The Verge’s favorite pet gear for 2025

Every once in a while, Slack conversations among The Verge’s staff are interrupted by photos of incredibly cute dogs, cats, and other pets. (We even have an occasional discussion about smart home editor Jennifer Pattison Tuohy’s chickens.)

Naturally, anyone who has a pet wants the best for them — and that includes carriers, feeders, and automatic litter boxes. So we asked the Verge crew to tell us about the gadgets and other items — some of them homemade — they use to help keep pets happy and healthy. Here are some of their answers.

I struggled to find an easy-to-use, not-annoying water-fountain solution for keeping my two kitties well-hydrated until I tried the new Petcube Fountain. The two things I love about this compared to others I’ve tested are that the pump is super quiet, and it works on a rechargeable battery, making it easy to find a good spot for it.

My kitties like the built-in radar motion sensor that pumps up the water circulation when either one approaches, giving them a little fountain to drink out of. The built-in 2600mAh battery lasts about three weeks before needing to be charged with a USB-C cable, and it powers the super silent pump that circulates the water through the tank and up to a shallow ceramic bowl they drink from.

The system has been keeping the water very clean, and a UV-C antibacterial light claims to zap nasties. I’ve been running it for a month, and it’s stayed clean. The filters have to be replaced monthly ($10 for a three-pack), and I have it connected to the PetCube app to get reminders to replace them as well as to clean the fountain, which handily is dishwasher safe. — Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, senior reviewer

A robot that scoops your kitty litter is — admittedly — a luxury. Add one that also refills the litter in the tray when it’s running low, and you have a virtually hands-free cat toilet and one very happy cat owner. That’s the Whisker Litter-Robot 4 with Litter Hopper, an ingenious device that uses a rotating globe with a built-in sifter to separate the waste and dump it into a drawer after the cat places its deposit.

Yes, it costs almost $1,000 when you add in the hopper. But now all I have to do is fill it up about once a month and empty the waste drawer every week or so (all the clumps are neatly contained in a plastic bag, making it easy to just throw it in the trash). It’s a big step up from the manual labor of sifting cat crap with a little shovel. It also keeps the smell better contained than standard litter trays (although the odor is not entirely eliminated). The biggest downside, other than the price, is that manually cleaning the Litter-Robot requires a lot more effort and is a lot more disgusting than rinsing out a litter tray. But you don’t have to do it anywhere near as often. –Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, senior reviewer

Our eight-year-old dog, Olive, was diagnosed with hypothyroidism almost two years ago. At the time, our vet told us that it was very easy to treat: she’d simply have to take a thyroid pill, twice a day… for the rest of her life.

In the past, we’ve hidden pills in peanut butter, wrapped cheese around them, or buried them in a scoop of mashed potatoes. And a little over half the time, Olive would carefully eat whatever human food was presented, spit out the pill, and demand we try again.

So when faced with the task of tricking our dog twice a day, every day, for the rest of her life, we decided we’d give Greenies Pill Pockets a shot. And I’m so thankful we did, because we are now up to a 100 percent success rate when it comes to dosing Olive on the first try.

The pill pockets are a little large, but they’re very soft, so we typically rip off a small piece, wrap it around Olive’s pill, yell “Who wants a treat?” and toss it to her to catch midair. She gulps it right down, and as a bonus, we also toss a pill-free piece to our other dog, Ned, so he doesn’t get jealous. —Sarah Smithers, senior editorial coordinator

Wild One Everyday Pet Carrier

My 22-pound rescue corgi, Jelly, is always on the go — I sometimes need to bring her with me on the subway, to lunch with a friend, or to a pet playdate in another borough. I’ve had the Wild One Everyday Pet Carrier for two years, and it has never failed me. It has thick straps, a padded bottom, pockets inside and out, and the perfect-sized dip for Jelly’s head to go through. I have it in black, and it doesn’t show any signs of dirt or wear and tear so far. Since Jelly is blind in one eye (and always wants to know what’s going on with her other eye), she has a blast looking around and feels super safe inside. The bag is also sturdy enough that you can set it down next to you at a restaurant or on a park bench without it falling over, and if your pup isn’t feeling social, it’s possible for them to comfortably curl up inside. —Hayden Field, senior AI reporter

Little Chonk Maxine One carrier

I’m going to double up on the corgi-carrier recommendations. My pup, Buchephalus (or just Bu for short), is 11 months old and goes with me everywhere. But he’s too big for conventional dog carriers and too antsy to ride around in a dog stroller. So for the places that don’t let your pooch walk on the ground, I carry him in a Little Chonk Maxine One backpack in size medium. It’s made for long corgi bodies (although other breeds would fit just as well) with neck support so that their head doesn’t list to the side when they’re sitting upright. My long boy is docked, but the backpack also has a hole for a tail. Bu took to the backpack really well, although you can increase your chances of success with lots of treats and encouragement rather than stuffing your 30-pound sausage in a bag meant for dogs up to 50lbs. Little Chonk also makes backpacks for bigger dogs called the Brodie One.

I love this thing so much. I can easily take Bu with me everywhere — like when he came with me to place a Switch 2 preorder. The backpack comes with pouches you can use to hold your phone, keys, or treats. For an additional fee, you can get a velcro patch with your pet’s name on it so everyone knows the good dog you’re schleping around. —Ash Parrish, reporter

Apologies to my two cats, but this hack is all about making things cheaper and easier for me, your caretaker. For too long I’ve been suckered into buying Litter Genie refills, which start at about $28 for 24 bags. The Litter Genie is an indispensable tool for us, as it holds waste and does a good job of masking the dirty litter smell. But only recently in our five years of ownership did I stumble upon an Instagram Reel that showed how to use regular trash bags with the Litter Genie. (It actually shows a Diaper Genie, but it’s the same hack for the Litter Genie as well.)

Basically, keep the empty plastic cartridge once it runs out. Then, fold the rim of your trash bag around the cartridge before reinstalling it, and push it through to the bottom of the Litter Genie so it can catch waste, as it’s designed to do. Now, you’ve got yourself a Litter Genie that costs cents per bag instead of $10 or more every month or so, depending on how frequently your cats visit the litter box. —Cameron Faulkner, commerce editor

Petbank Automatic Fish Feeder

When I left home for a couple of weeks earlier this year, I was nervous about how I would care for my fish. After waffling between hiring a fish-sitter, plunking in a slow-release feeding tablet, or somehow taking them on the plane with me, I stumbled upon this handy gadget: the Petbank Automatic Fish Feeder. The device clamps right onto your tank and comes with 15 individual compartments where you can store each day’s food, along with a timer that controls how frequently it feeds your fish. Once it’s feeding time, a hatch beneath the feeding compartment opens, releasing that day’s food into your tank. It also comes equipped with a USB-C charging port and promises one to two months of battery life. I had the dispenser feed my fish every other day while I was gone, and it did just that, without even losing a chunk of its battery life. —Emma Roth, news writer

Tutorial for making a leash

If you’re searching for a strong and premium-looking leash for a larger dog, then you can save a lot of money by making your own after a visit to your local outdoors store. I’ve been making these braided climbing rope leashes ever since Wes Siler first shared a DIY tutorial for his custom design in 2019. Since they’re made from durable climbing rope, even a teething puppy won’t be able to bite through the leash. The material is impervious to water and dirt so it’s easy to clean. When paired with a strong carabiner, you’ll have a leash that will last for years and is useful for other tasks. I’ve even made a few for dragging sleds up hills in the winter, and they still look as good as new years later . —Andrew Liszewski, senior reporter