommend letting your cat play with any electric cord, particularly when plugged in, unless closely supervised. Kittens especially like to chew on things, and severe electric shock can result.)

5. From Mikayla: (Her kitty Mutant is at right) Since I do not celebrate Christmas is Maryland with my pets, we make sure we give them their Christmas presents in advance and make sure they have the best care while we’re gone! Our friend takes care of them.

4. From Morgan: Growing up, my family had an assortment of animals at any given time. On Christmas morning, I remember that every animal (regardless of species) was given a special treat. For example: the dogs got jerky treats, the horses and donkeys got “cookies,” the ducks got spearmint leaves (their favorite!), and the goats and pig got veggies.

3. From Laurie: Every year I buy a small Christmas tree specifically for my bunnies (Buttercup is pictured at right) so they have a nice, cozy spot to enjoy during the holidays. My cat Reeses (below) gets to enjoy the big tree, which surprisingly, he never has tried to climb or mess with (other than knocking down a couple ornaments which is to be expected). They each have a stocking full of gifts and presents under the tree that they can open on Christmas day!

2. From Jan: We always give our dog a big peanut butter-filled marrow bone and it keeps her busy for hours. For our cats, for those who like to play, we have given a catnip-mouse toy; for older cats we’ve given a special treat of some sort. Our pets’ stockings are small with a bell on them, and we don’t have a fireplace so we used to hang them on a cabinet door. The cat could reach his and in the middle of the night I would hear him jingling the bell trying to get to his catnip toy! For our ponies, we used to hang stockings full of carrots on the outside side of their stalls until one year when one of the ponies reached his stocking overnight and destroyed it. Now they just get extra carrots with their breakfast!

1. From me (Dr. Rubenstein): I remember visiting family in Indianapolis, and of course I visited the local feline practice also. They had a great tree, made by a client, that was macrame and suspended from the ceiling. I could still see a kitty taking a flying leap, but it was elevated 2-3′ off the floor, so cats couldn’t just climb up.

Our cats will be getting a new catnip sock, which they love, for the holidays. Their favorite treat, beside having the whole family home, is if it’s cold enough for a fire in the fireplace. Athena will just lie in front of the fireplace, to remind us 🙂 They like to sleep under the tree but have been good about not climbing. But, we do keep ornaments up on the top half of the tree.

We wish everyone the happiest of holidays, full of fun, love and wonderful treats!