The Best Gifts for Your Pet (or a Friend Who's Obsessed With Theirs)

When you adopt a pet, you know that your fuzzy, wiry, or scaly little life-ruiner is going to make you a better person and enrich both your soul and your home. What you don't expect is that your grizzly terrier, Scottish fold, and/or bearded dragon is going to become your A-team #1 MVP, your true bestie, and the only creature on Earth that can make you get out of bed at 6 AM and go for a walk or crack a can of Fancy Feast, when you used to be a perma-hungover, irresponsible piece of garbage. And frankly, we're really grateful to our pets for that. We want to be the best guardians we can to our cats, dogs, snakes, fish, and whatever else is legal in your state—and it's a full-time job, but of the most rewarding kind. 

We love our pets more than we love ourselves (duh), god (sorry), and pretty much all of our extended family members (obvi), so it makes sense that we want to spoil them when the holidays come around. Same goes for finding the best gifts for pet lovers—ultimately, they're going to be just as thrilled to get something for their canine or feline Mini-Me as they would be to receive a practical gift for their own self-care. We've been visiting every pen and stable on the web to find the best gifts for dogs, cats, and all pets, really, and we present them to you here and now. 

For the pet that goes everywhere

We may not want to talk about the bad man that sang "I Believe I Can Fly," but we believe that your good boy (or girl) will be soaring the skies in style in this airline-compliant pet carrier from Roverlund, one of our favorite brands for modern pet gear. 

For taking their little dude on the subway or to the flea market

Wild One's carrier has a cutout so that your doggo's head can peruse the scene right along with ya, plus it's made from recycled material derived from water bottles, and is equipped with dual-length carrying straps, four pockets for your lip balm and knickknacks, and a machine-washable mat. 

Dog always jumping on the expensive sofa?

Tired solution: Get mad at the dog. Wired solution: Get the dog its own expensive leather sofa. 

An app-controlled treat tosser

You can keep tabs on the home pet sitch from anywhere with this futuristic feeder which also lets you toss treats to your pup through the app. It features a camera, two-way audio, “Dog Selfie Alert,” and even sends push notifications to your smartphone when the unit detects barking.  

It’s chilly out there, folks 

Yep—it’s dogs-in-sweaters season. Second only to light jacket season, dogs-in-sweaters season is the time where your pup gets to strut their stuff in whatever you decide to swaddle them in. This year, your dog is gonna be the most tastefully badass pup at the park with this pentagram sweater by Ashley Williams. 

Be a lot cooler if you did…

… Dress your dog in a leather jacket. Never forget the greatest Onion headline of all time.

A leash that feels luxe

Dog owners have to trudge out into the sick, sad world multiple times a day to let their dog use la toilette (aka the sidewalk in front of their house). Make the experience feel a little more glamorous by giving them a leash that looks damn good while they're parading Lemmy down the block. 

A dog toy subscription box 

We're all busy people. Right? Sort of? Anyway, one task to take off your friend's plate is the need to constantly go back to the pet store for new stimuli for the four-legged homie. BarkBox is a super-popular subscription service that guarantees a new shipment of treats and toys is always around the corner.

You spend all your money on streetwear…

…For your dog. (Which we respect!) If you’re the kind of person who scoffs at a $45 T-shirt but immediately smashes “Add to Cart” when presented with an Italian-made fedora for your Pomeranian, this dog fleece from We11done is for you. (Plus, it’s big-time on sale right now.)

Your pup is not a dish

So stop bathing them with Dawn dish soap. (Plus, we all know they’re much too bougie for that.) Aesop—yes, of the high end skincare and fancy hand soap fame—makes a gentle animal wash is a mild skin and fur wash that helps deodorize and cleanse your pup gently yet thoroughly. They’ll feel like they’re at a nice hotel, and not the improvised tub you made in your railroad apartment.

Your pup isn’t on Apple Pay 

That’s cool—we dig the old school MetroCard vibes. (Disclaimer: Your dog may start referencing itself as a “real New Yorker.”)

For the hyper boi

We all have a friend whose dog is a true, serious life-ruiner—like, this little dude is cool to us, a guest of the house, but he cannot chill out to save his life and has destroyed more couches, shoes, walls, and other typically resilient objects than its poor owner can count. Sounds like time to try some CBD treats, which can help mellow out raging pets. 

Their cat is a Deadhead

When it comes to the best gifts for cat lovers, there are many possible directions in which to go, naturally. But one we must recommend is the intersection of cat love and psychedelic culture. 

Probably the cutest pet bed ever

Warning: The baby talk will never stop when your cat (or small dog) is nestled into this amazing noodle bowl bed. Soft-boiled egg not included. 

For the finicky BBs

Dealing with a sink-obsessed kitty? Relieve their owner of duties to constantly turn the faucet on and off by giving them this fountain that has fresh water bubbling at all times. 

An ~*~aesthetic~*~ little cave

Believe it or not, there's a lot of actually quite attractive cat furniture out there these days—including this funky, cozy cave from Cat Person. 

A cat advent calendar 

Sure, December is already well underway, but it's still not too late to spoil a lucky cat with a bevy of one-a-day treats. 

Let your cat hit the bar

If we get the pleasure of snacking and boozing with our friends every night, why are our cats denied such a life? Thus, the beautiful invention of this pop-up cat izakaya. You provide the dumplings and drinks. 

Give the gift of never scooping poop again

That's right: The Litter-Robot may be pricey, but it will liberate its lucky owner from ever having to rifle around for sandy turds in artificial gravel again—and prevent litter from getting tracked all over the apartment. That is truly a gift, friends. 

For all the festive fish 

Let the tetras in on the holiday spirit with their very own stocking-adorned fireplace.

A leash for your chicken

What, you don't take your chickens out for a cruise around the town every once in a while? Liberate them from the coop and enjoy the onslaught of friendly conversation from confused neighbors.

Never 4get Socks

Most American presidents have failed us in some way, but one thing that many of them have had in common is that they've destressed from the toughest job in the world with the help of a four-legged (or in some cases, flying) friend. You'll recognize some of these famous furballs; others will be a bit of a surprise. (Whitey the horse?) 

A chef hat for a guinea pig

I mean, it's self-explanatory. 

Don't forget the reptilians

No, not the all-powerful shapeshifter elites; the people whose homes are full of tanks of mysterious scaly little monsters. Snakes are suddenly 50 times as cute when they're wearing a wizard hat. 

Animals: They're just better than us. Gift accordingly.