WHAT ARE SOME FUN AND EASY ACTIVITIES FOR YOUR CHILD'S CAT THEMED BIRTHDAY PARTY?

My daughter loves cats. No wait. Scratch that. My daughter is OBSESSED with cats.

So it's only natural she would want to CELEBRATE with them! That explains why I chose a cat theme for her third grade birthday party.

The theme of "Cat Party" has really grown in popularity over the last few years. It's a very "in" theme to pick!

And it's no wonder. A Cat Party offers so many fun options for games, food, and prizes, it's the absolute PURRRFECT party to have!

SNACKS ARE A SNAP!

* Kitty cupcakes are so cute...and so easy to make! Just use a mix and prepared icing.....you might want to whip the icing a bit and add some cool whip to "lighten it up" and make it fluffier. Then simply decorate cupcake tops with candy corn for ears (or cookie bits, if you prefer...grahm crackers work well)....M & Ms for eyes...butterscotch bits for a nose, and shoestring licorice for whiskers.

Or, to make it really easy? Just stick a kitten "pick" in each cup-cake!

*You can purchase cheap pet food dishes and paint each guest's name on them. Then fill each bowl with golfish crackers!

* Buy fish shaped cookie cutters and make some yummy "fish cookies" for your cat guests to enjoy.

DECORATING IS A SNAP, TOO!

* Just blow up a bunch of balloons and draw cat faces on them with marker. This is a fun activity your child will enjoy participating in.

*Also, home-made cat artwork on posterboard and construction paper adorning your walls looks festively feline....just add some streamers, and you're good to go!

*Incorporate Hello Kitty: If your daughter wants to have a cool and glamorous party, then it's Hello Kitty themed items and pink and white streamers, all the way!

In our house, we incorporated my daughter's GINORMOUS stuffed animal collection in the party decorating. We simply set out stuffed cats wearing party hats, or posed cats with blowers on every available surface.

* You can also make a funny NO DOGS ALLOWED sign.

*Or you may purchase a special CAT BIRTHDAY PARTY BANNER at The Oriental Trading Company personalized with your child's name.

You really can't plan a kid's party without speaking about the Oriental Trading Company! You can't beat their low, low prices, and shipping is always free.

Oriental Trading Company is the perfect one-stop source for buying in bulk - like Tootsie-Rolls for a "candy hunt," or loot bag goodies.

We purchased the Plush Valentine's cat (even though they were not for Valentine's day!) at a super low cost of $15 a dozen. They were a big hit in the loot bags!

Oriental Trading also has very low priced cat party invitations and loot bags.

In addition, they sell plush cat ears that are great for handing out to guests at the door. (The cat ears are only $10 for a dozen.....what a deal)!

Plus, they also sell kitty keychains at 5 bucks a dozen, 24 pieces of cat beads for ten bucks (for making cat jewelry), a roll of cat stickers - 100 stickers per roll for just 2.49 (can't beat that....big round cat stickers)...kitten bouncing balls for 6 bucks a dozen, and jelly bracelets with kitty charm for 5 bucks a dozen.

If you have a party store near you, you may be able to find some of these items in their loot bin section. We have a Party City near us, and found (to my daughter's delight) vinyl pencil topper cats for about 50cents each.

I saw the same vinyl cats on a site called EParty Zone - along with a lot of the same trinkets and paperware as the Oriental Trading Company, if you want to check that out!

Crafts are a great addition to any birthday party since the craft can also double as a party favor! Crafts are also a great way to "break the ice" when guests arrive, and the provide the purrrfect opportunity for a shy child to excel.

*DESIGN SPECIALIZED CAT T-SHIRTS - Purchase fabric markers at Michaels Craft and have guests bring an old blank T-shirt they can draw on. Or,if your guest list isn't too large, you might want to purchase the blank T-shirts,yourself.

Then allow the children to create unique feline fashions! (For girls, don't forget to buy GLITTER fabric markers)! TIP: Sticking a piece of cardboard into the T-shirt makes them much easier to draw on.

*DESIGN SPARKLY CAT ARTWORK AND FRAME IT - Purchase a cheap sketch pad of paper and some dollar store picture or photo frames, acrylic paints, paint-brushes; glitter, stickers, etc...Now have guests paint their own picture with the theme: CATS AT A PARTY! Frame each picture to create a one-of-a-kind keepsake for the child to take home.

*FACE PAINTING - Paint a cat face on each guest. Go to: Kitty Cat Face Paint Designs on Squidoo for ideas. the article is aimed for Halloween, but really, the excellent face painting ideas are good for any occasion....like a cat birthday party!

*CREATE A CAT COLLAR (REALLY A NECKLACE FOR THE GUEST TO WEAR)! Make beaded necklaces out of beads and elastic cords, which you will help the children tie. Of course you will call the necklaces "cat collars!" (For younger children, you can use fruit loops instead of beads).

*DESIGN PAPER PLATE CAT MASKS: This is a very easy project - good for younger guests. Buy wide wooden sticks in bulk at a craft shop for holding the mask up to the guest's face.

Cut the paper plates in half. Make construction paper ears to attach to the straight side of the paper plate with a glue stick. Then, simply draw the rest of the face with marker, or offer buttons, sequens, pipe-cleaners, etc...for more elaborate décor.

*STUFF-A-CAT: Stuff-an-animal activities are becoming very popular at parties (thanks to the popularity of the Build A Bear Workshop). The Party Animal (online) offers kits of 6 16" cats for $14.00 a kit. If you are having a small party, this is not a huge expense, and the cats are really cute.

*PAINT A CAT BOWL: Purchase cheap cat food bowls and have kids decorate them with paint and stickers. Then fill with Chex Mix for "Cat Kibble."

*DESIGN A CUTE LITTLE CAT "DOLL HOUSE": This craft really appeals to girls! What you will need is one vinyl pencil topper cat per girl (available in loot bins or Oriental Trading for about 50 cents each).....one small box per girl....along with assorted paint, paint-brushes, markers, stickers, material scraps, glue, bits of rug, wood scraps, etc....Now guests have a chance to design their own unique domicile for kitty out of their box! Will it be sweet and pink? Retro groovy? Chances are, they'll come up with plenty of their own decorating ideas.

Beware...you might rip through these games a lot quicker than expected! It's always good to have extra activities planned, even if you don't get around to doing them. Better to have extra than not enough!

*PIN THE TAIL ON THE CAT: This one is an oldie but a goody. Kids never get tired of it!

*MUSICAL CAT BEDS: Played just like musical chairs - except you spread out towls for "cat beds," instead of using chairs!

*LAP UP THE CREAM: Designate an empty cat bowl for each guest. Now squirt a dollop of whipped cream into each bowl. On the count of three, with all guests down on all fours on the floor "like a cat", the children must lap up the cream "cat style." The first one to finish, wins!

*KARAOKE CAT: This is fun for slightly older girls. Have them put on a Karaoke show by singing a song they make up about cats! "Oooo...cats are so cooool....."

*CAT PRIZE AUCTION: Buy some cheap cat theme trinkets and wrap them up. Now give each guest a plastic baggy full of the same amount of goldfish crackers. Then instruct the guests to "bid" on the wrapped prizes with their goldfish crackers! The highest bidder gets the prize! You will be the "auctioneer." Use a box as your platform - and a fake hammer as your "gavel".

*CATS GONE FISHIN': You can make your own "fishing poles" by tying string to dowels, and then attaching a magnet on the bottom. You can then make different colored "fish" out of poster board and attach magnets to them. Write point values on each poster board fish. Whoever gets the highest points, wins. Or you can attach magnets to candy and cheap trinkets, for even more fishin' fun!

*PASS THE FLEA: Kind of like HOT POTATO, except with a "flea." Simply use a black bean bag as your FLEA - or any color beanbag and draw a flea on it.

*GOOFY CAT COMMERCIALS: Older kids love this! Give each guest a cat "product", such as a can of cat food, a bag of treats, or a cat toy (an old chewed up cat toy is really funny to use). The guest may also have a stuffed cat to "help out"....now they must put on a "commercial" selling their cat product! Best commercial wins a prize.

*MINI CAT MOVIES: Guests pair up, and are given various stuffed cats, dolls, and strange props, such as an oven mit or a plastic gorilla. Now they must make a mini movie using what they have! Give the kids some time to work up a plot. These mini movies can also be video-taped for extra fun. Best movie wins a prize!

*BIG PRODUCTION CAT MOVIE: Or...all the guests can work together with various stuffed cats, dolls, etc..to make a movie that will be video-taped. When the parents come to collect the children, they can all be treated to this "big production cat movie"! Kids can make "tickets" to the movie, and you can serve the parents popcorn.

*ON THE CATWALK: This is the purrrfect activity for slightly older girls - have a pile of dress-up or old clothes, funny hats, feather boas, etc....handy. Simply construct a "catwalk" out of towels. Now play some techno music, and have each guest dress up, strike a pose, and walk the catwalk. Best dressed wins the prize!

*MAKE THE CATS GIGGLE: Have the children sit in a circle. Pick one cat to be "it" and sit in the middle. Now he has to purr and growl and make all sorts of cat sounds. Meanwhile the other cats MUST NOT laugh. Any cat who laughs, then becomes "it."

*CHASE THAT TAIL: This is great to play outside on a nice day, and have the kitties "blow off some steam!" Attach a loose cattail made out of material to the back of each guest (with tape). Now all the cats must chase each other and try to pull off each other's tail! The last cat with a tail is the winner!

*MEOWING CONTEST: Have all the guests sit in a circle. then, instruct them to meow....a HAPPY meow....a CRANKY meow.. a SCARED meow, etc... You can choose who is the best "meower" for each type of meow, and award a cheap prize. (Make sure each child gets something)!

*SCOOP THE POOP: Don't worry! This game isn't as gross as it sounds! Simply toss a whole bunch of Tootsie-Rolls in the middle of the floor, and call it a Giant Litterbox! When you say GO, all the guests run out and scoop up as much "poop" as they can hold. The guest holding the most "poop" is the winner!

*HUNT FOR "CAT TREATS:" Not REAL cat treats, of course. Use chocolate kisses or any other kind of candy for the "cat treat." Hide these the previous day or the morning of the party before the guests arrive, in not-too-hard to find places around your party area.

*GUESS THE CAT TREATS: Before guests arrive, fill up a cannister with cat treats. (Guestimate how many are in there) Now, on post-it paper, have each guest "guess the treats"! The one who comes the closest, wins a prize.

*CAT PINATA: I found this really cute gray pinata online, at Party City. It's only $12.99...treats and small toys sold separately.

*CAT TRIVIA IN A HAT: Think up a bunch of (not too hard) cat questions and write them down on paper. Now fold up the papers and stick them into a hat. Every guest must pick a paper and answer the question. Some good questions are:Do cats really have 9 lives? What's a good name for a black cat? Should you give your cat chocolate? (NO!) Can you name three different breeds of cats? Etc....

*CAT SHOW: Instruct every guest to bring their own stuffed cat to compete in a Stuffed Cat Show!" Make a runway out of a table runner on top of a box. For extra fun, include a "talent" portion of the show! (Or you can use your own child's stuffed cats, and have plenty of hair clips, bits of material,doll clothes, etc...to "dress the cats up in).

*CAT, CAT, DOG: Just like Duck, Duck, Goose....this game is great for younger guests. Sit the children in a circle. Have the guest who is "it" walk around the outside of the circle touching the top of everyone's head saying, "Cat...cat....cat....DOG."

Obviously, you won't be able to fit every single activity listed here into your own Cat Party - unless you want the party to go on ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT (and trust me, you don't)!

So....feel free to pick and choose, according to age and/or sex of guests; perhaps 4 or 5 games, and one craft. If you give prizes...make sure every guest gets one somehow...this is especially important for younger guests.

An at-home party may seem like a lot of work. But really, it's so much fun,and the kids just love it. You will be creating an experience that they all will remember - most especially, the party child! Besides, creating a party such as this can also be a fun experience for you!

Now, all that's left to say is.....GO HAVE A SUPURRRR FUN PARTY!