Pawsome Presents: Garden Centre Finds

Are you stuck for gift ideas for dogs, cats or other pets? Your local garden centre could be an excellent place to seek inspiration for presents.

Modern garden centres are so much more than places to buy plants. Most of them also stock an array of outdoor living essentials, giftware, and yes, pet supplies.

Great gift ideas for pets

Finding gift ideas for pets is all about knowing their personalities. Some are food orientated, others prefer toys. The introverts of the pet world will love gifts that make them feel safe and invisible, whilst the oldies often crave comfort.

Whatever their personality, you’ll be surprised at the range of pet gifts available from most garden centres. And with a bit of imagination, you could even gather items to make a pawsome present with a difference.

Suggestions include:

• Edible treats
• Toys
• A cosy bed
• Outdoor clothing for wet weather walks
• Plants and other items for enrichment activities

Edible Treats for Pets

Many pet owners like to feed their furry friends a pre-prepared balanced diet. One which promotes good health and is also convenient. How boring must that be for the animal? Eating the same meal every day.

Edible treats allow pets to experience different flavours and textures without disrupting their nutritional intake. They can also be used in training, to reward good behaviour, or for calming and enrichment activities.

A nice chewy bone is just the job for keeping dogs occupied when the weather makes walks impossible. Chew sticks for rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters are usually very well received and cats like nothing more than luxuriously flavoured treats.

Pet Toys Make Pawsome Presents

It’s probably fair to say that gifting toys for pets is as enjoyable for the buyer as it is for the recipients. And most garden centres have a glorious range of squeaky, bouncy, chewy and cuddly toys with a wide range of appeal.

Very often, the range in garden centres is completely different to what you’ll find in pet shops and so it’s well worth taking a look.

Enrichment Activities for Pets

Bored pets are more likely to get up to mischief than those who have plenty to occupy their minds. And with a bit of creative thinking, it’s perfectly possible to use items from the garden centre to bring interest and excitement into your pets’ life.

Enrichment activities for dogs

• Flower pots and canes can be used to create low jumps, weaving poles and a whole range of obstacles for you and your dog to enjoy together.
• You could hide some treats beneath upturned flower pots and encourage your pet to sniff them out. Make this game more challenging by placing the pots near to strongly scented plants.
• A sturdy children’s paddling pool has enormous appeal for water loving pooches - just be sure it’s tough enough that it can’t be damaged by overenthusiastic claws.
• Ditto for the hosepipe. Some dogs just love trying to ‘catch’ the water.
• Check out the outdoor play section for footballs.
• If your dog is a ‘digger’ they’d probably love it if you were to adapt a raised bed kit into their very own sand pit.

Enrichment activities for cats

Cats love to get up high, they love to secrete themselves and they love to scratch. Your garden centre will definitely have a good selection of shrubs and plants to create the natural hidey holes that cats love so much.

Wooden poles or fence posts make excellent scratching poles for cats. DIY enthusiasts may even be able to create a raised platforms from where your feline friends can survey their kingdom.

Indoor cats will enjoy having a range of houseplants to explore. Spider plants are a particular favourite. Nepeta Catarina (aka cat nip) is an outdoor plant but could be planted in a pot and brought indoors for your cat to enjoy.

Enrichment activities for small furry pets

Cats and dogs are not the only pets catered for in the garden centre. Rabbits, and guinea pigs will also enjoy some of the things on offer on the garden centre shelves.

Fresh veggies are a big hit with rabbits and guinea pigs. Why not grow your own using either seeds or plug plants from the garden centre?

If your garden centre sells turf, you could unfurl a roll in their run and let them munch their way through the fresh green grass. Turf is easily cut to size using a sharp knife or a wood saw. Any offcuts can unrolled, laid outside and kept watered until needed for the next snacking session.

Arranging potted plants in your rabbit or guinea pig run will give them shade, hiding places and somewhere new to explore. Try to ring the changes and swap them around every so often so that your pets don’t get bored. Please check that any plants you introduce are non-toxic.

It’s incredibly difficult to buy presents for pets based on a picture on a website. The only way to ensure you are getting great value for money is to visit the garden centre in person so that you can touch, squeeze, and assess the toy for yourself. And of course, you can treat yourself in the cafe while you mull over your decision.

Click here to find a garden centre near you.