21 Best Gifts for Cat Lovers, According to Cat Owners

Here’s one item that will hopefully help keep your feline occupied for when you’re otherwise engaged. “My 10-year-old cat, Frannie, is obsessed with playing, and even more obsessed with treats,” says shopping managing editor Mary Beth Quirk. “So when I’m busy working at home and can’t entertain her, I’ll throw some treats in this puzzle box and it keeps her entertained. Sometimes, she destroys the box in the process, which is fine because it’s cardboard, so we just recycle it and order a new one.”

Pair this lickable food mat with a delectable treat to keep your kitty content and happily occupied. Quirk spreads Churu purée treats on the mat with the spatula provided and attaches it to Frannie’s food tray with the suction cups on the bottom. “She’ll spend minutes on end cleaning out every nook and cranny, leaving me to work in peace,” says Quirk. 

"The Churu purée treats are a great gift for any cat parent; I’ve never met a cat who didn’t like them,” says Quirk. Grab a pack of 50 from Amazon, currently on sale for $19.

CR writer Jodhaira Rodriguez also sprung for a lick mat as a means of feeding her cat, Frank, his wet food, while ensuring that he doesn’t munch his meals away too quickly. For his dry food, she opted for this puzzle, which he loves. “It really slows him down and keeps him busy for a while,” says Rodriguez.

This automatic feeder allows pet owners to schedule up to three meals a day, in any desired quantity, says Amanda Arnold, senior manager of business analytics at CR. The device has a maximum capacity of 26 cups and can be programmed to give out meals as small as 2 teaspoons. Psst! Act fast, this one’s currently on sale for 60 percent off its original price.

For the cat who loves to play hide-and-seek, this clever contraption is not to be missed. The collapsible tunnel toy is available in an array of patterns and promises prime entertainment. “While brown packing paper is a great, low-budget/free choice, living with torn-up pieces of paper strewn around my one-bedroom apartment started to feel like dwelling in a recycling center,” says Quirk. “I saw this crinkly bag on Instagram (shoutout to @cookieandmoe) and snagged it in this super-cute print to match my apartment’s decor (there are a few designs available). Frannie has been snoozing/playing/hiding in it happily ever since. She’s having fun and staying cozy, and I don’t have garbage all over my floor anymore!”

This toy may not be your favorite, but your cat might just fall in love with it. Rodriguez refers to it as the “most annoying tweeting bird to ever exist,” but take one look at her cat, Frank, playing animatedly with it, and it’s hard to say whether you’ll be able to resist getting one for your own.

Frank’s second-favorite toy comes in the form of this mat. Here’s how it works: Insert the small rolling, tweeting, light-up ball into the mat, then sit back and watch as your cat attempts to hunt down the ball. “[Frank] likes to sit directly over the rolling ball in the mat when he’s tired to really show me who’s boss,” says Rodriguez.

Another one of Quirk’s recommendations is this cheeky toy that’s bound to please. “It can keep my cat happy and playing for a long time,” she says, “and I can tell she loves it—to the point that her love of chewing on it has required me to get a regular banana subscription to keep her supplied. Plus, she’s just super-cute when she grabs it in her paws and bunny-kicks it to death.”

“My cat absolutely loves this three-way tunnel,” says CR’s digital product manager Merideth Mergel. The pop-up tunnel is foldable—so it can be easily stowed away when not in use—and is a prime spot for napping and playing.

A comfortable bed for your pet that can add a fun pop of color to a space sounds like a win-win. Rodriguez recommends this cat bed, which Frank “barely fits in (because he is a very big boy that I am way overfeeding), but I find him here every time I come home.”

“I succumbed to Instagram ads for this impossibly fluffy cat bed, and it did not disappoint,” says CR health and science writer Catherine Roberts. “I can’t speak to the anti-anxiety claims, but both our cats love it and play subtle mind games over which one of them gets to claim it for days at a time. I also got one for my friends’ very picky cat, and she turned out to love it, too.” This cat bed is available in four sizes and five colors. “I prefer the unicorn rainbow ice cream color. I wish they made it in human size,” says Roberts.

File this under one very cute scratching post. Arnold recommends this version because her two cats love it. Bonus points for the cactus motif that adds a fun twist to the concept. Featuring a sisal wrap construction, this model is available in two sizes: 22 inches and 31 inches tall.

For the kitty who can’t get enough of watching the world outdoors (or the one who simply loves a good sun bath), this window perch is not to be missed. Rodriguez’s cat, Frank, not only loves napping on this perch but also adores playing with its strings in an effort to get her attention.

“I have a deep fear that my cat doesn’t drink enough water and will end up with kidney issues,” says Stephanie Davis, a senior marketing manager at CR. And if you’re a cat parent who shares that sentiment, a water fountain may be the answer. “She won’t drink still water from a bowl and wasn’t keen on one other fountain before this—the filters are also easy to change for this one—but she loves this one for some reason.”

A cat water fountain was by far the most popular product pick, according to my colleagues. Joe Novotny, a CR marketing associate, recommends this version from Petlibro: “The pump has a five-level filtration system, a translucent container for seeing when water is running low, and comes with a cleaning brush as well.”

“I have two of these, and they’re great because they encourage the cats to drink more water,” Arnold says. “Cats notoriously don’t usually drink enough water, so having these helps keep their water cleaner and the kitties healthier!” The fountain comes with a filter inside and is dishwasher-safe to boot.

Mergel’s cat loves Kong’s ZoomGroom brush, which can also be used for dogs. "She wakes me up in the morning, not for food, but to brush her," says Mergel. "And if I’m not moving the brush the way that she likes, she will brush herself against it. I’ve bought this for a few friends with cats, and they all love it."

If you can have only one pet hair removal tool in your cleaning toolbox, this is the one. The ChomChom was a favorite with our at-home evaluators and the best-performing option in our formal lab tests. Rodriguez was one of the evaluators who immediately purchased one for herself because it did a great job cleaning up cat hair from every soft surface. 

What sets it apart is that it’s the only tool that gathers and picks up all of the pet hair it touches. After just three forward and backward swipes, our velvet and linen-polyester pillows were left almost completely free of hair, minus a few stragglers. It was the best tool on carpet, too, even though crouching low to use it wasn’t the most comfortable position. No other tool left it as hair-free as the ChomChom.

For those looking to splurge (or take a breather from scooping up litter), this automatic, self-cleaning litter box can be a saving grace. “I have this and would have loved it if someone would have bought it as a gift since it’s quite pricey,” Arnold says. “I’ve had it for about three years now, and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever purchased, like ever!” You can also buy a bundle on Amazon that includes accessories like a mat, a ramp, and a fence to help contain litter.

Furbo’s pet camera may be marketed for dogs, but in evaluating the best pet cameras, the Furbo dog camera was our editors’ top choice, thanks to its aesthetically pleasing design and camera with a wide viewing angle. The ability to choose a voice prompt for the treat toss is a bonus. The device’s basic app features include live view, toss treats, talk to and hear your pet, and get barking alerts. The Nanny cam subscription includes cloud recording, advanced barking alert, Doggie Diary (a video summary of the day that you can choose to save to your device), activity alert, selfie alert, and person alert. And, yes, you can still use the Furbo if you have a cat. 

Learn more about the Furbo dog camera.