Our Editors’ Favorite Pet (and Pet Parent!) Products of 2022

Treat your cat to something special for the holidays with the Fancy Feast Advent Calendar that includes both gourmet wet food and treats for your favorite feline to enjoy. The box opens up to reveal a festive gathering with numbered compartments for 24 days, and includes Fancy Feast's Classics, Medleys, Gourmet Naturals, Gravy Lovers, and Savory Cravings Treat Boxes. Each advent calendar door also features a fun fact surprise that makes it an experience both you and your cat can share.

As the owner of two dogs who can get more than a little rough with their toys, our shopping editor Britt swears by BARK products so she doesn't have to buy new toys every week. BarkBox makes it even easier to supply your pups with treats and toys, delivering a batch to your door each month that fits your pet's preferences. Not to mention their toys are trendy and punny, including collaborations with popular brands and beloved franchises. Each box contains two toys, two treats, and one chew; and if your dog happens to be a BIG chewer (like Britt's), you can choose the Super Chewer BarkBox for durable toys that will last longer than plush ones. Right now, if you join BarkBox, you'll be able to double your first box for twice the toys and treats that your dog is sure to love.

"While my kitties circle us and meow constantly as soon as we open a pouch, my favorite part about this snack is that it actually allows me to bond with my cats," said contributor Erin Cavoto about the Hartz Delectables Squeeze-Up Cat Treats that have over 20,000 five-star reviews on Amazon. "Like any cat owner knows, our feline friends call the shots — which means they don’t always want to snuggle or be held even if you want to! With these treats, however, my cats come right up to my lap and actually stay there."

"The Cloud Nine Window Hammock immediately caught my attention on the website thanks to its curved design, and I loved the chic sherpa floor add-on. As a renter, Iike that the piece suctions directly onto my window, so there are no tools required to install it," said Commerce Managing Editor Tamara in her review of the hammock. "Living in NYC, I don’t have the best views from my windows, so giving Zara and Kaia an elevated surface to peep at the birds, bugs, and obviously my neighbors makes it more exciting for them. They love this thing so much that they’ll snooze on it for hours."

Instagram-famous pet brand Wild One carries a variety of colorful products for your pup that will make your time together both stylish and enjoyable. Their Walk Kits conveniently come in multiple colors and pet supply combinations, allowing you to choose between a harness or collar, include toys, and even mix and match hues if there's more than one shade you like. The Harness Walk & Treat Kit, used by one of AT's shopping editors, comes with a comfy and lightweight harness, a durable and odor-resistant leash, an attachable waste bag carrier, and a versatile treat pouch that can hold snacks for your pooch (or yourself) as well as your phone and other small items needed on your stroll.

"My cat Louie knows the second I whip out the HERTZKO Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush, which I like to think is because he’s a genius, but is likely because of the click sound it makes when I eject the bristles and get it ready for grooming," said editor Kendall in her review. "After collecting brush after regular cat brush, each of which would end up with a seemingly unremovable layer of cat hair at the base of the bristles, I decided to find another solution. Now, I only have one brush, my cat has his routine with a tool he trusts (and loves!), and I get excited for brush time again, especially since the self-cleaning mechanism of the HERTZKO is beyond satisfying to use."

The Premium Dog Lover's Box from Bokksu is a gift that pet parents and their pup can enjoy. The box is jam-packed with locally-sourced Japanese home goods and snacks — all with a dog theme — and even an Instagram-worthy dog toy. Traveling to Japan with your furry friend in tow might be difficult, but this thrilling box makes it possible to bring the trip to your door. A standout item in the box is the Minoyaki Dog Yunomi Cup: It's decorated with silhouettes of different dog breeds and makes the perfect vessel for a cozy cup of tea. Their Premium Cat Lover's Box has already sold out, so be sure to grab this one before it's too late!

"A dream for pet parents with picky pooches and pups with sensitivities, it’s one of the easiest ways I’ve come across to make adorable homemade dog bones without any nasty ingredients," said SEO Commerce Editor Sarah in her review of the Dash Express Dog Treat Maker. "After cooling them on a wire rack, I bent down to a very excited pooch and watched as Marty devoured the dog bone. Yeah, safe to say I’d found his new favorite breakfast treat."

"When I first brought my kitties home, I just had a standard litter pan that I ordered on Amazon in pinch. But because it didn’t have any walls, litter was getting everywhere. I was vacuuming multiple times a day to pick up the dust," said editor Tamara, who become a first-time cat mom this year. "But as soon as I put out Tuft & Paw’s (award-winning!) Cove litter box, the litter dust almost disappeared completely. The removable frosted sides prevent tracking and hide the contents, which are no longer staring me straight in the face every time I walk by."

With a new puppy at home, our assistant shopping editor has had her hands full with house-training. "I have plenty of training pads, but I needed something a little less messy for the dog pen," Britt says. "I was hesitant about the Pupiboo Washable Puppy Pads because they looked so much like rugs that I worried about accidentally training my puppy, Chai, to go on the ones in the house. But once the puppy pads actually came in, those worries went out of the window. These washable pads are absorbent and discreet, and most surprising was that they trap odor really well! I've washed them a few times now, and they look just as good as the first day I got them."

"The first time I used it on Leo, so much fur came off of him! I knew he’d been shedding a lot due to weather changes and that the hair was piling up on his back, but I had no idea how much hair was there. Every time I ran the comb over his coat, it would fill with fur again," said this editor review of the Hertzco Self-Cleaning Deshedding Comb. "That’s when I appreciated the genius of the comb’s self-cleaning function. I could comb, empty, comb, empty over and over again without prolonging the grooming process. (Trust me, he didn’t want to sit still.) I got to see the full results of the deshedding comb after Leo dried off from his bath looking totally refreshed. All the piles of fur were gone, leaving him with a handsomely smooth and shiny coat."

"Smalls is the best cat food my kitty Louie and I have ever tried. Not that I’ve put it in my own mouth, but I can’t say I wouldn’t feel totally comfortable doing so…and Louie is obsessed," said AT editor Kendall. "Smalls provides custom box deliveries that come regularly so I never have to think about having enough food for Lou. He gets his favorites, which were established about eight months ago after a few trial runs, bimonthly: Freeze Dried Raw “Kibble”, Fresh Bird, and Fresh Cow. Lou struggles with anxiety around food scarcity from his shelter days and tends to overeat because of it, but Smalls is the only food that doesn’t fuel him short-term with empty calories that have him coming back for more ASAP. He’s trimmer, more energetic and confident, and his best snuggly and calm self when he’s eating Smalls."

"The kit tests for the dog breed as well as inherited health conditions, and collecting the sample for the Embark Vet DNA Test is actually the easiest part. It comes with detailed instructions, a swab, tube, and mailer to ship it back to the lab for analyzing," said this editor's review of Embark's Breed & Health Kit. "Leo’s results got to the lab on May 4 and I received the results on May 20. In the weeks between arrival and results, I was constantly kept updated about where they were in the testing process, which I thought was a nice touch to keep me informed and make the wait feel shorter. Overall, I was really impressed!"

Contributor Stella tried multiple dog beds, but the one from Tuft & Needle was a gamechanger. "What I love most about this bed is its versatility," she said in her review. "When the pillow insert is attached to the foam base, the bed is a supportive, soft-centered haven with a firm outer edge. When the central pillow is removed, Lady slips and slides around the base, using the roomy concavity to play with her favorite dog toys. The pillow insert can also be rolled up to take it on the go (it has a rubbery grip on the bottom to keep it secure), so Lady always has a place to call her own, no matter where we are."

This editor tried the In-Between Bath Bundle after her dog rolled around in a funky patch of grass, saying in the review, "He smelled just as clean as he would after a real bath. I couldn’t believe it! The unpleasant odor was completely dissolved, and we got on with the rest of our day without any other hiccups. Since then, I’ve been using these products whenever it’s too soon for Leo’s bath and he needs a little freshening up. Combined with the brushing to really work in products, the In-Between Bath Bundle is a total treat. Leo gets a mini spa day and I get to keep enjoying a clean-smelling home. It’s a win-win!"

"The Fluff Trough is just what it sounds like. It’s a food bowl that’s shaped like a trough that can be used for dogs, cats, and I’d suppose any pet you can train to eat out of it," said this in-depth editor review. "I was intrigued by its design because I was having trouble getting Leo to eat enough food, and it was causing him to have some stomach issues. I wondered if presenting the food to him differently would help at all. The Fluff Trough is twice as high as his previous elevated bowl and allows me to spread his food across it rather than dumping it into a circular canister. Leo took to it immediately. I don’t measure the food, but I put enough in the Fluff Trough to be substantial so Leo can choose how much or how little he wants to have — at least up until bedtime. It also helps me to see how much he’s eaten at any time of the day."

"If there were to be one thing I could love as much as my pets, it’s watching the messes they tend to leave behind disappear," said editor Kendall in her review. "Watching the Folex Instant Carpet Cleaner dissolve stains young and old from my rugs and upholstered furniture is so satisfying — I all but wait for the next stain I get to battle it out with. Luckily, my two dogs and three cats (and occasional squirrel intruders) usually provide more than enough targets for my Folex ammo, which I now trust with any textile stain I come across in my home."

Bathing and brushing go hand in hand with this shampoo-dispensing brush from Maxbone. The silicone brush has a vessel to hold shampoo that slowly empties as you wash your pup, massaging the soap into their fur for a deep clean that leaves them looking great.

This Spinning Hydrant Puzzle is not only a fun way to dole out treats, it also proved to be an effective method of slow feeding. The toy features three hydrants that can be filled with treats or food, and you can set them at varying levels of difficulty for your dog to figure out on their own by pushing it with their nose or paws. It helps to keep your dog stimulated and occupied, especially if you're working from home and need to hop on a call!

Fable's memory foam pet bed is a cozy spot for your furry friend to relax in after a long day of napping, eating, and playing. The bed is simple and durable, water-resistant, and the brand recently introduced separate covers to make cleaning them easier than ever before. Our shopping editor paired hers with the Fable Crate to create a stylish and comfortable den for her pup.

If you're looking for a compact and spacious pen for your pet, look no further than this collapsible and portable playpen from Ruff 'n Ruffus. The pen folds flat, has an optional lid, is secured with an elastic band, and has its own carrying case to keep it contained while not in use, which means you can store it under or behind furniture so it's not in the way. It's also available in three sizes, from medium to extra-large, and comes with a collapsible bowl that can be used for food or water while on the go.

Our shopping editor loves the Native Pet Yak Chews because there's no yucky mess after the dogs are done with them and it can be enjoyed by dogs with sensitive stomachs (like hers!). The chews are made from yak and cow milk, salt, and lime juice, and they don't get slimy, which was a huge win when it came to cleanup. Once your dog gets to the end of the stick, the remaining portion can be microwaved to form a puffy, crunchy treat or a crumbly topper for their food.

"The Litter Robot’s name should be taken pretty literally when it comes to what to expect from this litter box," said editor Kendall, who tried one out at home. "It’s a spaceship, or at least has the facade of one and requires the same amount of space. For those who have ample room for a litter box, though, it’s an impressive solution. It’s a self-cleaning litter box, the inside of which rotates when unoccupied to send litter through a filter that removes clumped waste. It’s not for small apartment living or really anyone with a preference for vintage or cozy decor, but it’s perfect if you need a little extra help keeping up with litter box duty (as it were), be it because you have multiple cats or abilities that don’t make the physical work involved all that easy. The Litter Robot is an invaluable investment if your priorities are to spend more time with your kitty and less time breaking your back to clean up her business."

Fable's Crate is a dual-purpose find that earned an immediate spot on our list for it's style and function, based on this AT editor's review. "We had a wire crate at first, but it stuck out like a sore thumb and made the room feel even smaller. With Fable’s crate, Leo gets a place to call his own, and I have an awesome side table. I’m shopping around for a new lamp to showcase on top of it right now!" It's made of premium wood and comes in two sizes to accommodate various dog breeds up to 50 pounds.