Cats

My first cat litter experience was scooping a plastic grocery bag with a dollar-store scooper. The dust cloud that erupted when I poured fresh litter in still haunts me. I didn’t know there was a better way. The right cat litter makes a difference you notice every day. Less dust. Less smell. Less tracking across the apartment. And with so many types now — clumping clay, silica crystals, pine pellets, walnut shells, grass seed, corn, wheat — picking one is harder than it should be. I tested seven types across all the major categories. Here’s which ones earned a spot in my scoop. ...

Cats are vertical creatures. In the wild, they climb trees to survey their territory, escape predators, and find warm spots to nap. Your living room is their territory, and without vertical territory, they’ll claim your curtains, bookshelves, and the top of your refrigerator instead. A good cat tree gives them a dedicated territory that doesn’t conflict with your furniture. The trick is finding one that’s sturdy enough for a full-grown cat to launch onto at full speed, covered in material they actually want to scratch, and that doesn’t take over your living room visually. We tested 7 cat trees and condos in 2025 — from a $40 basic scratching post to a $300 multi-level condo — to find the best options for different cats, spaces, and budgets. ...

Not every pet runs hot. Senior cats, short-haired dogs, and small animals like guinea pigs and rabbits struggle to regulate body temperature in winter — and even healthy animals seek out warmth instinctively. A good heated bed or pad is one of the simplest quality-of-life upgrades you can give a pet that runs cold. We tested 6 heated pet products — low-wattage pads, self-warming beds, orthopedic heated loungers, and multi-pet mats — across different pet sizes and home setups. ...

Most cat owners don’t think much about the bowl. You grab whatever is lying around, fill it with kibble, and call it a day. But the bowl matters more than you think — and the wrong one can cause whisker fatigue, chin acne, poor posture, even your cat refusing to eat. Cats have sensitive whiskers that broadcast sensory data to their brain all day. When those whiskers rub against the sides of a deep, narrow bowl every time they eat, the constant stimulation gets overwhelming. That’s whisker fatigue — and it’s why some cats start pawing kibble onto the floor: they’re trying to eat without the bowl touching their face. ...

Walking a cat isn’t like walking a dog. Cats don’t heel. They don’t pull toward fire hydrants. They freeze mid-step because a leaf moved. And if the harness fits poorly, they turn into a furry liquid and slip right out of it. Cats have a weird anatomy trick — their collarbones float, unattached to the rest of the skeleton. That means they can compress their chest and back out of anything that isn’t snug. We found 6 harness-and-leash sets that stay on, feel comfortable, and won’t send you sprinting across the park. ...

Most cats will sit and stare out a window for hours if you let them. Birds, squirrels, leaves blowing — it’s cat television. But not every window has a sill wide enough for a cat to sit on, and ground-level windows don’t give them the height they want. A window perch fixes both problems. It attaches to the glass and gives your cat a spot to watch the world from, at their preferred altitude. We tested 6 for stability, weight capacity, comfort, and how annoying they are to install. ...

A pet stroller sounds like a luxury until your senior dog can’t finish the block, your cat needs fresh air without roaming, or you’re carrying a small dog through a crowded street fair because their legs gave out twenty minutes ago. Then it’s not a luxury — it’s mobility. I tested seven pet strollers and wagons. All-terrain models for trails. Lightweight city strollers for sidewalks. Multi-pet wagons for households with more than one furry passenger. Some are overpriced junk. A few surprised me. Here are the ones I’d buy. ...

Dogs and cats don’t sweat the way we do. They pant, they find tile floors, they dig holes in the garden to reach cooler soil underneath. On a hot day, a good cooling mat gives them a relief spot they can use anytime. We put six pet cooling mats through their paces — pressure-activated gel mats, water-filled pads, and evaporative cooling mats — to find the ones that actually stay cool and hold up to claws, teeth, and daily use. ...

Cats need to hunt, pounce, and chase even if there’s nothing in the house to hunt. Without an outlet, that instinct turns into shredded furniture, knocked-over glasses, and midnight zoomies across your face. Interactive toys bridge the gap — they give your cat a way to act like a predator without treating your ankles like prey. I tested six interactive cat toys across three categories: automated toys (run on their own while you work), puzzle toys (mental stimulation), and interactive wands for actual playtime together. Some are brilliant, some are overpriced junk, and a few genuinely surprised me. ...

An automatic pet feeder frees you from rigid feeding schedules, keeps portions consistent for weight management, and gives you peace of mind when you’re working late or away for the day. The right feeder dispenses exactly the right amount at exactly the right time, every time. But with options ranging from simple $30 gravity feeders to $200 WiFi-connected smart stations, choosing the right one takes some thought. We tested six of the best automatic pet feeders for cats and dogs, comparing capacity, scheduling features, power backup, and real-world reliability. ...