With "non-essential" shops closed around the UK, we thought we'd try to inspire you with some cat themed gift ideas that have proved particularly popular with online and shop customers so far this season. All the products mentioned below are either tried and trusted favourites or brand new lines that have struck a real chord with our feline friendly fans.
Louis Wain CD Desk Calendar £6
You may well know the calendar that you need to buy, but if you're open to suggestions, then the Louis Wain desk calendar is something you won't find in any mainstream shop. It comes in a CD case with a page per month format. Each month features a colour illustration from the pen of perhaps the UK's most famous feline artist (1860 - 1939). Given its CD size, this is an ideal calendar to post to a fellow cat lover.
Bohemian Catsody Single Christmas Card £3.50
This card caught us a little by surprise. If you look back at the Autumn catalogue you'll see that it didn't feature. Instead, we picked cards from this Yorkshire based artist that reflect a customer desire to send Christmas cards "from the cat". It was only when we displayed Christmas cards in the York shop that we realised just how popular Bohemian Catsody would be. It's a charming card in its own right and being handmade in the UK has a special appeal. The multiple cats and the musical theme drew in more people but clearly the clincher is the connection to one of the UK's most popular rock bands, Queen. We love the way the arrangement of the cats offers a purrfect throwback to the iconic Bohemian Rhapsody video. For a cat lover who has any affinity for Queen's music and history, this is likely to be their stand out Christmas card of 2020.
Pandemic Inspired Stocking Fillers - Pretty and Practical
We've seen a huge surge in demand for accessories that are lovely in their own right, but are especially practical in a pandemic situation. The image above features a few examples:
Embroidered Hand Towel - Features black cats and pawprints. A quality towel that also comes in Red, Navy and Black.
Ginger Kitty Soap Bars - Keep one and gift the other? Ideal for ginger cat lovers, but the intoxicating orange and mandarin scent will delight any recipient. Coco Kitty (Raspberry and Coconut) also available.
Travel Friendly Refillable Hand Sanitiser - No more fumbling around in your handbag when you get to a shop! This cute kitty attaches to your bag strap. Best of all, he's refillable.
Black Kitten Face Covering - Ultimate best seller alert! This mask has been incredibly popular since launch at the end of October 2020. Fully adjustable, 2 ply, machine washable at 60 degrees and with a flexible nose wire - ideal for wearers of spectacles. All these features, but of course what sells it is the totally cute black kitten from the pen of amazingly talented feline artist, Kim Haskins. I don't think it would be an overstatement to say that this is a small gift that could genuinely lift the mood of both recipient and their "bubble" this Christmas!
A rainbow motif means different things to different people. What we can confidently say is that plenty of shoppers have identified these earrings as ones that they want for themselves, or to gift. Another Cat Gallery line that you won't find on the High Street.
Brakeburn T Shirt and Accessories
Brakeburn is well known for quality British design and product execution. When we saw the preview for this range we were sure that it would prove popular with customers, and so it has proved, despite the range not being fully available until late-September. T shirt, scarf, bag and scarf are now all in stock with some t shirt sizes already running low.
Curly Tailed Cat Glass Cups - Box of 2
Pretty, practical and easy to gift, it's not surprising that this pair of glass cat cups has been flying off the shelf. Very popular in our York shop, where people can see and touch them. A great vote of confidence for anyone considering buying online. At £15 they should suit many gifting occasions and are bound to be well received by a cat lover.
The Moonlight Cat Table Lamp can transform a dark corner with both its soft light and beautiful "love cats on a branch" motif. Really simple but effective design and takes up to 25W (in old money) bulb. This lamp is so popular that it will be a permanent fixture in our York shop window display during the Winter months.
Christmas Post 1000 Piece Jigsaw £13
Jigsaws are the ultimate form of lockdown entertainment. Not surprisingly sales of all designs have been exceptional. If you've tried getting a nice one in a High Street shop recently you will know that is true! We had to forecast likely demand and believe that most, if not all, of our titles should be available until at least the end of November. What is certainly true is that availability will only reduce as Christmas approaches. Christmas Post 1000 piece puzzle has been popular since launch. If you're looking for a 500 piece jigsaw, then you could do worse than the contemporary styled Bookish Cats or more traditional Cool Cats Puzzle. Both have been popular.
Cat-astrophe Stacking Game £9.50
Another pandemic-friendly game, ideal for a family bubble. Have stacks of fun piling up the kitties. Can you stack them all or will the game end in cat-astrophe? A simple game that all can play and enjoy.
Boris & Donald Catnip Toys £7.50 each
If you know a cat lover who is exasperated by the current political scene then buying this toy for their cat could bring them untold joy and amusement! Hugely popular in our York shop (where they sell 50:50). The individuals being lampooned have done a great job of marketing these toys all year, and at the time of writing it looks like both will be making headlines for all sorts of reasons for some time to come!
If your cat is a serious nip-head then you probably already know how potent Yeowww! catnip toys are. These are right up at the "connoisseur" end of the market and remain the most frequently re-purchased items by "locals" to York. These toys are not replaced because the cat has lost interest, they are replaced because the cat has had huge fun with it and it is now looking a bit too "icky" to have around the house!! Available in a variety of sealed toys and also as loose catnip leaf for filling homemade toys. Yeowww! toys would be on every catnip loving cat's letter to Santa Paws!
Our most popular cat product EVER! It's a beautiful blanket and it seems to act like a "cat magnet" for many felines. We have a whole array of piccies from customers showing their cats luxuriating on this blanket and reviews on our website tell the same story. A steal at £9.
Klara XXL Bed / Scratching Post £130
A premium scratcher and bed, Klara is a purrfect choice for larger cats and for those that like to stretch out vertically to scratch. The scratch post is a massive 100cm tall, with a sizable platform bed on top. A high quality reward for any cat that has been a "Good Kitty" in 2020!
We've picked out the items above because they have been genuinely popular this season. Of course, we have many more gift ideas for you and your feline friends, so do feel free to browse our site.
If you prefer to flick through our catalogue, you can find them here:
Christmas Catalogue Flyer 2020
We hope this article has provided some festive inspiration? The home delivery side of our business is working normally during Lockdown, with delivery in around 7 days from date of order.
Happy Shopping!