The Christmas season is upon us and you'll soon be busy buying gifts for friends and family. But don't forget your fuzzy friends at home for they too like to share in the joy of the season. Show your pets how much you care this Christmas by showering them with special gifts. You'll find a wide assortment of pet presents around the Island. Pet Care in Devonshire offers a variety of bird paraphernalia including cages, food and toys. Mancanita is a popular hard wood toy for birds, said manager Ms Jennifer Paradine. As well, the South Road store has several dog toys like the floppy disk Frisbee and the ball-in-a-bone, which is a popular rope bone with a ball in the centre. New to the store this season are stuffed animals that squeak, which are especially good for small dogs, said Ms Paradine. "We also have cedar pet beds in a variety of sizes,'' she said, adding that cedar beds are great for dogs because they help to keep the fleas away. Favourite feline toys include furry mice and cat trackers, which are round hoops with ping-pong balls inside, said Ms Paradine. And if you really want to spoil your pets this Christmas, Pet Care offers stockings for both dogs and cats, which include a variety of snacks and playthings. "We also offer some horse supplies including grooming and braiding equipment, which is great for children who ride,'' said Ms Paradine. As well, Pet Care carries hamster and rabbit snacks as well as popular parrot snacks including cubed coconut, pine nuts and pumpkin seeds.

The pet shop and supply store also offers dog grooming supplies and grooming gift certificates, said Ms Paradine. "For those who don't know what to get people who have dogs, gift certificates would be great,'' she said, adding that Pet Care has a full grooming salon. Island Pet Supply on King Street in Hamilton also sells grooming sets for both cats and dogs, which range in price from $12.95 for a small set to $49.95 for a high-tech set, according to manager Mrs. Dianna Gibbons. Other pet gifts include toys and treats sold separately or stockings filled with an assortment of cat or dog treats and trinkets. Stockings range in price from only $4.95 to $9.95, noted Mrs.

Gibbons. Unique dog gifts including dog sweaters as well as dog sofas and chairs, are also available, she said. And cat lovers can purchase wicker basket beds or scratch posts for their feline friends. Fish tanks, bird cages and other animal trappings are also available at Island Pet Supply. Animal and Garden House office administrator Miss Susan Cabral said she is expecting a large assortment of pet gifts in time for the Christmas season. Included in the order are Christmas Baker Boxes, which are baskets full of dog cookies.

Dog sweaters in various colours and sizes will also be available at the Pembroke store, she said. Besides the regular pet toys and food dishes, Animal and Garden House also supplies pet carriers, which come in three different sizes and colours. "We expect to get some scratch posts and cat nip toys in soon,'' said Miss Cabral, adding that numerous treats and toys wrapped in festive packaging will also be available. Pic-A-Pet on Queen Street also provides pet lovers with Christmas gift ideas. For example, the Hamilton store has squeaky toys in the form of Christmas trees and Santa Clauses for dogs as well as wooden Santa Clauses filled with cat nip for cats. Assistant manager Mrs. Kathy James said Pic-A-Pet also has the traditional dog and cat stockings as well as bird stockings. "We'll be getting a lot more of Christmas stock in,'' she said. "But we do have things like cat scratching posts and cat condos in stock now.'' PHOTO PURR-FECTLY GREAT GIFTS -- A stocking full of goodies for kitty and canine power exercisers are among the sundry of pet gifts available this festive season.