Hot pet summer! The best gadgets, treats and products for your dog or cat

27 August 2021, 12:48 | Updated: 27 August 2021, 13:58

Make sure your furry friends stay cool as the weather hots up
Make sure your furry friends stay cool as the weather hots up. Picture: Getty
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There's nothing quite like a summer's day to put a spring in your step and get you in the mood for an adventure - and now your fur babies can get in on the action, too!

Frozen treat tray for cats

Invest in a treat freezing tray for your favourite feline
Invest in a treat freezing tray for your favourite feline. Picture: Catit
Freeze the creamy treats and then pop them out when they're cold and solid
Freeze the creamy treats and then pop them out when they're cold and solid. Picture: Catit

Let your cat chill out with a creamy, meaty, frozen treat - but make sure you don't get your ice cube trays mixed up when you're making yourself a drink!

Each £1.79 pack of Catit's contains four tubes of creamy treat, with Chicken, Chicken & Lamb, Salmon & Prawns, and Tuna flavours all available.

Simply squeeze a tube in to the tray and freeze until solid.

Where to buy: Silicon ice tray, £1, Catit

Jude's Ice Cream for dogs

Let your dog cool down with his own little tub of ice cream
Let your dog cool down with his own little tub of ice cream. Picture: Jude's

Your dog can join in when you stop for an ice cream thanks to Jude's new pooch-friendly variety.

Ice Cream for Dogs is a plant based strawberry, apple and banana ice cream made from real fruit purees, and it's also suitable for cats.

Jude's worked with Battersea Dogs and Cats Home to create this delicious pet ice cream, and 5 per cent of sales will be donated to the world famous rehoming centre to support their work helping dogs and cats everywhere.

Where to buy: Ocado, £1.50 a tub

Faith in Nature dog shampoo collection

We LOVE Faith In Nature products - and now your pooch will, too!
We LOVE Faith In Nature products - and now your pooch will, too! Picture: Faith in Nature

Like all of Faith In Nature's products, their new dog shampoo collection is pH balanced, natural and made from 100% essential oils.

They are refillable, vegan, cruelty free and housed in 100% recyclable and recycled packaging.

The range comes in three variants, depending on the doggie hair dilemma:

  • DETANGLING - for Curly Coats and Knots

This coconut shampoo contains organic coconut oil to provide natural detangling and hydration – perfect for curly coats and knotty nightmares.

  • GENTLE - for Sensitive Dogs and Puppies

This mild shampoo contains calming chamomile essential oils to gently cleanse sensitive dogs and puppies.

  • DEEP CLEANSING - for Dirty Dogs

This lavender shampoo will deeply cleanse and deodorise even the muckiest of pups.  Fox poo doesn’t stand a chance.

Where to buy: Faith In Nature, prices start from £5.79 (available from September)

Stocky & Dee collar and lead

Disclaimer: Wearing a Stocky & Dee collar won't automatically make your dog this polite!
Disclaimer: Wearing a Stocky & Dee collar won't automatically make your dog this polite! Picture: Stocky & Dee

You can handpick your dog’s accessories based on their (well your) favourite colours and designs!

Each collar is handmade and built to order in Stocky & Dee’s Edinburgh based Studio, with patterns made using high quality UK sourced yarns and lined with luxurious velvets.

The collars come in a variety of sizes, designs and colours, with prices depending on size and design.

You can also buy matching rope leads, again handmade and built to order.

Where to buy: Stocky & Dee, prices start at £26 for a collar and £32 for a lead

Cat water fountain

This cute water fountain will provide kitty with plenty of refreshing water all day
This cute water fountain will provide kitty with plenty of refreshing water all day. Picture: Catit

The PIXI Smart Fountain will alert you when it has a low water level and needs its filter replaced. It also has a nightlight to help kitty get a drink in the middle of the night!

Along with the matching PIXI Smart Feeder, you can monitor what your cat is eating and drinking using a smartphone app, and control when their dinner (or breakfast!) is served if you have a night out.

Where to buy: PIXI Smart Fountain, £89; and PIXI Smart Feeder, £99

Vapur EZ Lick

Keep your dog hydrated on the go
Keep your dog hydrated on the go. Picture: Vapur EZ Lick

This portable water bottle is great for taking out when walking your dog.

It is a 700ml pouch with special lick ball water dispenser, meaning that your dog can drink all they want without wasting a drop.

Just hold the bottle to your dog’s mouth and they can hydrate to their heart's desire!

The bottle can be rolled up once its empty, meaning it doesn't take up a lot of space and is easy to grab and go.

Where to buy: Vapur EZ Lick Portable Dog Water Bottle, £22.95, Whitby & Co

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Clean Dog Co. grooming products

All the products are vegan and cruelty free
All the products are vegan and cruelty free. Picture: Clean Dog Company

Keep doggy smelling clean and fresh with a luxurious home bath using the Clean Dog Co's grooming products, which are tailor-made for dogs’ delicate skin and fur.

They are carefully formulated with odour-fighting cleansers and gentle scents of Lavender, Rosemary and Chamomile, with shampoo coming in 100ml, 250ml, and 500ml bottles.

Other products available include ‘The Towel’ for £14.99 - a super lightweight towel made from recycled polyester which can be fastened to fold and hold the towel (and comes with its own travel bag), and the ‘Fur Massager’ for £9.99, available in blue or lilac.

As part of its sustainability ethos, The Clean Dog Co’s product packaging is 100% recyclable.

Where to buy: www.thecleandogcompany.com, prices start at £9.99

Concrete bowls

These trendy dog bowls are suitable for indoor or outdoor use
These trendy dog bowls are suitable for indoor or outdoor use. Picture: Smith and Goat

Your pet's food will look so good in these handmade concrete bowls they'll be asking you to take a picture of their dinner and put it on Instagram!

The two bowls are easily removed from their rectangular base and as they are very weighty, they are non-skid, perfect for messy eaters! The Base is 36cm long x 21cm wide x 3.5cm deep, and each bowl is 13.5cm diameter x 7.5cm deep.

They are sealed with a food safe sealant so your fur babies can eat in style, and safety.

The bowls are available in a variety of colours, and suitable for indoor and outdoor use.

Where to buy: Smith and Goat, £50

Trendy dog bed

Settle has a range of dog beds in trendy patterns, like terrazzo
Settle has a range of dog beds in trendy patterns, like terrazzo. Picture: Settle

The materials used in Settle's range of dog beds are breathable, durable... and follow fashion/interior trends so your dog is cool in every sense of the word.

The beds' inners are made from regenerated plastic bottles, and the covers are machine washable.

They come in three sizes:

  • Small 70 x 60 x 23cm
  • Medium 90 x 70 x 23cm
  • Large 110 x 80 x 23cm

Where to buy: Settle, prices start from £124

Portable dog bowl

This lightweight portable dog bowl will keep your pooch hydrated
This lightweight portable dog bowl will keep your pooch hydrated. Picture: Le Chameau

Country lifestyle brand Le Chameau's portable and scrunchable dog bowl is perfect to take on dog walks, or to have with you when you're out and about with your fur baby.

It is really lightweight and can be popped in a bag and then filled up with water wherever possible so your pooch can stay hydrated.

Where to buy: Le Chameau, £15

Cooling vest

This cooling vest will help your dog beat the heat
This cooling vest will help your dog beat the heat. Picture: Pets At Home

The Ice Vest is lightweight and designed to keep your pet cool and comfortable on hot days or when on the go, for up to six hours at a time.

It helps protect them against UV and heat related illness, and to use all you need to do is soak the vest in cold water and wring out, repeating once the water as evaporated.

It comes in sizes XS - XXXXL so suitable for hot dogs of all shapes and sizes.

Where to buy: Pets At Home, prices start from £13

Dog paddling pool

Dogs will love splashing around in their own paddling pool
Dogs will love splashing around in their own paddling pool. Picture: Pets At Home

The Cool Club Pop Up Dog Bath and Paddling Pool features a galvanised spring steel frame which pops up and down in seconds and is easily folded away for storage. 

It's perfect for dogs looking for a playful splash around, or mucky pups needing a bath!

Where to buy: Pets At Home £25 for large, £35 for XL


Pawpops

Dogs love a refreshing cold treat, too!
Dogs love a refreshing cold treat, too! Picture: Woof and Brew

These freeze at home ice pops are designed just for your dog or cat - i.e they are booze and sugar free!

Each pop is made with elderflower, linden blossom and ginseng, which have been created with the advice of veterinary experts and are non-alcoholic and grape-free.

They are great for keeping pets cool in hot weather and can be grabbed from the freezer when your pet fancies a 'lick' or a 'crunch'.

Where to buy: Woof and Brew, £6.49 for a box of six 50ml pops

Lick-e-Lix

Freeze a Lick-e-Lix to make a meaty popsicle for your cat
Freeze a Lick-E-Lix to make a meaty popsicle for your cat. Picture: Lick-e-Lix

Cats LOVE creamy tube treat Lick-e-Lix, but if you pop one in the freezer, you can let them enjoy it in a whole new way!

Lara McNeil, owner of Cat Café Mog on the Tyne, says her cats love this hack: “A customer once told us about the Lick-e-Lix freezing hack and it went down such a treat with our moggies – we’ve done it ever since. The cats love it so much, and as soon as we bring a packet out, they all come flocking for their frozen feast.”

With a new beef flavour, your cat will be even more excited.

Where to buy: Lick-e-Lix are available nationwide including Asda, £1 for a box of 5

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