20 Apps for Pet Lovers

There's an app for everything, even for your four-footed friends. And why not? There are nearly 144 million dogs and cats in this country. They deserve to have as much fun as the rest of us. However, you might find the array of possibilities daunting. Whether you're looking for a tablet game for your cat, apps for logging your dog walks or first aid apps for your pet, there's going to be something here for you and your furry friends.

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Tractiv's Dog Walk app (Android, iOS) is a free exercise tracker for your dog walks, using your phone's GPS sensors to record your dog walking route and display it on a map, complete with distance and time. Users can also take and save pictures  from within the app, and they can log where their dog heeds nature's call along the way. Users can view a record of their dog walk routes, share them with friends and family, or use them to record activities — that last option being particularly appealing for dog walkers.

The ASPCA has a good line of mobile apps aimed at helping out tech-savvy pet owners. The ASPCA Pet Safety app (Android, iOS) can help pet owners plan for pet safety during emergencies, natural disasters and extreme weather. The app presents safety and preparedness hints, suggestions on how to search for lost pets right after emergencies and tools for storing pet information or creating a lost pet kit.

The ASPCA's other mobile app is the Animal Poison Control Center app (Android, iOS), a handy guide to common household items, drugs, hazards and plants that can be toxic or dangerous for dogs, cats, birds or horses. Users can search for a particular substance or plant or filter by species. They can also get a color coded risk assesment, a list of expected symptoms and suggested actions, poison calculators for things like chocolate or rat poison and —most importantly — a one-touch dial to the ASPCA's poison control hotline.

Pet First Aid by American Red Cross (Android, iOS) is a nicely designed first aid guide and knowledge base for owners of dogs and cats. The app provides users with simple first aid lessons, step by step guides and how-to videos. The multiple configurable pet profiles come in handy, as do the section where you can save your vet's contact details.

Keeping on top of all your dog's health needs is no mean feat. Dog Buddy is a to-do and health log app that helps you keep a journal of your dog's medical needs, treatments, vaccination schedules, and other info you might need to make sure that your four-footed friend stays healthy and happy. Users can track their dog's weight, create journal entries and milestones, store photos, and save your dog's bio data, vet contact details, medication schedules, and more, all for free.

Similar to Dog Buddy, 11Pets (Android, iOS) is a pet needs and health journal app that helps you stay on top of your pet's vaccinations, medicines and scheduled vet visits. You can store your vet's contact details, your pet's medical history, photos, and medication needs, and track your pet supply needs. Previously an Android exclusive, 11Pets has since released an iOS version.

Whistle is a combination GPS and health tracking device worn on your pet's collar that helps owners keep track of their pets through the connected Whistle (Android, iOS) app. The device uses three different methods to track your pet (GPS, WiFi, cellular signal) for redundancy, and users can set geofenced safe areas, with notifications if your pet leaves the region. In addition to the pet locator function, the Whistle app can also record your pet's activity and rest, complete with custom goals, and graphs that you can show to your vet.