Everything You Need to Throw Your Cat a Party
For their birthday or gotcha day or…do you need a reason?
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Paperless Post invite? Check. Gold foil balloons that spell out Happy Birthday? Check. Glittery hat for the birthday girl? Check. With the fervor of J.Lo in The Wedding Planner, I threw myself into pulling together the Best. Party. Ever. Did I mention the birthday girl was my cat?
“It’s a little insane,” confessed one of my friends when I invited her to attend. She joined via Zoom, along with 10 other pals and their pets from as far as Cairo and Luxembourg City. After months of indulging me as I rhapsodized about Pippi, my friends knew this kitten had gotten me through the pandemic. (She even managed to warm the heart of my 97-year-old grandmother who considers animals “overrated.”) And we could all use a good-humored excuse for a party in a year when the well of celebratory spirit has been achingly dry, am I right?
So, I had to go all out for Pip’s first birthday party. I don’t know when her exact date of birth is since she was found wandering in the woods at six weeks old, but I guesstimated. (Turns out, it’s likely a week after my own — a day that passed by this year with considerably less fanfare than my cat’s). While I spent more hours than I’d like to admit researching cat trivia and assembling customized bingo cards with photos of her face, I found all the festive decorations online. If you’re inspired to throw your own cat a birthday bash, here’s your party planning checklist.
Gold foil balloon garlands that spell out Meow and Happy Birthday, four cat-shaped balloons with ‘feet’ that bounce, and two banners featuring cat faces donning party hats — for under $20? Sold!
I’m a big believer in party hats — sorry, not sorry. If the birthday person doesn’t wear some sort of jolly headpiece, how will anyone know it’s their day? Also, glitter. Pippi’s an Aries and she looked fire.
A cake kit. For cats. That can be ‘baked’ in a microwave. Kind of a no-brainer.
Pippi’s not big on catnip — maybe drugs just aren’t her jam. But if you have a cat that likes to get high, this is a must-have treat. Birthdays are stressful, so let your cat bliss out.
Wait, how did I miss this? This birthday cake-shaped scratch house is going on my shopping list for Pippi’s second. The countdown begins…
From feathered fish toys to sprinkled cat pop tarts, this is the ultimate party in a box. If your cat tends to show gratitude rather than disdain, they will thank you for this.
Btw, our editors (and their pets) picked out these products. They’re always in stock at the time we publish, but there’s a chance they’ll sell out. If you do buy through our links, we could get a kickback. (We’ve got a lot of toys to buy over here, you know?)
Mai Lynn Miller Nguyen
Mai Lynn Miller Nguyen is a freelance culture writer who launched a neighborhood publication called The Pet Times while in elementary school. She is a devoted (read: obsessed) pet parent to Pippi, a spirited little orange cat who was found in the wilds of Michigan in 2020, has since crossed the country three times, and loves to climb trees.
