What pet items did you think were essential… but turned out not to be?

[sophielaurent]

Hi all,
New here 👋 and hoping for some real-world advice.
We recently got a pet (first time properly owning one rather than growing up with family pets), and I’m realising there are so many things marketed as “must-haves”.

I’d love to know from other parents/pet owners:
• What did you buy early on that you barely used?
• What wasn’t on your radar but turned out to be genuinely useful?
• Any items you’d actively tell people not to bother with?

Thinking along the lines of beds, feeding bits, toys, travel items, grooming tools, etc ..especially anything that worked well with kids around.

Trying to avoid wasting money and cluttering the house 🙈

Would really appreciate hearing what worked (or didn’t) for you.

Some of this is dependent on the pet in question and your lifestyle.

A cat bed. Obviously.

Things we have avoided:

Cat flap - you can control when your cat is in/out without one and they get used to your routine. However this depends on your lifestyle/property as to whether this is a suitable option. We also don't get any 'wildlife presents' delivered to us this way.

Cat toys - we have a fully grown cat and he's really not bothered with any toys targeted at cats and much prefers bits of string, twigs, leaves and hair toggles.

Pet combs/ brushes - Totally pointless getting these for us. I find brushes for cats totally useless so we use the sticky tape rollers (the kind used to get pet hair off clothes) on our cat. He likes the massaging effect too whereas with the pet specific brushes he runs off!

Pet bed - Totally pointless for us. It depends on your cat's personality but some cats like a specific place to sleep that is theirs whilst others prefer a chair or a corner or your bed (depends what you allow really).

Blankets - used once and then ignored, so depends on the pet.

Things we have:
Absolutely necessary: microchipping, collar and tracker (the tracker wasn't something we needed with previous pets but this one is a wanderer and has got lost a couple of time so is really reassuring).

Food bowl and water bowl

Mat for under the food bowls for inevitable spillages (we used one marketed for babies / toddlers as this sticks to the kitchen floor well and is washable)

Cat carrier

Monthly flea treatment (much cheaper to do it yourself rather than at the vets)

Things we didn't think about but have got:
Tracker with subscription so we can see where the cat is.
List of catteries, vets and other cat-related services in the area to hand (saves a lot of time)

For a cat - just about everything we bought apart from feeding bowls

I would caution re the flea treatments - the non-prescription flea treatments (like frontline) are a waste of time and actually do more harm than good. Fleas are resistant to them, so they don't kill the parasite and make them more likely to develop resistance to other anti-parasitic treatments. Waste of your money and harmful to your pet. Prescription flea, tick and worm treatments are something I would actually say are WORTH the money.

No to -

Cat beds- he chooses where he sleeps and it won't be on anything bought especially for him.

Cat flap - no thanks to presents, leaving them at the back door is enough.

Yes to -

anything with Cat nip in.

Scratch post. Ours is part of cat tower. He ignores the rest of it but uses the scratching Posts, which saves our new sofas.

Rather depends on the pet, though?
Is it for a survey?

Why has everyone assumed it’s a cat?

Maybe only cat owners have answered so far. I was going to say my cat used her fountain for a bit & then lost all interest in it.

Large tank ( bigger than you think you need)
Plastic plants ,
Treasurer chest
Gravel
Filter
Air pump
Hay net
good quality brushes
Hoof pick
All the buckets
Summer and winter rugs
Head coller
Lead
Kong
Stainless steel bowls

I could go on and in but it really does depend on the pet !

My other dogs have always liked toys. The Patterdale, on the other hand, has me marked as an accessory and can't be bothered with anything inanimate.

I bought a cat water fountain because cats like to have clean running water to drink from. Except mine, who prefer the rusty watering can by the back door

Snap. Or the kitchen tap, or licking drips off the shower mat when I hang it over the side of the bath to dry.

Cat tree, radiator bed, lick ‘e’ Matt and window sill beds!

I have cats. Brought them fancy fluffy beds..... they prefer a cardboard box/ wicker basket 🧺 🙄

If it’s not a cat, @sophielaurent, this would be a really good time to say so!

😂 mine prefer a plastic bowl half in the bushes that was accidentally left in the back garden ages ago that fills with rain water that is apparently delicious.

Dog - grooming brushes. He’s a lab and doesn’t need it.

Lots of leads - only really use two.

For a dog ive really only needed: a bed, a soft crate or other means of taking them to the vet / in the car, harness and lead, a coat for bad weather, food and water bowls.

Even toys were a waste of time when she was a puppy, she preferred “eating” my toes, and playing with toilet roll tubes!!

This thread has been so helpful -didn’t expect so many honest answers!
From what everyone’s shared, a few patterns really stand out:

• A lot of “fancy” toys and gadgets barely get used
• Basic things (good brush, simple bed, decent leash) seem to matter more
• And a few unexpected items like slow feeders or lint rollers end up being lifesavers

I actually started making a small list for myself so I don’t overbuy things we won’t use 😅 Ended up putting it together in one place just to keep things organized while comparing options, helped me a lot to see what’s actually worth it vs hype. Curious though, has anyone found a product they thought was useless at first but later became a must-have?

Can you tell us what your pet is, @sophielaurent?

You mention having a decent leash which implies it’s a dog - if that’s the case, there’s not much point in cat owners recommending cardboard boxes & scratching posts!

Haha yes, good catch.. it’s a dog! 🐶
Still very new to all this, so trying to figure out what’s actually worth getting vs what just looks useful online 😅
Some of the replies here have already saved me from buying things I definitely didn’t need.
Out of curiosity..what’s one thing you thought would be essential for your dog but turned out to be a complete waste?

Toilet water is the tastiest surely? According to my cat anyway. That or the dogs bowl of water.

Very little bought for my cat gets used. He has one toy he'll play with now and then. But his bed and scratching post are ignored and he (thankfully) prefers to do his business outside rather than using the litter box.

The dog also has simple tastes - a couple of comfy beds and a strong tug toy are his only requirements. I try and get beds with removable covers as they stink and get dirty a lot.

@sophielaurent the biggest waste I see is people buying money on kongs, licky matts and other 'brain-games.' Yes, the can work - but they also teach a dog not to settle as it always has 'entertainment.' I see a lot of rescue dogs that are unable to settle as their owners just shoved kongs at them 24/7.

The best thing to do is train your dog in short bursts 10-15 minutes, 4x a day, to tire them out. Once they're tired you can begin to reward them for settling.