Has Covid has forced you to hold more house parties than go clubbing this winter? Well, the upside is that your pets can join you now. As you wine and dine, so can they.
You can dress up your dog, accessorise your cat, serve them food, beverages, pupcakes....
The Telegraph Salt Lake visits pet stores in the neighbourhood to see what’s on offer this year.
Party wear
How about an elegant lace cocktail dress for your Persian kitty? Or a macho leather jacket for your German Shephard? “Cats, particularly, love grooming and dressing up. My own Persian cat, Cotton (picture below), loves wearing clothes and I’ve gifted her a classy red and black outfit from our new winter collection,” says Tarun Gupta of Animel Planet.
They have hoodies, frocks as well as zipped-up leather jackets. “We have Santa clothes too but customers say the can’t be used after Christmas so we are keeping a wider range of clothes,” he says.
Price: Rs 250 to 1,500
Available at: Animel Planet in BD Block Salt Lake, Swapno Bhor, New Town and City Centre 2
Necktie and bow tie
Trendy neon shades or camouflage colours — complement your pet’s personality with a necktie or bow-tie at the next party. Both varieties come with elastic straps and are available in a range of colours and prints.
Price: Rs 90 for ties, Rs 162 for bow ties.
Available at: Pet Pleasure, DL Block
Pet perfume
The finishing touch on your pet’s party look would be fragrance. “At present we have two fragrances – Capt Zack Scent’sationlly Yours cologne spray and Fondapet by Mankind, which is a deodorant,” says Nabanita Majumdar of Animal Pride in BE Block.
The latter is to be sprayed about 10 inches away from the body, in a sweeping motion down from the head. The cologne is alcohol and paraben-free.
Price: Capt Zack Scent’sationlly Yours is Rs 450 for 100ml; Fondapet by Mankind is Rs 250.
Available at: Animal Pride, BE Block
Sunglasses
If you’re planning to bask in the sun at a picnic, don’t forget shades for your pet. Pet goggles — available in bright shades like yellow and blue – come with adjustable elastic bands such that they fit all breeds.
Price: Rs 315
Available at: Pet Pleasure, DL Block
Pet pizza
Are you ordering pizza for the party? Then skip the chicken-rice for your dog tonight and order him one too. Rena Pizza has cute slices that even look like they have pepperoni on them. But it’s pet-safe, made of wheat flour, ground chicken meat and cheddar cheese.
Price: Rs 495
Available at: Animel Planet
Pet champagne, wine and beer
Don’t worry, it’s not alcoholic. These are pet-safe beverages packaged to look like bottles of booze. Bottom Sniffer beer is malt water that can be served as a drink or with food but a maximum of a bottle a day is advised. Woof n Brew Champaws is marketed as champagne for cats and dogs. This too is a concoction of grape-free herbs and then there’s Pawsecco Wine. Suitable for cats and dogs, this is a herbal infusion of elderflower, linden blossom, ginseng and carrot.
Price: Rs 450 for the beer, Rs 595 for champagne and Rs 415 for the wine.
Available at: Pink Paws, AC Block
Dog chocolate
If your dog would like some chocolate with his wine, there’s an option too. Schoko Drops are made of vegetable by-products, saccharose, cereals and minerals and you may allow him three to 10 pieces a day, depending on his size.
If you want to go even more exclusive, try Trixie Milchie White Dog Chocolate. This too is made of similar ingredients and your pet may have two to five pieces a day, depending on his size.
Price: Rs 175 for 75g for chocolate, Rs 150 for 100g for white chocolate.
Available at: Pink Paws
Pet cake
If winter is your excuse to gorge on cakes, allow your pet the pleasure too. Deb’s Pet Care bakes cakes but uses honey instead of sugar, rice flour instead of regular flour, egg white instead of whole egg…. “It’s sweet but healthy,” promises Ronyth Deb, who runs the store. “Since most dogs are lactose intolerant, we use water instead of milk to make their muffins too. The goodies can be stored for up to seven days.”
Price: Rs 600 for half pound
Available at: Deb’s Pet Care, Chinar Park
Winter cookies
This being the season of vegetables, how about some fresh-baked cookies made of spinach or ginger?
“I’m making them shaped like the ginger bread man, houses or even Christmas trees,” says Oishani Dey, a Beleghata resident who started the venture Licky Paws during the lockdown and is home delivering the treats. “I’m using pet-friendly icing made of yoghurt and using natural colours. The green is from spinach, red from beetroot, yellow for turmeric and orange from carrots.”
Price: Rs 325 for pack of 250g
Available at: Licky Paws, Beleghata
Popsicles
Dog owners have always allowed their furry friends small quantities of vanilla ice cream but here’s a dessert tailor-made for both canines and felines. Pawsecco Freeze Pops are made of elderflower, linden, ginseng and you are to store the popsicles in the freezer and and serve it to pets as a cold dessert.
Price: Rs 595
Available at: Pink Paws
