natural pet tips for the holidays

The holidays are really the best time to surround yourself with pets, don’t you think? I use it as another excuse to take extra care of my pets by treating them to all kinds of homemade, natural treats. Today I partnered up with Beyond Natural Pet Food to share 3 great tips to care for your furry friends during the holidays! (To try it for yourself, click here  for a free 4 lb bag of Beyond Natural Dry Dog food and click here for a free 3 lb. bag of Beyond Natural Dry Cat food.)

natural pet tips for pets during the holidays — the ultimate cat sitting check list, ready for you to download and print out! #beyondpartnersTo start, let’s talk about travel: if you’re like me, it’s a given that your pet will come with you wherever you go for the holidays. I tend to bring Noodle with me wherever I go, while Georgette holds down the fort at home with our awesome cat-sitter, Jane. I really hate leaving her at home, but I know it’s much more stressful for her to travel. To ease my mind while preparing for a trip, I’ve crafted the ultimate cat sitting checklist downloadable!

natural pet tips for pets during the holidays — the ultimate cat sitting check list, ready for you to download and print out! #beyondpartners natural pet tips for pets during the holidays — the ultimate cat sitting check list, ready for you to download and print out! #beyondpartnersIt’s super easy: simply download, print out, and use as a check list to ensure that all of your kitty’s needs are met while you’re away — and that you have supplied your cat sitter with everything she needs to take the very best care of your baby!

natural pet tips for pets during the holidays — the ultimate cat sitting check list, ready for you to download and print out! #beyondpartnersDownload your Ultimate Cat Sitting Checklist here!

natural pet tips for pets during the holidays —upcycled catnip toy #beyondpartnersWhile we’re on the topic of my beautiful baby Georgette, let’s discuss toys. She’s a bit of a catnip fiend, so at the holidays I like to treat her to an extra-special handmade catnip toy!

Upcycled Catnip Toy
You’ll need:

  • an old t-shirt
  • dried catnip
  • baker’s twine or ribbon
  • bells
  • scissors

natural pet tips for pets during the holidays —upcycled catnip toy #beyondpartnersnatural pet tips for pets during the holidays —upcycled catnip toy #beyondpartnersTo make your own, cut out a large circle from the old t-shirt. Lay flat on your surface and add catnip to the center. Gather the ends together and tie with a bit of baker’s twine or ribbon. I added a jingly bell to make the toy extra special and festive for the holidays.

natural pet tips for pets during the holidays —upcycled catnip toy #beyondpartnersA certain someone couldn’t help but get in on the action!

natural pet tips for pets during the holidays —upcycled catnip toy #beyondpartnersnatural pet tips for pets during the holidays —upcycled catnip toy #beyondpartners

During the holidays, I always try to remember those less fortunate, especially all the sweet pups and kitties in animal shelters. Many shelters rely on donations to stay open and provide care for strays (like Saved Me in Philadelphia where I used to volunteer and found my sweet Noodle), so I make sure to donate food every year. Just because it’s a donation doesn’t mean I can’t make it special, so I like to make my own wrapping paper.

natural pet tips for pets during the holidays — DIY wrapping, perfect for wrappings gifts for your fuzzy friends and donations to your local shelter #beyondpartnersDIY Wrapping Paper
You’ll need:

  • paper – I used a natural, undyed kraft paper, but you can also recycle newspaper!
  • craft paint
  • drinkking glasses

natural pet tips for pets during the holidays — DIY wrapping, perfect for wrappings gifts for your fuzzy friends and donations to your local shelter #beyondpartnersTo make your own wrapping paper, flatten each sheet of paper. Pour your craft paint into low containers and dip drinking glasses into the paint. You can mix up the print by using both ends of the glass, too. To create overlapping dots, let each layer dry before adding more.

natural pet tips for pets during the holidays — DIY wrapping, perfect for wrappings gifts for your fuzzy friends and donations to your local shelter #beyondpartnersDon’t you just love the special touch the metallic gold paint adds?

natural pet tips for pets during the holidays #beyondpartnersWe hope you and your furry family have a very special holiday!

natural pet tips for pets during the holidays #beyondpartners

Photography by Ashley Batz 

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Beyond Natural Pet Food. All opinions are my own and I would never endorse something I didn’t completely love. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Jojotastic going.

p.s. pamper your pet the natural way with these spa DIYs!

Behind The Blog

Joanna Hawley-McBride is a Pacific Northwest-based social media strategist, content creator, and former textile designer. Joanna is the founder and editor-in-chief of Jojotastic, a lifestyle blog focused on Joanna’s work-in-progress cabin, finding the best pair of underwear through #UnderwearThesis, and empowering women to explore nature — all in her signature unfiltered style. Her work has been featured in Domino, CNBC, and Eating Well.

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