Owning a pet is a whole racket. You provide them with a roof over their heads, chauffeur services, chef-prepared meals, and even personal grooming, and yet they stare at you while you’re writing articles about Costco as if your job is an inconvenience to their entire existence. Or maybe that’s just me.
But as a human beholden to a house full of pets, I’ve learned one simple lesson that carries beyond all else: listen to them.
Dog recommendations
Today, my dogs are telling me that we should explore the best of what Costco has to offer for pet owners, like you and I. Here are my dogs’ top picks.
1. goDog Jumbo Squeaker Plush Dog Toy with Chew Guard Technology, 2-pack
Price: $19.99
If you came to my house, you would see that we have scads of these toys scattered about. Many are missing significant amounts of stuffing, and some (like the purple brontosaurus) appear to have suffered significant wounds (his neck may be broken, the angle is not OK).
But for a house with three Jack Russell terriers, the fact that these toys have remained mostly intact after years of service says something. They’re somehow soft and durable at the same time — a mystery I have yet to really crack.
2. Bissell Cleanview PowerEdge Rewind Pet Upright Vacuum
Price: $129.99
This might be a recommendation from me, on behalf of the dogs, but I own an older version of this vacuum, complete with the tiny handheld upholstery tool with the rubber fingers. I’ve never been able to get hair up like I can with my newish vacuum, and I assume its progeny does at least as good of a job.
It’s no Crosswave (you can get those at Costco, too), but for the money, the Bissell pet vacuums really suck — in the best way.
3. High Tech Pet Medium Wi-fi Pet Door Kit PX1-WFW
Price: $529.99
Sometimes a dog just needs to be free to be a dog, you know? But with great freedom comes great responsibility, which dogs are not really about. So, instead of opening the door 100 times a day while I’m trying to work, my dogs got a regular, manual dog flap.
They’d have loved to have a wifi-powered flap like this one when the cat showed up, since he follows them around like a shadow. It’s hard to be a dog with a grown kitten cramping your style, and the wifi door only unlocks with the collars programmed for it, so without one, Mr. Kitty would be stuck inside like the pesky little brother he is.
Cat recommendations
Speaking of cats, since this is about pet owners and not just dog owners, I asked that pesky kitten what he would recommend for the cat owners. He was reluctant to commit too hard, but did mention a few favorite items.
4. Costco cat trees
Price: $99.99 – $199.99
Gomez is the king of all he surveys, provided he has a high enough perch from which to do it. That’s why he is recommending a new cat tree.
There’s a cat tree for every budget, with a standard 55-inch cat tree for $99, or a 65-inch model designed to support Maine Coon cats for $199.99.
My cat is only 10 pounds, but he imagines himself to be much larger, so you can guess which one is in my Costco shopping cart right now. You will have to build these cat trees yourself, but think of it as a way to show your cat just how willing you are to do his bidding.
5. Litter-Robot 3 Connect Self-Cleaning Electric Cat Litter Box Specialty Bundle
Price: $599.99
I swear I scoop the litter boxes daily, but there are certain things in this world that just can’t be too clean, you know? Gomez knows. He’s very interested in checking out the highly rated Litter Robot self-cleaning litter box that literally cleans itself after every use. After all, he deserves the same level of cleanliness as the humans around him.
The Costco bundle comes with the litter box unit, an Odor Trap and refill pack, six carbon filters, 100 drawer liners, a Litter-Robot 3 fence, and a three-year warranty. The app makes it easy to service and monitor, just in case something goes a little sideways or your cat eats something he probably shouldn’t have.
Choosy pet parents choose Costco
Do you remember the old commercials about how choosy moms choose Jif? Well, choosy pet parents clearly choose Costco for all it has to offer their furry family, as well as the excellent deals it has to make the pet budget go a bit further.
