Pampered Pets
—and People, Too!

by Kate Heyhoe

I'm not sure who in our family gets more holiday gifts: the humans or the pets. And from what I saw last Christmas, we're not alone. Not only are the furry ones getting more loot than my husband and I, they're getting better gourmet goodies than we are. Pet extravagance is all the rage.

Cat It used to be a bone or a few fake mice in their stockings were considered ample treats for the family dogs and cats. Not any more. Now, it's organic dog biscuits, hand-made gourmet puppy stew in a can, and just-add-water biscuit mixes, so you can make and bake hot treats on the spot, for the Spot, and cut them out with squirrel- and cat-shaped cookie cutters.

Not that there's anything wrong with sharing the season with Muffy and Fluffy. In fact, when it comes to pampering the pets, I plead guilty with joy. You know those bags of IQF (individually quick frozen) chicken pieces? Yup. I buy them for the cats (we have four). It's not like I feed them a whole piece of chicken; just little bits of meat as treats, about 50 times a day. It's actually cheaper than buying real cat treats. A few seconds in the microwave and voila! Kitty Chicky.

The chicken treats are a year round affair, which they supplement with their own insects and occasional field rodents. But for the cats, the biggest holiday treat is drinking the water from the Christmas tree stand. With four cats, I sometimes have to replenish the water twice a day. The little rascals have plenty of other bowls of water, but nooooo. Nothing tastes as good as pine sap. Must be a bit like feline retsina.

Dog We all need a bit of pampering and indulgence now and then. Just ask Shirley MacLaine's dog Terry.

If you've overindulged over the holidays, though, perhaps it's time to skip the super-sized portions and cut back to, well, bird-like bites. But there's no need to skimp on pampering, just because you're trying to slim down. I've selected below a few recipes as good post-holiday fare. They're tasty, sensible, and you won't feel as if you're sacrificing pounds for pleasure.