All posts tagged: pet

Can’t bear to say goodbye to your pet? Biotech’s got you covered.

Can’t bear to say goodbye to your pet? Biotech’s got you covered.

Published by Miika Tikkanen

I don’t remember much about Peppy, my first and only pet cat. I can conjure the sensation of stroking her while she purred, recall how she used to get stuck in trees (just like in cartoons!), and chuckle about the time she pooed in my baby sister’s cot. That’s about it. What I do vividly remember, though, is the day she went missing. I was 10 years old, and I searched everywhere for her, scouting nearby fields and woods until sunset. I made posters. We never found her. I was devastated. There was no way to get more time with Peppy, but almost 30 years later, pet owners are being offered an ever-expanding set of options to potentially prolong their years with their furry companions. The possibilities include drugs, cloning, and even cryonics. But is that a good thing? There’s certainly a market for pet preservation. And a growing number of biotech companies have their sights set on pet longevity. Loyal, a company that is currently working on three potential longevity drugs for dogs, is …

Should You Be Using Pet Laundry Detergent For Your Dog? Vets Weigh In

Should You Be Using Pet Laundry Detergent For Your Dog? Vets Weigh In

Published by Sam Flores

With all the content available online these days, it can be hard to figure out what’s real and what’s hype. While we don’t always have the answers, we have a direct line to people who do — which is why we present to you our series The Internet Made Me Ask, where we have experts break down the truth about some of the buzziest trends (and questions) on our timelines, like how often you should wash jeans. Between muddy paws, drool, and the occasional accident, your dog’s bed, blankets, and toys can get dirty fast. And if you’ve shopped for laundry supplies lately, you may have noticed a growing number of detergents made specifically for pets, with promises to tackle odors and stains while being gentler on your dog’s skin. But are they actually any different from the detergent you already use? Most of us aren’t looking to add another expense to our bills for household essentials. So I spoke to two veterinarians to find out what sets pet laundry detergents apart from regular ones, …

Pet Hair Everywhere? This Roller Removes It From Places a Vacuum Simply Can’t

Pet Hair Everywhere? This $30 Roller Removes It From Places a Vacuum Simply Can’t

Published by Miika Tikkanen

Among the many joys of having a cat is the daily battle with the mess they leave behind. No matter what you try, finding litter and pet hair on furniture or in your bed is inevitable — either they track it in, or you do. If you’re a pet parent like me, this means searching for additional bits of litter and stray hairs that find their way into places you really don’t want them, including the bed. Short of pulling the sheets off entirely, few fixes exist. I took a chance and tested the SandBar Roller, a $30 dual-roll lint roller, to see if it can make it easier to keep stray hair and litter at bay. I also put it through the paces for other lint-roller tasks like dusting and cleaning floors. Here’s how it fared. How SandBar Roller differs from other lint rollers The SandBar Roller’s appeal lies in its two large lint rollers instead of one. While the idea doesn’t seem like much of a departure from a typical large lint roller, …

The pet I’ll never forget: Dennis the terrier – who once farted on Jilly Cooper’s sofa

The pet I’ll never forget: Dennis the terrier – who once farted on Jilly Cooper’s sofa

Published by Sam Flores

In the spring of 2024, my boyfriend and I lay in bed scrolling through photos of puppies. What about this one? Or that one? We had only been dating for six months or so, but had become besotted quickly, making long-term plans and talking about our future. Then I found the one: a scruffy, small terrier with black and brown markings on his back that looked like the world map and eyes like Galaxy Minstrels. We named him Dennis to connect him to my mum’s terrier, Beano, because she was ill at the time and I’d failed to provide her with a grandchild. A puppy was the consolation present. Within three months of sleepless nights (me) and accidents on the carpets (Dennis), my boyfriend decided to leave. I was left holding the baby. Whoops, I mean puppy. This had not been the plan. Single life with a puppy was harder than expected. Dennis and I took to marching around the park and nearby woods, endless walks as I stomped through heartbreak and made futile attempts …

Levoit’s new air purifier is for the pet odors that have taken over your apartment

Levoit’s new air purifier is for the pet odors that have taken over your apartment

Published by Miika Tikkanen

Someone recently had to sit me down, hold my hands, and tell me something no pet owner ever wants to hear: my apartment smelled like wet dog. Horrifying.  With all the nonstop fur and dander that seem to appear everywhere no matter what, the intervention was probably necessary. So when Levoit launched its Vital Pet Pro Air Purifier, I was curious to see whether it could actually make a noticeable difference.  Designed specifically for pet-friendly households, the $189.99 machine takes a more targeted approach than a conventional air purifier, combining a three-stage filtration system with features designed around one of the biggest problems pet owners face: fur everywhere. (And the occasional “wet dog” smell.)  The three-stage filtration system consists of a washable pre-filter, a main filter, and an activated carbon filter. The pre-filter catches larger debris such as pet hair, while the main filter targets smaller particles and dander. The carbon filter is designed to tackle odors, with 140 grams of activated carbon packed into it. Another one of the purifier’s key design features is …

My No. 1 pet peeve when people complain about theme parks

My No. 1 pet peeve when people complain about theme parks

Published by Sam Flores

Early in life I discovered I had a particular affliction, and that was a proclivity for spending time at theme parks. I only phrase it that way because I understand some may find such a desire peculiar, which has made me particularly attuned to many comments about theme parks, especially those that aren’t positive. Too hot, too crowded, too expensive or simply geared only for children. And while I’m happy to discuss or debate all aforementioned topics, there’s one particular criticism that I find especially grating: Theme parks are fake. This is the argument that they are heavily fabricated and designed to elicit an emotional response, or worse, manipulate us. And it’s one I hear time and time again from grown-up peers. Over the years, it’s cropped up from friends. “Why do you go there?” they will say. “Everything is fake.” It’s appeared in books such as Henry A. Giroux’s and Grace Pollock’s scathing “The Mouse that Roared,” which dismisses the parks as presenting an “infantilized” worldview. And I’ve heard it from people I’ve interviewed, …

Sleeping with your pet could have negative impacts on your health, experts say

Sleeping with your pet could have negative impacts on your health, experts say

Published by Daniella Wilson

Sleeping with your dog in the same room could be negatively affecting your sleep quality, according to my team’s 2024 research paper in Scientific Reports. We recruited a nationally representative sample of more than 1,500 American adults who completed questionnaires assessing their sleep habits. Overall, about half of the participants reported co-sleeping with pets – defined in our study as sleeping in the same room with your pet for at least part of the night. Next, our research team compared the sleep habits of people who did and didn’t co-sleep with pets. Our analyses revealed that participants who co-slept with pets had poorer sleep quality and more insomnia symptoms than those who did not. These findings persisted even after accounting for demographic differences between these groups. When considering pet type, we found evidence for a negative effect on sleep when co-sleeping with dogs but no evidence for a negative effect on sleep when co-sleeping with cats. Surprisingly, 93% of people in our study who co-slept with their pets believed that their pets had either a …

How to memorialize a pet: preservation, casting, memory tree, diamonds

How to memorialize a pet: preservation, casting, memory tree, diamonds

Published by Sam Flores

How do you cope when a beloved pet dies? Saying goodbye is a heart-wrenching experience for many, no matter if the passing was expected or sudden. And the accompanying pain can be long-lasting. A clowder of stories celebrating cats and the L.A. people who love them. “[Losing a pet] is the same as losing a cherished human being in your life,” says Kathleen Ayl, clinical psychologist, certified veterinary support and pet loss recovery specialist and author of “When Helping Hurts.” In her decades of experience working with grieving pet parents and animal care professionals, Ayl has seen the intense impact of pet loss. She stresses the importance of finding ways to address this “difficult pain within,” whether it be talking with a therapist or doing something creative, like making a memorial. “You have to allow yourself to have the time then to sit with your feelings and know that it’s normal. It’s natural to grieve, and don’t cut yourself off from that time,” she says. From artwork and tattoos to lifelike casts and preservation, here …

As a Pet Parent to 3 Asthmatic Cats, I’m Eyeing This New AAFA-Certified Vacuum at IFA 2026

As a Pet Parent to 3 Asthmatic Cats, I’m Eyeing This New AAFA-Certified Vacuum at IFA 2026

Published by Miika Tikkanen

Anker has made some of our favorite and most innovative robot vacuums over the years, and recently, they’ve also been getting into robot lawn mowers, earning spots on our tested lists. The newest models they’re showing off at IFA Berlin 2026 include a robot vacuum and a robot mower, both with key improvements and features over previous generations. Anker’s newest robot vacuum — and potentially the last one to keep the Eufy name (more on that below) — is the Omni E35, and it just might be what my three asthmatic cats need because it focuses on sterilization and disinfection. Anker describes it as “baby-grade,” meaning it’s TÜV Rheinland-certified for the “Maternal and Infant Cleaning Robot mark.” It can eliminate bacteria and dust mites, and it has low noise and high efficiency when it comes to cleaning and self-cleaning.    Anker says it’s the first and only robot vacuum to earn the Asthma & Allergy Friendly Certification from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. This is especially interesting to me as someone who has the …

The pet I’ll never forget: Boone the neglected puppy, rescued alongside 250 others

The pet I’ll never forget: Boone the neglected puppy, rescued alongside 250 others

Published by Sam Flores

After 30 years working in the RSPCA, I had seen animals in unimaginable conditions. I saw dogs who had been left unattended at home for so long they began chewing doors and drinking water out of toilet bowls. I saw animals who had been stamped, kicked and even stabbed. But nothing could prepare me for Boone’s situation. Carson, the older of my two cocker spaniels, died in January. I could sense Bessie, an excitable bossy nine-year-old, was lonelier without him. They were both rescue animals. Carson was picked up by an RSPCA inspector and Bessie was abandoned at our local vet. Any dog I brought into our lives was a dog who needed a safe home. When I contacted the RSPCA about adopting a dog, they told me about a case where more than 250 poodle-crosses were living in a neglected home. All had matted fur and were covered in dirt and faeces. The owners were vulnerable and had found themselves in a situation that completely spiralled out of control. Bessie is the lady of …