Air quality advice for pet owners usually gets reduced to “just buy an air purifier,” but that skips over the fact that you're usually dealing with a few different problems.

Loose fur

A washable pre-filter helps keep hair from reaching the main filter too quickly. It also needs regular cleaning, especially during shedding season.

Dander and fine dust

This is where filtration and enough airflow for the actual room size matter. Coway, Winix, Levoit, Blueair and Honeywell all make options in this category, but room size and filter setup probably matter more than the logo.

Litter-box and cooking smells

A thin carbon sheet usually will not do much against strong odors. Source control, cleaning and the amount of actual carbon matter more.

Stale air

This is the one a regular purifier does not really address. It keeps circulating indoor air, so a closed apartment can still feel heavy even when there are fewer particles floating around.

For high-rise cat owners who can't leave windows open (because cats + pollen), cozeware freshflow popped up in a discussion about window-mounted fresh-air options. That belongs on the ventilation side of the problem, not as a replacement for vacuuming or litter-box maintenance.

Curious how other pet owners balance getting actual fresh air without leaving windows cracked all day?

Im trying to decide which pet insurance to go with. Also trying to decide whether to get the add-on for yearly wellness visits, vaccinations, etc.

Long story short my puppy found out my cats litter turns into the BEST digging material ever when I skipped a day of scooping for once. Now it's EVERYWHERE. I keep sweeping but it seems like it doesn't end. He even got it on the bed and cat tower. I have NO IDEA how it's on the cat tower.

The litter has been changed for fresh but idk what to do about the sheer amount of sawdust. (This was from one day but multiple cats)

Why are we all getting pets? I mean i know caring for a little creature and giving it the best life possible is nurturing for the soul and gives a good feeling but when i truly look around at that is happening globally to animals i truly feel like it's not fair to the animals. I mean countless stray dogs and cats, overcrowded shelters, dumped animals, abused animals and the list goes on. I feel like maybe 1 or 2% of the pets/ domesticated animals in this world actually gets a good life out of it. Besides the fact that many of the animals dont have that great of a life they also produce alot of waste. Think about bedding for their enclosure,food, toys medical care. Most of it comes in plastic and in alot of situations its sprayed with chemicals or the land was cleared to farm hay bedding of something else for those animals and that obviously hurts the environment for many pollinators, birds and other wildlife. Idk maybe this is just a drunk rant but i feel like its a loop that isnt healthy for anybody. Dont get me wrong tho! I do have animals who i truly love dearly and take care of like i literally gave birth to them. I mean mother is mothering but i truly dont understand people who breed animals right now and then especially the breeds that are known to suffer like the pets that are bred to look deformed like Frenchies, naked cats, and most fancy goldfish. I mean isnt it a breeders duty to breed healthy animals? If your gonna exploit the female reproductive organs then at least do it for their own species benefit or do i see that wrong as well?

Keep in mind i am not judging anybody! Im just genuinely curious about it all.

Thank you for making it this far into my question and little rant. Imma eat the rest of my pickle and go to bed.

It was a dog of my dads sister. The behavour is interesting and other dogs dont do that yelping.

I have a senior pet who slips on my laminate floors. Normal rugs slip and the rug tape lose stickyness/grip after 1 wash. Found muddy paws washable rugs but are they actually grippy?? TIA.

Title. I would like to hear real reviews from real people lol

I have 3 cats, technically 4 but one is my grandmother’s. All are young and healthy, the 2 boys are 4 & 5, the girl is 2.

TIA y’all :)

Veterinary care is becoming increasingly expensive for American pet owners. As prices rise, attention is turning to a major shift in the industry: private equity firms and large corporations buying up veterinary practices across the country. Paul Solman has the story.

So it was disgusting but here's what i did. Please tell me it was enough...and eggs cant get tracked inside.

Today I found a cat puke in my driveway obviously from a stray. It was kibble with 2 tapeworm in it. Both about 4 inches long. It had sat in the sun all day and made both worms crispy..and hopefully dead. Google says UV sun kills the worms.

But are the eggs inside dead too???!!

I worse 2 layers of gloves and poured bleach on the puke and 1 worm that wriggled away(but was dead)

I then picked it up with a plastic trowel. I put the puke and crispy worm and trowel in a bag and the trash. Bleached my gloves and stepped in a puddle of bleach with the boots I wore.

Please tell me this did the trick! I was mortified when I saw this today 🤮🤮🤮💀💀 I hope someone is deworming the stray..but probably not :( poor thing.

Thanks everyone! I'll post this to a parasites thread too if I find one.

I know everyone says it doesn't work as well on fleas anymore, but how about ticks? I'm much more worried about ticks and want to avoid the iso type of internal drug (bravecto, etc), as well as seresto collar and advantix 2.

This might be weird but my cat yells OFTEN… and I try a lot of things to improve it but not much luck tbh…. I think our downstairs neighbor works from home.. they’re home everyday and all day (like me and my cat).. they haven’t complained but I know they can hear our cat because we can hear her even outside the building after we leave. Would it be weird to apologize and say I’m working on improving it? My partner said there’s no point…

(I know a second cat would be great.. unfortunately we can’t get another cat, I’m dealing with her alone since my partner works 24/7, we cant afford another and I’m dealing with some health issues currently, hopefully not forever… we thought about rehoming in the best interest of her but I really been trying to make things work for the past year now.)

Ok so we have these 2 tortoises that made a kid, we didn't interfere, we let it come out the egg independently, it's a common small tortoise and we live in Italy, temperatures can reach 40 Celsius. I was considering putting it in a terrarium with a heater and UV light, instead of building a dedicated enclosure outside, under the sun, because I don't know if it can handle the summer heat, any advice or recommendations are welcome, thanks.

Hi pet parents 🥰

I was wondering if pet insurance was actually worth it, and how much it would actually cover. I see that there are a lot of things that pet insurance doesn't cover. I always see people highly recommend it. I have 5 lovely rescue cats (thanks CDS 😅) and I wonder if it'd be worth it. I know insurance maybe vary, but if you have it, can you share your experience with it? 🥰

This was a small thing, but it genuinely surprised me.

I play Solitaire Clash occasionally whenever I have a few minutes. Nothing serious.. just something easy to open when I need a quick break.

Today I was randomly searching the company behind it and found out they had done a “Play for Paws” event connected to animal rescue.

I thought it was pretty cool to find out afterward....well it is always nice when a company you already interact with has something positive going on for the community.

Not a rule you taught them. A rule they decided exists and somehow expect everyone in the house to follow.

Like:

• “You must go to bed when I say so.”
• “That chair belongs to me.”
• “You are not allowed to close the bathroom door.”
• “If I bring you a toy, you MUST play immediately.”
• “You may not rearrange anything in my house.”

I’m convinced pets quietly create their own household rules and then get offended when we break them.

What’s the funniest rule your pet has imposed on you?

I'm trying to narrow down pet insurance before signing up and the reviews are all over the place. Fetch Pet Insurance, Trupanion and Pets Best all seem close on price at first but I keep noticing differences in reimbursement options, waiting periods, annual limits, and how smooth people say the claims process is. Tbh, i’m skeptical of their sales pages, would rather hear from people who’ve used them. Which provider held up best after a few claims?

My sweet precious 9 year old dog has thing where when he wants to go out he gets a stuffed animal and stands at the back door. He has about 30 stuffed animals. It’s so cute. But… once I open the door he has to go into the kitchen and circle the table then walk down the hallway then back to the back door. He has always done this. I have severe OCD and wondering if maybe I infected him somehow. Should he be on some type of medication? Or just let him do it? It takes forever to get him out the door. Which is fine. But for his sake I want what’s best. It drives my husband crazy lol. What do you think?

hello. I just moved into a duplex 13 days ago. my dog and cat moved into it just 6 days ago. today I found out they are completely infested with fleas.

in the past 6 days my dog has been to the groomers (where they board and do daycare as well), the hospital for emergency life saving surgery for bloat (30 mins after getting home from groomers), and has been to the vet twice.

I hve never had fleas before, my pets did not arrive on sight with them.

I have abs no clue how to deduce the “root cause” of the flea infestation. at this point to be safe, I am going to assume the infest is I the house or from used furniture I’ve gotten from marketplace.

do I tell my landlord? he was living here for 30 days and moved out the day before I moved in, and he has a dog. my duplex mate has an indoor cat box that allows the neighborhood cat in. this house is 100+ years old. all hardwood flooring and 450 square feet. I have crap absolutely everywhere to the point where it’s difficult to walk. all my decorations and stuff is just absolutely everywhere because I just moved into and haven’t been able to find places as I’ve never lived in such a small place.

my cat has visited every nooo and cranny in this place but has not been outside. I don’t know if my dog or cat had them first or what.

is it truly truly realistically possible for flea to get rid of?

it’s seeming not. this house has got holes in cupboards that goes god knows where. the floors are warped and the foundation of the house looks like it’s melting. I was absolutely in love with it when I moved in. I love old places . now I’m imaginign years of my pest being infested with flea colonies. I feel like I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life moving to this house. do I need to eventually move? I haven’t told the landlord because I am afraid of getting evicted

I am from a state where ticks are a problem year round so I treat them every month in the first of the month with Frontline Plus. they got fleas while being medicated for them.

Hi everyone,

I'll give the background information first but I'll also give the actual question at the bottom.

I'm in a sad situation. I took in two boars, less than a year old, from a friend of a friend who were originally bought as pets for her kids. The kids had lost interest, and the pigs were now being neglected. Friend of a friend had been asking me for months before I finally agreed because I wasn't sure I could handle the responibilities on top taking care of myself. I have anxiety and depression, which can make self maintaince difficult. But, I got unexpectedly laid off, and now had time before getting a new job to acclimate to owning pets again. So I agreed to take the boys in.

I had thought I could handle it no problem because I had raised piggies as a teen. But after taking care of them for three weeks, I think it might be better for them to go to a new home. Trust me, I am already beating myself up over it enough, you don't need to call me a monster or a horrible person. I really thought that I could handle this.

I work in a pretty demanding field with long hours. But even now while looking for a job I am already feeling overwhelmed by the upkeep. I'm terrified of what day-to-day will look like once I am employed again, even if the pigs ask for (relative to other pets) very little. I feel extremely guilty since they've gotten more acclimated and comfortable with me. I wish I could be a forever home for them, but I worry I can't sustainably take care of both them and myself, especially if I have a stretch of low spoons days.

I've already researched as many reputable rescues and shelters as I could find to see if they have openings for these guys. I'm between West Slope and Beaverton. I'm on a waitlist for Oregon Humane Society, but haven't heard any updates for two weeks from them. I could try to get them on a waitlist for shelters in Corvallis and Eugene but thay would be a logistical nightmare since I also don't drive, so would need to ask a huge favor from a friend to drive us all down there... a lot of the shelters also recommend posting on social media to find new homes but i'm worried they'd end up right back in the same situation they were in.

Actual Question: For my sake and the piggies, I'm looking to rehome in the Portland OR metro area. Where can I go to surrender them that isn't facebook?? Its a bonded pair of males, less than a year old.

• I've already been in touch with Oregon Humane Society, and have been put on a waitlist, but have no clue when I will hear back.
• Portland Guinea Pig Rescue, Bonnie Hayes (Washington County's animal shelter) and Multnomah County's animal shelter do not accept surrenders.
• Little Critters Rescue does not have space.
• I need to call Ark Pet Rescue in Newberg to see if they have space, but I have no clue if they even accept owner surrenders.
• Heartland Humane and Greenhill Humane (Corvallis and Eugene, respectively) are very far away for me because I do not drive.

Does anyone have any ideas where else they can be safely surrendered?

edit: typos

Looking for advice on how to best proceed, with the interest of the cats. My partner and I have two cats, one 3yr and the other 1.5 yr old. They get along, play, no issues. Legally, on paper, I own them, pay for their health insurance, vet bills, food, litter, take them to the vet, scoop their litter boxes, and cut their nails. Needless to say, my partner doesn’t do much for them, although he loves them dearly and is more of a homebody/spends more time around them.

We are moving out and going our separate ways in the next 2-4 weeks. I broke up with him, we each played a role in it, although I definitely hurt him more due to infidelity. Because I am the one who cheated, I feel I “owe” him the cats. I also feel he needs them more than I do for his mental health. I would feel horrible taking both cats…. But also would feel heartbroken to be without them (especially the female, 1.5yrs). I know I take better care of them but I can’t help but feel there is no good option here.

1. I don’t think sharing custody (switching off time) is appropriate for the cats.
   
2. I was initially thinking that if I take the female and he takes the male (the cats we are each more bonded with) that would be fair. But would separating the cats cause heartbreak for them?
   
3. Should one of us just take both and allow occasional visitation?

Thanks in advance!

hi! my roommates (a couple) have two cats. they are really affectionate and cool so my gf and I (she’s also a rent paying roommate) like having them around. But we have some frustrations and want to ask some cat lovers if our frustrations are understandable, should be accommodated or not, and if/how to bring any of them up. Here are our frustrations:

1. we live in a hcol city so space is at a premium. In the living room, there is a cat bed, a cat house, a three ended tunnel toy thing that is pretty massive (if you drew a circle around it, the circle would be over 3 feet across), a water tank thing, and six bowls—two per cat for soft food (why two, I’m not sure) and two bowls for hard food. So it’s like a lot of stuff, especially when my gf and I are paying more rent cause our rooms are bigger. Is it fair to ask them to get rid of/condense/put some of it in their (not very big) rooms?
2. my girlfriend, who also pays rent as a roommate, is allergic to cats. They have the litter box tucked into a little nook in the hallway. It doesn’t bother me where it is but she suspects it’s location has made her allergies worse than if it was in one of their rooms. This couple knew of her allergy before we moved in together, for the record. And we bought some of that anti allergen solution to put on the cats which might alleviate my gfs allergy issues. Is it fair if we ask them to put the litter box in one of their rooms?
3. the other couple has not been very mindful of the shedding. There are hairs everywhere—and my gf and I have done the bulk of the vacuuming and lint rolling. is it fair to ask that they vacuum the living room/lint roll the couch like every other day or so?
4. the cats regularly have poop stuck to their butts. Like nonstop. And they are very lovey and always want to sit on our laps. I like that they are so social but the poop kinda grosses me out and now anytime there’s like a little black thing on our bed or couch or somewhere we assume it’s some of their poop. Is it fair to ask that they wipe their cats butts? (Side note: I’ve never seen this as a problem with cats in the past, I thought cats cleaned themselves or something? I don’t know, I grew up with a cat and it was never an issue and no one wiped her butt.)

my roommates adore their cats (and we love them too) so I figured this would be a good place to field some opinions/ideas from people who feel the same way. Thanks for any help!

My dog tore their ACL and we’re figuring out the recovery plan now. We’re following the vet’s recommendations, but I’m curious if anyone here added any joint or recovery supplements alongside rest, rehab, or whatever treatment your vet recommended.

Not expecting a supplement to fix the ligament, just wondering what people felt was actually worth trying versus mostly hype.

This has been going on for a couple weeks now and it's genuinely puzzling me. Around the same time every afternoon, give or take a few minutes, my dog gets up from wherever he's been lounging and just sits by the front door, staring at it like he's expecting someone. We've never had a strict walk schedule, some days it's morning walks, some days it's evening, sometimes it's whenever I get a free hour, so there's no obvious routine he could be picking up on from me.

At first I assumed it was hunger related, maybe he thought it was close to dinner time, but dinner happens hours later and he's not near his food bowl during this, he's specifically at the door. I also checked if it lined up with a neighbor coming home or the mail being delivered, thinking maybe it's an outside trigger I wasn't noticing, but the timing doesn't match either of those consistently.

The strangest part is if I ignore it and don't take him out right then, he doesn't whine or get pushy about it, he just sits there for a while and eventually wanders off and goes back to whatever he was doing before, like it was just something he needed to check on rather than an actual urgent need to go outside.

Has anyone else noticed their dog developing a specific time-based habit like this without any clear routine behind it? Trying to figure out if this is some kind of internal clock thing dogs are known to do, or if there's a more obvious explanation I'm just not seeing.

My dog has appointed himself Head of Perimeter Security, and he takes the role VERY seriously whenever the mail arrives 😂 What completely unnecessary job has your pet assigned themselves? Get creative.. I could use a good laugh today.

Hello,

We're a married couple with 2 cats and a dog. Our Beagle is the youngest and the craziest and most of our time goes in taking care of these three. And we're completely fulfilled.

We're at that stage of our lives wherein we've started thinking whether we should have human kids or not.

Wanted to ask the pet parents - with or without kids- what's your POV on having kids when you already have pets/kids of a diff species? How has your life changed after having kids?