6 Things to Shop on Petco.com Before Your Next Store Run
It’s Sunday night, the kibble bin is scraped down to the last scoop, and the cat has opinions about the litter box. Most pet owners know this moment. The fix usually isn’t another trip to the store. It’s ordering from Petco online, where most of what you’d pick up in the aisle can be in a cart in a few minutes and, in a lot of areas, at your door the same day.
The site is big, though. Dog, cat, fish, reptile, bird and small animal departments all sit side by side, along with a handful of Petco’s own brands you won’t find anywhere else. Here’s how the online store breaks down, starting with the sections most households use every week.
Below, six parts of petco.com in order of how often you’ll probably need them.
🐕 Shop dog food and treats on Petco
1. Dog food and treats, where most carts start
Food is the reason most people open the Petco site in the first place, and the dog aisle online runs deep. You’ll find the big national names there (Petco lists Hill’s and Royal Canin, among others) next to Petco’s in-house line, WholeHearted.
WholeHearted is worth a look if you haven’t tried it. Petco launched it in 2016 as an exclusive natural dog food developed by its own nutrition and product teams, and the range now covers dog and cat food and treats, including grain-free and small-breed recipes. Petco says the line is made in the USA, with some select wet foods coming from Thailand. In 2022 it added WholeHearted Fresh Recipes, a frozen line co-developed with JustFoodForDogs.
If your dog is on a special diet or you’re weighing a switch for a health reason, run it past your vet first. For everyday feeding, the online filters by brand, life stage and recipe type make comparing bags a lot easier than squinting at shelves.
2. The cat aisle
Cat owners tend to go through two things fastest: food and litter. Petco’s own So Phresh brand covers the litter side almost end to end. There’s scoopable clumping litter (Petco describes its Advanced Odor Control version as fragrance-free and 99% dust-free), paper pellet litter, open and hooded boxes, a stainless steel box, scoops and washable mats.
For the fun part, Leaps & Bounds is Petco’s toy brand, with catnip mice, kicker toys and teaser wands.
Litter is heavy. Having it delivered is one of those small upgrades you stop questioning after the first bag shows up on the porch.
3. Autoship for the things you never want to run out of
Petco’s subscription service, long known as Repeat Delivery and now labeled Autoship on much of the site, is the most useful feature for anyone buying the same food or litter on a schedule. You pick the item and how often it should arrive, and it shows up on that rhythm.
According to Petco, first-time Autoship orders get 35% off and later deliveries get 5% off the current online price. Petco notes a cap on the first-order discount and a list of excluded brands and items, so read the terms on the Autoship page before you count on it for a specific bag. Petco also says pickup and curbside orders can qualify for the first-order discount, and that same-day delivery comes at no extra cost on Autoship orders.
Set it once and the “we’re out of food” moment mostly goes away.
📦 Set up Autoship on your pet’s food
4. Fish, reptiles and small animals
This is where buying online pays off for a different reason: the gear is bulky and the choices are specific. Petco’s Imagitarium brand covers aquariums, stands, filters, substrate and maintenance tools like gravel vacuums and nets.
The reptile department sells terrariums, enclosures, heating, lighting, food and decor, with brands like Zoo Med, Exo Terra and Zilla. Petco says most of its reptile kits include the terrarium, substrate, decorations and the lighting and heating equipment, which saves a lot of guesswork if you’re setting up for a first gecko or bearded dragon.
For rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters, the small animal section has cages, bedding, food and toys from brands including Oxbow, Midwest and Petco’s own EveryYay and So Phresh.
5. Reddy, for the walk-out-the-door stuff
Reddy is Petco’s lifestyle gear brand, designed by the Petco team in San Diego. Online you’ll find collars, leashes, harnesses, rain jackets and puffer vests, sweaters, travel bowls and bags. It’s the section to browse when the old leash is fraying or the dog needs something for a wet winter.
6. Getting more back on every Petco order
A few Petco programs stack up nicely for online shoppers. All of these come from Petco’s own pages, and the terms change, so check the current details at checkout.
Petco Perks. The free rewards program that used to be called Vital Care. Petco says members earn 1% back in points on everything and 3% back on Petco-owned brands, which covers WholeHearted, So Phresh and Reddy.
Perks Premier. The paid tier adds monthly rewards and everyday discounts. For dogs, Petco lists savings on nutrition and grooming plus routine vet exams; for cats, discounts on litter and food. There are separate plans for fish, reptiles, birds and small pets. It’s a 12-month commitment, so it fits best if you’re already a regular Petco shopper.
Same-day delivery. Petco says eligible orders placed by 5:15 p.m. local time arrive the same day from your local store through DoorDash, with free delivery above a minimum order.
Buy online, pick up in store. Choose “I’ll Pick It Up” at checkout and grab the order at your local Petco. Petco has run automatic discounts on qualifying pickup orders.
Put a couple of these together, say Autoship on food plus Perks points on the house brands, and the weekly pet run turns into a few taps and a box at the door.
