Buy Crikey: Spoil pets but don't deplete the kitty

Pets in New Zealand are pampered members of the family. Photo / Thinkstock

Kiwis spend $1.6 billion on their pets annually. We pamper our pooches more than our grandparents ever could have imagined.

The cost of pet products is something that gets my poor heart muscles a little overworked. I've accepted that whatever my opinions about wasting money on expensive pet foods, a sizeable percentage of pet owners wouldn't buy any other than the likes of Iams, Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet or really posh food such as Ziwipeak.

It is still possible to shop around and buy in bulk if there is a good special on - especially if you're not too loyal to one shop.

I've been meaning to buy Advantage - thanks to the fact that our moggy has a flea allergy. Out of interest I followed my own advice and shopped around this week.

The cheapest six pack I could find, either online (including postage) or pickup, was $55.31 from Pet.co.nz. Interestingly, the next three cheapest prices were all from vets, not pet stores. They were Vetshop.co.nz, Vetfirst.co.nz, and the Unitec veterinary hospital.

I got all excited about the possibility of buying generic brand flea treatment from UK-based websites, which charge way less than New Zealand stores. But the Ministry for Primary Industries foiled that plan when it told me on Tuesday that it's against the law. But many overseas websites offer other perfectly legal pet products and a few will post to New Zealand.

Pet superstores such as Animates are great places to wander around if you love animals. They're stocked with all manner of useful products. If the experience of pet products shopping isn't important for you then supermarkets sell all the basics and so does The Warehouse.

If you're happy to shop online, then Pet.co.nz is hungry for business. The founder of GrabOne owns the site and does the online model well. Other online pet shops include MyPetshop.co.nz, Pet.co.nz or Cyberpets.co.nz.

Good old Trade Me shouldn't be ignored when buying for pets. When I looked this week there were 455 listings in dog food alone.

A couple of weeks back I bought a perfectly good cat door from trader kittypan for $15.79, including postage.

Of course, owning a pet isn't just about feeding your furry friend and ridding it of parasites.

You can buy all sorts of whacky accessories, such as doggy treadmills and interactive toys that, I guess, improve your pet's intelligence.

Animal clothing is really big. When I checked out Etsy.com this week, 6,286 items of pet clothes were available from sellers who deliver to New Zealand. I have to make a special mention of Auckland-based Dogs of Desire, which sells retro dog clothes on Etsy.

I became aware of this store when the designer bought a 1960s bedspread from my mother and turned it into premium pet wear.

More Deals

• Animates: $15 off Iams cat food 10kg or 20 per cent off Hill's Science Diet Oral Care dog food

• Moggy Doggy & Friends Kitten Starter Kit $34.97 at thewarehouse.co.nz

• 20 per cent off all pet food and free postage for all spends over $39 at Pet.co.nz.

• New dog beds from $1 on Trade Me