When should you start shopping for Christmas presents? Some people rush out at the last minute, others have already socked away the better part of their planned Christmas presents before school lets out for the summer. But the question remains: What’s best?

Here are a number of advantages to shopping for Christmas presents as early as possible:

1. Buying early gives you the best chance to get good deals What better opportunity for buying Aunt Hilda (well, actually her poodle) a new purple leather leash or your girlfriend a designer scarf then the going-out-of-business sale at the local pet store or summer clearance at the new boutique? Being on the lookout and buying early really gives you the best chance to get a good deal.
2. Starting early gives you plenty of time to look for that very special gift The business trip to London in March would have been the best opportunity to stop by Harrod’s and get that perfect gift for your Anglophile sister-in-law. And wouldn’t that nifty crocodile jigsaw puzzle you saw at the zoo last month have been a great gift for your reptile-loving nephew? Rushing out the week before Christmas to look for that one special gift will probably not work as well.
3. By buying early you can avoid disaster and humiliation If you are an Early Bird you won’t be in the situation where you will have to explain to your three-year old how come Santa didn’t manage to get her a Doodlewing Doll (or whatever the year’s most coveted gift is), even though all her friends at preschool got one. Instead, you will have the lovingly wrapped Doll sitting safely in a closet while your friends still spend whole afternoons on an odyssey through the local malls, desperately hoping to avoid disaster.
4. Shopping for gifts throughout the year will help you budget properly We all know Christmas can be a big drain on our bank accounts. By buying stuff throughout the year, the expense gets spread more evenly, making it easier to budget. No longer will you stand in the mall in December, wishing you hadn’t splurged on that new DVD-player in October so you wouldn’t have to max out your credit cards now.
5. Avoid the crowds Yep, here comes one of the biggies. If you are finished with your Christmas shopping in September, you can avoid a trip to the mall the last week before Christmas. Let’s face it, not everyone enjoys the experience of getting crushed by frustrated people while “Jingle Bells” drones on. And if you do enjoy a trip to the stores right before Christmas, you will be much more relaxed if it is just for a look-see and not a necessity.

Clearly, there are many great reasons for getting started early on our Christmas present shopping. So, even if it is still a while to Christmas, maybe it is about time to go out and look for that perfect present for our loved ones.

This festive season, how can you please a fickle feline?

Cats are notoriously hard to please: They turn up their whiskers at toys and regard the comfy cat-bed with distain. You buy an expense present only to have them show more interest in the box than the contents. So this Christmas, do things differently and apply a little cat psychology to the dilemma of what to buy as the purr-fect present.

#1: The Tall Cat-tower
If you want to really get kitty pruuping with pleasure, the give her a high perch to use as her sentry post. Yes, a tall cat tower is an investment, but it’s one your cat will purr-sitively adore. Cats love to get up high to watch the world go by. Site the tower next to a window and she can sit on the platform and survey the scene for hours. Plus, she’ll want to mark her new favorite territory by scratching it, which could save from the best furniture a shredding.

#2: A Cat Dining Table
Indoor cats craze the roughage that chewing on grass provides. Giving your cat access to fresh, growing grass gives them the opportunity to satisfy this nature urge to chew, and a cat dining table does to in style. There are so many things to love about a cat dining table, from the angled bowls (less strain on the neck for elderly cats) to the side order of growing grass -plus they look nice for the humans.

#3: Wing-on-a-String
If it simply isn’t Christmas without a toy, then chose one that triggers your cat’s natural instincts to hunt. You can’t do better than a Da Bird and those fluttering feathers to get your cat’s heart pounding and the chase is on. It is a rare cat who can ignore the allure of a Da Bird in flight, which could be your key to getting a cuddly kitty burning the calories and back in shape.

#4: Zoom Groom
Every cat wants to look their best, and for velvet soft fur – especially in short-haired cats, your feline friend will go limp with delight when brushed with a Zoom Groom. This clever rubber brushes mimic the feeling of being licked by another cat, whilst shifting shed fur out of the coat like a magnetic to iron. This Christmas gift is one the cat will enjoy again, and again, and again, and look super sleek for it.

#5: A Cardboard Box
There’s no denying that simple is sometimes best. Don’t be bashful about giving your cat that old standby- the cardboard box. After all, if it’s good enough for Maru…

Furr-bulous festivities pet people!