Remember when you were a kid and your parents would get you one of those silly little cardboard advent calendars in the days ahead of the holidays? Filled with tiny plastic trinkets or chocolates pressed into cheery holiday shapes, they made the lead-up to the big day a little more bearable and a lot more fun.
It’s a particular kind of holiday magic that ’80s and ’90s kids know especially well, and one you can now recreate for your pet. Also, on a purely practical level, it’s probably not a bad idea to space your pet’s gifts out over a handful of days, as opposed to unloading them all at once. That way they have time to get used to each new item on its own, instead of being overwhelmed by a deluge of new stuff arriving all at once. (I mean, you were planning a deluge, right?)
Ahead, our top picks for the best advent calendars for dogs and cats.
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 may earn a commission. (We’ve got a lot of toys to buy over here, you know?)
Gifting has never been more philanthropic than it is with this dog advent calendar from nutrition company and proponent of all things personalized, Dog Child: 100 percent of the proceeds from each calendar’s purchase are donated to Love Puppiesopens in a new tab, a company with a mission to stop the inhumane treatment of dogs at puppy mills. Created in partnership with Healthybud, Dumpling Street, and Treatzee, this satisfying array of treats will help your pup ring in the holiday season in style.
Just like the advent calendars of our analog childhoods, this playfully illustrated diptych houses tasty treats hidden behind little numbered cardboard doors. The cookies inside are freshly baked in Canada using human-grade ingredients and charmingly decorated with dog-friendly frosting. It’s tail-waggingly nostalgic and shipping is free.
Cat parents, fear not! There’s something for you and your number one snuggler here, too. The Too Good Gourmet 12 Days of Christmas Cat Advent Calendar contains 12 individually wrapped gourmet cheese-flavored cat treats and retails for a mere $14.99. It’s the perfect way to let your kitty in on the holiday fun, and you can get an additional 10 percent off if you order it online, then pick it up at a World Market store near you.
This Bonne et Filou advent calendar features a veritable smorgasbord of holiday doggy treats: 12 dog bones with yogurt and sprinkles, eight dog truffles, and four peanut butter dog macarons. It’s beautifully decorated with watercolor illustrations of doggos living their best holiday lives. And thanks to Neiman Marcus’s rewards system, it is practically free if you combine it with one or two other holiday items totaling $200 or more. Maybe a little something for yourself? Or a big something!
The 12-part Winter Box from Lambwolf Collective features four gifts for you and eight for your pet, so everyone can get in on the fun. For your pup, there are four plush toys both with and without squeakers. Since dogs can’t eat chocolate, the holiday treats include freeze-dried strawberry and butternut squash smoothies, plus organic kelp and pumpkin supplement powders.
And as for you, there’s a “good doggo” memo pad, a gadget strap for dog-walking, and two mystery gifts. And best of all, it’s on sale right now for 40 percent off.
Another one for the cats, this 24-treat advent calendar from everyone’s favorite sort-of-not-really grocery store is full of salmon and dried seaweed munchies your kitty is sure to love.
A steal at just $11, this 12-day advent calendar from Bocce’s Bakery features four medium sized brushy sticks (for better oral hygiene) and eight biscuits flavored with peanut butter, banana, and carob. It’s ready-to-eat, 100 percent vegetarian, and charmingly packaged.
Cats like toys, too! Well, some of them do. Very specific toys, which are often hard to discern. But that is what makes this cat toy advent calendar so great. For a mere $15, you get 12 different toys, at least one of which your picky puss is sure to love. There’s a reindeer kicker, a frilly wand teaser, five assorted balls, and five little plushies. Two of the toys produce crinkle sounds to help spark your cat’s excitement, and four are infused with catnip to really get your kitty going.
Is your dog a squeaker freak? Well, this particular advent calendar might end up driving you crazy, but your happy-go-lucky pup will be in holiday heaven! ZippyPaws’ Holiday Advent Calendar features 12 squeaky holiday Miniz, including a handful of never-before-seen characters exclusive to this assortment.
Sort of a DIY take on a traditional advent calendar, this reusable cat-themed advent calendar is perfect for a kitty with a particular taste that a pre-made advent calendar simply cannot accommodate. You can also generate renewed excitement in existing toys by taking them out of your cat’s rotation for a few days, hiding them in the advent calendar, and then reintroducing them a little later. Your cat won’t mind one bit. After all, absence does make the heart grow fonder.
Charles Manning is an actor, writer, and fashion/media consultant living in New York City with his two cats, Pumpkin and Bear. Follow him on Instagram @charlesemanningopens in a new tab.
