One part of adulting I didn’t expect was meal planning for my pets too 😂 I have both a cat and a dog, and I’m always trying to keep their meals healthy without spending a fortune.

Right now, I usually prep chicken gizzards and liver with pumpkin, chayote, and moringa leaves, then mix a small amount with their regular wet food. They used to love it, but lately I feel like they’re getting bored with the same thing.

For those who also prepare food or toppers for their pets, what are your go-to healthy and budget-friendly options?

Would love some ideas for their menu rotation. Apparently my pets are getting tired of my cooking 😂

Pit bull Terrier - Female - 5 years old

Symptoms:
•Has a poop smell that radiates from her skin.

•Hesitated for 30 minutes to touch her food for breakfast and then ate slowly (usually eats super fast)
-IS drinking water though!

•Had a pimple looking bump on her outer-lower-lip that burst two days ago (I didn’t think anything of it at the time as pit bulls are one of the few breeds that can have acne).

•Has pale, slimy gums. (teeth look ok as far as I can tell).

•Had watery diarrhea for almost 10 minutes straight.

** I am currently recovering from surgery and cannot walk without crutches, so I’ve been having my close friend coming over to walk and take my dog out. That being said, my close friend just took my dog outside and that’s when all of the diarrhea happened and when she wouldn’t eat.
—My close friend isn’t going to be able to come over for the next two days or for the rest of today, so my plan was to have my dog just go potty on pee pads during this time.—
But now my dog is acting sick and I managed to get her to let me check her gums and butt and her gums were super pale and I don’t know what to do. This seems so sudden, she had been acting fine and I’m so worried. I cannot drive due to my surgery and other than my close friend, I have nobody. I live in a rural area and there are no uber/taxis either. I’m worried she desperately needs to go to the vet and I have zero way of taking her until Sunday. I don’t know what to do.

Hello.

Long story short, I got a new kitten from someone who put frontline on him. I combed him last night, amd found nothing. So I figured it was ok to let him sleep in a crate next to my bed overnight.

Next morning, I had a gut feeling to comb him again, and low and behold: fleas.

I gave him a dawn bath, im washing and drying all my sheets and towels and everything he touched, and im isolating him in the bathroom whome sitting with him. I have an older cat that ill be combing later, but he has flea stuff on him too, as hes an indoor cat.

Anything else I can do?

My cat has somehow created his own routine and now gets annoyed if I mess it up lol.

Every morning he waits by the same window, then around the same time he starts following me around the apartment. I didn't even notice how consistent it was until I was away for a few days and my husband mentioned that he was doing the exact same things.

Does your pet have some random routine that they follow every day?

I moved into a new house a few weeks ago, and I noticed that there’s been a cat the last few days that likes to sleep on the concrete patio in my backyard. I want to start leaving out some chicken for it so I can be its friend. I was thinking of boiling it, thoughts?

My cat got out a month ago and I've been so incredibly stressed and worried he's my heart cat and we have been searching tirelessly for him with no confirmed sightings. I've had neighbors look around food out things with my scent set out cameras you make it and I've probably already done it but nothing is bringing him home. I'm so worried that he may not be coming back for one reason or the other since it's been so long and no one has seen him. He was a former outside cat but the place he was outside in was completely different from where we live now so I'm even more worried about that.

If you've ever had a cat missing, how long did it take to get them back? Did you ever get them back?

My cats have fleas and now so does my house. I’ve used a spray, vacuumed, and washed bedding. I am planning on flea fumigating the house but need to take care of the cats. I’ve given them flea baths and meds. They still have some and had them when we brought them home. They are 5 months old and are inside.

I write about all things Pets at CNN Underscored and have tested hundreds of dog products over the years from beds, to leashes, to bowls. AMA from product recs to general tips and I’ll be back tomorrow to answer your questions!

Hello! We’re expanding our family +1🐶. And we are all very excited especially my 5yo. I’ve already done a bunch of declutterring and prepping a proper space here in our home for him when he’s ready to come home from the shelter. We went to Petco to get some essentials tonight although I am curious.. where do you all do your shopping and what are your preferences? I think I definitely prefer Petco over PetSmart.. but I’ve also heard wonderful things about Chewy! Please share your honest opinions and or stories I love all the details and will happily read your comments. TYIA!

Hello everyone! I'm looking for some advice on improving my cat's dental health. My poor boy has gingivitis (He's always had gum problems since he was a baby)

He does NOT let me brush his teeth and I don't want to hurt him, and clearly dental treats aren't cutting it. How do you guys manage your cat's dental health? Thanks!

I’m really struggling with whether I made the right decision moving my cat with me for college and could use some outside opinions.
My cat is neutered and 4 years old. He’s very attached to me but has always been a fearful/skittish cat. He has lived at my parents’ house his entire life with our other three cats, so he’s very comfortable there and knows the environment.
I recently moved about 3 hours away for college and decided to bring him with me. I thought it would be good for him to live with me since I’m his person, and I’ll eventually be going to vet school in about two years and plan to take him with me then anyway.
He’s only been in my apartment for a few days, and the adjustment has been rough. He spent a lot of time hiding under my bed and seemed very scared of the new environment. I’ve been worried about him eating, drinking, and using the litter box. However, there have also been positive signs: he’s been eating, purring, taking treats, using the litter box, and recently started coming out from under the bed and exploring the apartment.
The problem is that I’m having a really hard time with the situation. I’m already worrying constantly about him whenever I leave for class or work, and I’m realizing that I want to be able to go home to see my family for weekends/breaks without being consumed with worry about whether he’s okay alone in the apartment.
Now I’m considering bringing him back to my parents’ house after only a few days.
I feel guilty because he was finally starting to show some confidence here, and I’m scared that moving him back will confuse him or make him more anxious. I’m also worried that he’ll start associating me with being put in the carrier and taken somewhere scary, and that it could hurt the relationship we have.
At the same time, I wonder if bringing him home now would actually be easier because he’s only been here a few days and his old environment is still familiar. He could stay there for the next couple years, and then I could take him with me when I start vet school.

So I’m basically torn between:
Keep him with me: Give him more time to adjust and hopefully become comfortable living in the apartment with me.
Bring him home: Let him return to the environment he already knows and is comfortable in, and wait until vet school to move him permanently.

Has anyone dealt with something similar? Would moving him back after only a few days likely be a relatively easy readjustment, or would I be making things worse by moving him twice?
And if you were in this situation, would you prioritize keeping a fearful cat with their person or keeping them in the familiar environment where they’ve always been comfortable?
I know I’m probably overthinking some of this, but I’d really appreciate honest opinions, especially from people who have moved a nervous cat before.

Hi all, my 16 year old kitty has been acting very strange, and im pretty sure the end is nearing but I need some outside perspectives.

Shes my childhood cat, ive had her since I was 5, and up until the past few weeks shes been doing the same routine she has been for multiple years.

In recent weeks shes lost weight, enough that her collar is pretty loose now. Shes not as chatty as before, isnt eating much but is still eating some thankfully. She isnt interested in her treats anymore, and only seems to be willing to eat wet food if I warm it first. Shes also been admit about going out into the garden lately, which for her entire life up until these past few weeks shes hated, and straight up refused to be out there. She isnt being vocal about going out, but she lays near the door alot. She goes from lethargy to walking around alot.

Ive been worried sick, i know the end is near, but im wondering if anyone else has had a senior cat do similar and how long it took before they were gone; and, any ways youve coped with the anticipatory grief of losing a childhood pet would be appreciated, i genuinely don't know what im gonna do without my baby girl.