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Many pet lovers include their pets in their Christmas festivities and celebrate their birthdays too. If you already do those things and even if you don’t, why not let them celebrate Easter too?

Just as Christmas has dangers of tinsel and ribbon being ingested, one needs to take some precautions with Easter as well. First off, avoid giving your cat candy, especially chocolate, which is toxic to cats. It is best to ignore their pleading eyes for that piece of Easter ham or any table scraps too.

Many people line their Easter baskets with fake grass which if ingested can cause blockages in a cat’s intestines so be sure to avoid that. And one more warning before we get to the fun stuff. Easter Lilies - these are highly toxic - if even a small amount is eaten. It is best not to allow them in your home. And if your cat goes outdoors, make sure there are none in their domain. Actually, all lilies are poisonous to cats.

I like to give my cats an Easter basket. I start cat grass seed two weeks before Easter so it will be ready in time. I grow it in a shallow plastic container that I can set inside the Easter Basket. Then I put some toys on the grass. A catnip carrot is perfect for this as well as some crocheted catnip Easter eggs. If you are not crafty, Etsy always has several of these items available.

Speaking of eggs, cats enjoy an old-fashioned Easter egg hunt too. I wish I could take credit for this idea, but I first learned of it several years ago, on the blog Kitty Cat Chronicles. They have an egg hunt every year and keep track of how many eggs each cat finds. Here is a link to one of their previous hunts: https://kittycatchronicles.com/home/results-are-in-8th-annual-kcc-easter-egg-hunt/

All you need to do is purchase a package of plastic eggs and cut a small hole in each one so your cat or cats can pick up the scent of a treat inside. You then add a few treats to each egg and hide them around the house. You will need to show your cats that there are treats inside at first and most cats will make the connection pretty quickly that treats are available. After that, you can either open the egg each time a cat finds one to dispense the treat or you could keep track of how many each cat finds and distribute them over time to avoid upset tummies of eating all the treats at once.

Back to the Easter Basket, I usually add some treat filled eggs and a bag or two of treats as well. You could also add a bag of catnip or silvervine as well. Bubbles are a common item found in children’s baskets and cats like them as well.  You can purchase catnip bubbles; they are available at most places that sell pet food. A laser toy would make a nice basket filler too. Only you know what will make your cat happy though so choose with him/her in mind.

Some cats hate being dressed, but others are fine with it. If your cat is in the latter group, then you could get some bunny ears for a cute photo shoot. Every year, I do the Catbury Bunny auditions, a playful spin on the commercial with animals auditioning to be the next Cadbury bunny. My Joanie likes to dress up, so I photograph her in an Easter bonnet as well.

Holidays are a time to enjoy family and cats are part of the family so be sure to include them in your festivities.  Wishing you all a wonderful Easter.

Stay healthy.

Ellen Pilch