The winter holidays are family times—and for many people, pets are part of the family. Alejandra “Ale” Gonzalez, BridgingApps Digital Navigator and owner of multiple animals, shares her favorite apps for keeping pets happy and owners well-organized.
1. Chewy is a one-stop shop for all your pet needs. It’s free and offers low prices on pet food, pet supplies, and even prescriptions and online vet services. It also has an Autoship option so you never forget to replenish the cat litter!
2. 11pets is great for keeping track of each pet’s personal information and schedule. It stores medical history, budgets, vital statistics, dates for upcoming vaccines and vet visits, and grooming-routine trackers. The app synchronizes with your calendar to provide reminders, and is ideal for multiple-pet households because you never forget who’s due for which medication. 11pets is free to download and can be accessed on multiple devices.
3. Human-to-Cat Translator is a cute, free app to use when your cat just isn’t listening. It comes with various pre-loaded sounds (mostly recorded from other cats) to catch your kitty’s attention, or you can press the record button to say something special in a series of “meows.” I have three cats, and the Translator always gets them all out of their hiding spots.
4. Puppr helps you train any dog. A great resource for both new and experienced dog owners, it includes step-by-step lessons, with photos and videos for teaching all types of tricks. The app also keeps you accountable by letting you set daily reminders for training times. With a premium subscription, you get access to a live chat where you can ask additional questions.
5. Rover is linked to Rover.com, the top resource for finding qualified pet sitters—everyone Rover approves is required to pass background checks and detailed interviews, so you can feel safe about leaving your pets with them. (Cat sitters as well as dog sitters are available.) The app allows you to stay part of your pet’s day without personally being there: you get access to photo updates, GPS tracking of dog walks, food/water refill alerts, easy messaging to keep sitters informed, and secure forms for booking and paying.