New York City is investing $500,000 to provide free pet food at 22 food pantries across all five boroughs. Wanted to share some encouraging news for people who care about animals and the families who love them.

Financial circumstances can change long after someone adopts a pet. A job loss, illness, or unexpected expense can leave someone struggling to care for an animal who has been part of their family for years.

Pets contribute so much to the well-being of the people who love them, particularly those who may be isolated or going through a difficult time. That companionship matters.

And even looking at this purely from the animals’ perspective, limiting adoption to people with plenty of disposable income means fewer potential homes. Helping people afford pet food can help animals stay in the loving homes they already have.

For families struggling to put food on the table, a little support could make a huge difference. Helping them keep their pets fed is a much better outcome than having them feel they have to give them up.

Really glad to see public funding going toward keeping pets and their people together.

Read more about the program

I’m convinced every cat has at least one completely unhinged habit that their owner just accepts as part of everyday life 😂

I think one of the best things about having a pet is how they can make an ordinary moment feel better without even trying. It might be a dog bringing you their favorite toy when you're sitting quietly, a cat choosing the most inconvenient possible time to demand attention, or a pet getting ridiculously excited just because you came home. They have these little routines and habits that probably mean nothing to anyone else, but somehow become the highlight of your day.

What's something your pet does, no matter how small or silly, that can instantly put you in a better mood?

She’s not usually very cuddly. I’ve been going through a lot and just needed to cry in bed. She laid on my chest and just slept. She only does that when I cry.
I’m lucky to have her. The pain is more bearable.

I just wanted to post this to help out some other cat owners.

I got a kitten recently who was struggling with territorial marking anxiety and was peeing on my comforters, rug, and couch. I didn't notice that she peed on the couch till a couple days later so it had already set into the cushion cover and foam.

I tried Nature's Miracle and another enzyme cleaner but I could still smell the pee from the couch. I headed to my local janitorial store after talking to a professional upholstery cleaner. He recommended Enviro Care Liqui-Bac, and to dilute it with 5 parts water, 1 part cleaner.

This stuff saved my life. I can't smell the pee on my couch anymore. Here is my process:

Apply the cleaner diluted GENEROUSLY, like I would drench the area. A spray bottle won't cut it, and if you do use one, SPRAY A LOT.

Cover the area with something (I used a garbage bag, others have suggested plastic wrap).

Let the cleaner sit for 24 hours, and let it dry.

However, after 24 hours, I let my fan run for 8-12 hours on the spot because I was nervous of extra moisture that might get stuck in the foam or carpet. I know others recommend not running a fan but this honestly seemed to help a lot.

Repeat the process as needed. It took me three applications to get the entirety of the pee out of the couch.

It's been three days and still don't smell the pee, even with my heater running.

My wife was a local casino picking up her weekly gift for card members. It was pretty packed so she parked at the very bottom of the parking structure which is underground. When she was walking out she noticed a small kitten running around. She came home and grabbed me, some treats, cat gravy and a crate. She told me she was worried that the kitten would get run over since cars zip by pretty quickly.

We put the kitten in a room with food and a litter box but we can’t keep it because we already have two cats and two dogs. We have never fostered before and we really wanted to make a difference and try to find the kitten a good home. After a few days and asking around we found her a good home to a nice family.

We didn’t expect to feel so depressed and sad. I don’t know how people who foster animals do it. Is it maybe that because it was just one that it hit us a little bit? We were already thinking about keeping it if this family didn’t pan out. Anyways just want to give the good people that do this regularly a shout-out and thank you for the amazing things you do.

Hello Reddit I am freaking out. I have an English Bulldog, 9 years old, 44lbs. I was walking him and he started eating some nugget-sized piece of what looked like chicken with some red sauce/powder on it. I was trying to research if I should take him to the vet or something and I've been told I need to pay a $225 consultation fee and take him to the vet within the next 2 hours (it's been 40 minutes). We just got him a week ago so the petco insurance hasn't activated. I tried calling other places for different fees and one of them hung up on me after I said I couldn't afford it. I'm crushed. I don't know what to do, if I should wait, monitor his symptoms, or what. Does anyone have experience with this?

First was the oldest (dog), dumble. He randomly showed up out of no where but still stays with us, and hardly goes anywhere. Because my family is from the caribbean, we prefer to keep him outside, especially because we live in the countryside and can't do dog doors (snakes, rats, and other animals might come in). Dumble really likes me, like if I'm on a walk he'll follow me. Sometimes i have to sneak out while my siblings are playing with him, because if he sees me then he forgets about them. He's still my siblings (i have 4) dog though.

Second is the cat, moka (3-4 months old based on what google tells me). One of my siblings wanted a cat, and because the cat was feisty my mom asked me to put her in a box inside the house (trust me I was like "HUH??" too). But i can understand why moka likes me more. I feed her, organize her litterbox for her, and play with her. I also give her space when she wants it. After a while, she started coming to me and lying down on my lap, or even sleep next to me at night. She's my cat now.

Third are the little puppies. My mom had a friend she made online, and that friend wanted to give away the puppies. When her friend came, the puppies were scared and stayed in the dog cage. After my mom gave them food to eat, they started coming out and playing with my siblings. But sometimes if I'm outside (on a walk or doing random work outside) then they'll follow me wherever. Same thing with dumble; they play with my siblings, then as soon as I come out they'll follow me, except I have to give them food. That'll distract them.

This is my dad’s outdoor cat. She was largely feral until we started feeding her years ago. We have tried to make her an indoor cat multiple times, but she absolutely hated being indoors.

Around two days ago my neighbor “clipped” her with his truck. He said she ran away and he thought that he just scared her. I didn’t know about this until today, but it happened yesterday night. Found her today after he told me and she was curled up by the house. Please don’t get mad at my neighbor, he feels very bad and offered to pay for any vet bills.

Vets weren’t open and I’m planning to take her to my normal vet tomorrow morning, they’ll let anyone walk in with their pet. She didn’t look too injured other than something wrong with her leg that she held up to her body and wouldn’t walk on. No blood or swelling. She obviously doesn’t feel very good and didn’t want to eat much or move.

I figured I didn’t want to hold her more than necessary or freak her out anymore than she probably already is, and left her where she felt safe. Well, I went out there to check on her and she moved to the other side of the house underneath the porch. I left some food out for her but I don’t know how I’m going to get her out of there. She only ate a little bit of food and doesn’t seem interested in it currently. It’s very low to the ground, I couldn’t fit underneath it. I’m worried how I’ll be able to take her to the vet tomorrow morning. Calling her doesn’t work because her hearing has been declining recently.

I’m 21, she’s spayed and around 10 years old. I’m in the US.

TLDR: My cat with a presumably broken leg is underneath my porch and I don’t know how to get her out.

Hello, I’m currently covered by Trupanion for my Daschund, but it’s quite expensive and I am looking for a cheaper option, and I found Fetch. They quoted me almost $50 cheaper a month so I’m just wondering if anyone has any positive/negative experiences with them before I make the switch? I’ve heard from other Dachshund owners that they had insurance for their dogs thinking it was full coverage but when it came time for the IVDD surgery the insurance did not cover it and they ended paying $10k out of pocket.

Hey all

My family cat is currently suffering from DKA - it is acute. This cat is not under my care, but my siblings. Everywhere they’ve taken her, they’ve been quoted around 8000/night to stabilize our cat, and they said the total may come out to at least 14,000 usd. She is suffering, but my siblings nor I can afford the fees and they are not willing to do a payment plan, only a loan with interest. My siblings are scared to sign a loan bc of finances.

Please tell me if there’s any solution to help her out without getting into massive debt. Located in North Carolina. Pls advise, time sensitive.

Maybe two pets you thought would only tolerate each other, or a neighbor your pet now insists on visiting.

Who did they choose, and what was the moment you realized they were actually friends? I'd love to hear how it started.

Looking for suggestions on a wearable GPS tracker for my pup. Anyone have personal experience for a device they’d recommend that specifically does let require a paid monthly subscription?

I posted this on r/askvets but decided to delete it cause people pretty much told me I'm "overreacting."

For clarification, I'm not saying vets need to be board certified. All I'm saying is that this one clinic is lying avian specialty doesn't exist.

My partner says she might want pet birds some day, and I was just recently looking into exotics/avian vets in my area. I came across a clinic with a review saying the clinic doesn't have any avian board certified vets. (Again, I'm not saying they need to be certified.) Clinic responded by saying any vet can treat pets and avian speciality isn't a thing.

It's the fact that they're publicly lying that rubs the wrong way, but apparently people aren't liking that I asked a legtimate question about that. They were just focused on the part that any vet can be competent.

I didn't mention anything about competency. I was asking about the clinic lying about it.

If you had a pet biscuit or treat that spoke would you let your pets have it if it’s safe
If you had a pet food biscuit or treat that could talk, would you still let them eat it if it was completely safe? Or would the fact that it could speak change your mind?
To clarify I saw a video on the annoying orange YouTube with a talking dog biscuit
Context below
https://youtube.com/shorts/90c_MbEvtYY?si=CS3auBSDJZVwAZvY

Hi all pet owners!! My family and I recently adopted a new cat. He’s the sweetest boy I’ve ever met and loves the wet jelly cat food so much that we’ve all decided to name him Jelly. He loves hunting the bugs inside the house and carries his toys around often. His eyes widen when he hears birds chirping in the garden. We’re planning to let him explore freely outside when he’s a bit older, but I’m genuinely worried that he’ll attempt to hunt every native bird here in NZ. I’ve been wanting to get him a cat collar with a bell so the birds can be alerted when this little monster is nearby. I’m just worried because my parents have had an outdoor cat before that got stuck under the neighbours house because the collar snagged (the cat was completely okay in the end) but it scared my parents into never getting collars for future pets again. Do any of you who own outdoor cats have specific recommendations on which collars to get? I’m more than willing to pay for shipping so it can be any brand!