How to celebrate Easter with your cat
With Easter just around the corner, how can we include our feline friends in this lovely Springtime event? Families enjoy Easter egg hunts, fun gifts, Springtime flowers and plenty of chocolate but many of these are actually harmful to cats. It is important to know how to keep your cat safe over the Easter period but it’s also fun to find safe cat friendly alternatives. We include our cats in Christmas events – advent calendars, gifts and so forth so why not indulge our cats at Easter too! So here is our ultimate guide to making Easter a time that your cat will enjoy too.
Easter eggs
Children of all ages, and adults too, enjoy Easter eggs – and plenty of them! But do not be tempted to share your Easter eggs with your cat as chocolate is poisonous to cats. The toxic agent in chocolate is theobromine and it is found in all kinds of chocolate, even white chocolate. If a cat eats chocolate it can result in abnormal heart rhythm, tremors, seizures, and can even lead to death. If you suspect our cat has consumed chocolate, please contact your veterinary immediately.
For some cat friendly Easter eggs:
- Only buy Easter eggs specifically made for cats. Yes, some manufactures make Easter eggs specifically for cats!
- There are plenty of other cat treats available specifically suited to your cat. Our cats particularly enjoy lickable treats. Bear in mind that too many treats can be harmful to your cat’s health. As a guideline, treats should not exceed 10 %, at the most, of your cat’s daily calorific allowance.
Easter gifts
We all love receiving a gift, large or small. And whilst your cat won’t really know if you bought her anything or not, if your household is anything like ours, we don’t need really need much of an excuse to buy our cats a new toy, new bowl or scratching post. Therefore, Easter is a perfect reason for us to indulge and buy something new for our cats.
For cat friendly Easter presents:
The list of suitable presents could be endless, but the following items are always a hit with our two:
- New toys to play with
- A new bed or blanket
- A new scratching post
- Some special treats or luxury cat food to try
Easter themed gifts though are particularly cute, why not make your cat a special Easter basket filled with some themed gifts. These are our favourite finds and will be making their way into our cat’s Easter baskets this year:
These natural felt egg wool balls with a bell and cat nip are guaranteed to be a hit and perfect for your cat’s Easter basket:
Think of Easter an you think of cute bunnies, so these Catnip felt bunnies are ideal: 
An egg shaped treat dispenser is perfect for keeping your cat active by rewarding playtime with some treats:
And if your cat wears a collar then a new Easter themed collar would complete your gift basket:
Easter flowers and plants
Flowers and plants are a popular gift at Easter and are used as table centre pieces and for religious decorations. They represent the Springtime and provide a wonderful display of colour and beautiful aromas. But some popular Easter plants are toxic to cats therefore best to avoid having these in the house or ensure they are safely out of your cats reach. These plants include:
- Easter Lilies – these are extremely toxic to cats. Even ingesting just one or two leaves can lead to death. All parts of the plant – the leaf, pollen, stem, flower are all poisonous. Kidney damage occurs within 24-72 hours of ingestion.
- Daffodils – often the first sign of Spring, these beautiful bright yellow flowers are also toxic to cats. The yellow flowers contain a poisonous alkaloid that can cause vomiting while crystals in the bulbs are severely toxic and can cause serious heart and lung conditions.
- Tulips – a popular Springtime cut flower, with beautiful colours. The toxins in tulips are tulipalin A and tulipalin B, common within the bulb. Keep tulips out of your cat’s reach at all times.
- Hyacinths – this is a popular choice for the amazing fragrance and delicate flowers and belong to the liliaceae family. The highest concentration of poison in hyacinths is in the bulbs.
- Daisies – another Springtime favourite which is sadly toxic to cats. There are several components in daisies which are poisonous to cats.
This list is by no means exhaustive and care should be taken with any plants or flowers bought into your home or garden. If in doubt about the safety of any flower or plants, air on the side of caution and keep your cat away from them.
Check out our article ‘Has my cat been poisoned’ for more information. If you think your cat has consumed anything poisonous then contact your vet immediately.
For cat friendly Easter plants:
- There are plenty of silk or artificial plants available that can provide safe, Springtime cheer and colour to your home without the risk of making your cat poorly. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Easter meal
Many celebrate Easter with a traditional roast dinner or a banquet with a selection of delicious foods. The smell of the cooking is tempting for humans and cats, but your cat will not thank you for these rich, high fat content meals. An upset stomach is not going to please your cat, or you! Not all human food is suitable for cats, in fact many of the food and drink we consume over such celebratory periods is actually harmful to cats. These toxic foods include:
- Chocolate is very toxic and veterinary advice should be sought immediately if your cat has consumed any.
- Grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure in cats.
- Onions and garlic, both cooked and raw, can be toxic therefore do not let your cat lick any gravy or sauce spillages.
- Alcohol, even in small quantities, can be dangerous.
For cat friendly Easter dinner:
- A little cooked turkey, chicken or beef is fine as a treat
- Treat your cat to some new luxury wet cat food, there are plenty of varieties to choose from.
- Why not try something new like some of the gourmet soups now available for cats (a hit in our household all year round!).
Travelling over the Easter period
Easter is a popular time of the year to go away either visiting friends and family or opting for a vacation. Ensure your cat-sitter or cattery is booked well in advance. If you are travelling with your cat you also need to prepare for this in plenty of time too.
For cat friendly travelling:
- Everything you need to know, whether travelling by car, bus, train or plane is explained in detail in our article ‘Tips for Travelling with your cat’. This article will help you plan your journey in advance with tips to ensure the journey is as stress free as possible for your cat, and you.
Friends and family
Over the Easter period the home can become very busy with high energy levels and excitement especially with children around. It is a time that is usually busy with many visitors calling by, some of you may have family and friends staying over too. Some cats may enjoy the additional attention, but it is still important that there is somewhere that your cat can go to have some peace and quiet time. Allocate a visitor free room if possible where your cat can go. Put some food, fresh water and a litter tray there, make sure there is somewhere comfortable and warm to have a nap, and respect your cats wishes if she withdraws form social engagement.
For cat friendly visitors:
- Ensure a visitor free room where your cat can go for quiet time
- Observe and respect your cat’s wishes as to how much socialising she is comfortable with
- Try to keep your cat’s routine as normal as possible amidst the excitement and chaos.
Easter should be a time for quality time, fun and laughter and enjoying all the new beginnings that occur at this time. By considering all members of the family, including our cats, everyone will be able to enjoy and relax over the Easter break. Happy Easter to you all.
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