A Christmas gift for a cat owner, about the cat they actually have
Cat owners get a lot of cats for Christmas: on mugs, on socks, on calendars. Rarely the one asleep on the radiator at home. This gift is about that cat: a book of 28 pages that the owner makes over the holidays, from their own photos and stories.
Under the tree, or in the inbox on Christmas morning
Print the card and tuck it under the tree or into a stocking. If you would rather hand over a real card, we post you one, folded in an envelope. If you are not together on the day, we email the gift with your message at eight in the morning on 25 December, or on any other day you pick.
By email it works up to Christmas Day. The card by post: order by 10 December, to the Netherlands by 17 December.
Made in the quiet days after Christmas
The owner opens the link, types the cat's name and picks a photo for the cover. Then come eight short questions, written for a cat. What happens when you come home? What does she bring in? Which box or spot is hers? Which people does she allow near, and how can you tell?
About ten minutes later the book is on screen, with their photos and drawings made from them. Every page can be changed afterwards. The gift is valid for 3 years, so the week between Christmas and New Year works, and so does a wet Sunday in February.
The Christmas story every cat has
One question asks for the funniest thing the cat ever did, or got away with. Around Christmas most cats supply one: the first night spent inside the tree, the bauble batted under the sofa and found in March, the ribbon pulled off the table halfway through lunch.
A few sentences in the owner's own words are enough. That answer becomes a page, with a photo or a drawing beside it.
What to write in your message
The owner reads your message before they open the gift. Keep it short, and make it about the cat:
- "Happy Christmas. A book about [name], who won the war with the tree again this year."
- "You tell the best stories about [name]. Now there is somewhere to keep them."
- "She has everything already. Except a book about herself."
Example: Mo's book
Mo, a long-haired tabby from a shelter, once tried to bring an acacia branch twice his length in through the cat flap and stood there for a quarter of an hour, refusing to let go. The piece he kept is still behind the sofa. Mo is an example, not a customer.
Mo9Stuck in the flap
He wouldn't let go. With the acacia branch too big for the cat flap, Mo stood there for a quarter of an hour, half inside and half out, gripping it. Sanne broke the branch off from the outside to free him. The piece he had been holding is still behind the sofa, exactly where it landed that day.
Mo10
The tree, the tinsel and the lilies
Cats Protection, the UK cat charity, warns that swallowed tinsel can cause blockages that make a cat seriously ill, and sometimes kill it. Ribbon from the presents is the same kind of risk, so clear it away once the unwrapping is done.
It also lists every kind of lily as poisonous to cats, and raisins and grapes as toxic even in small amounts. If you are adding flowers or a hamper to the gift, leave those out.
Or make it yourself
If you know the cat well and have photos of her, make the book yourself and give the private link. A hardcover you order yourself usually arrives about two weeks after the order, at most thirty days, so for a printed book under the tree, order a good month before Christmas.
More gift pages
A gift for a cat owner, any time of yearA Christmas gift for a dog owner
Questions
Will the hardcover arrive before Christmas?
Not with the gift. The owner makes the book first and it is printed after that, usually arriving about two weeks later and at most thirty days. On the day itself they get the card or the email.
Can the email arrive on Christmas Eve?
Yes. You choose the day, today or up to a year ahead. The email arrives at eight in the morning.
Does it work for an indoor cat?
Yes. The questions are about spots, habits and people at home. For an indoor cat, what she brings in may be a sock from the laundry basket.
Can I give it to someone in the UK or the US?
Yes, as the eBook gift, which works anywhere. The hardcover ships to the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France only.
Give it for Christmas
The owner makes the book about their own cat. A card under the tree, or an email on Christmas morning.
Give the giftGift €34.99. The eBook and the hardcover, shipping included. Or the eBook alone for €6.99. The recipient makes the book themselves. Valid 3 years.
Or make the book about their cat yourself.
Make one for your peteBook €6.99, hardcover €29.99 on top, shipping included. You pay after the questions.