Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
Pet Food I Wish I Had When I First Moved Into My Apartment
25
items Small kitchen, no pantry, a confused cat staring at you from a box. Moving into an apartment with pets means figuring out feeding without the space you had before. This is everything I landed on after months of cramming oversized bags into closets an...
Sections
5
Compact Dry Food That Won't Take Over Your Closet
Wet Food That Doesn't Stink Up a Small Space
Treats That Fit in a Junk Drawer
Storage Solutions for Tiny Kitchens
Feeding Gear That Saves Floor Space
Compact Dry Food That Won't Take Over Your Closet
My first week in a 500 sq ft studio, I bought a 30-pound bag of kibble and had nowhere to put it. Lesson learned. These smaller bags last just long enough and actually fit in a cabinet.
Grab the 8-pound bag instead of the giant one. Fits right next to your cereal boxes and lasts my 25-pound dog about three weeks. No more shoving a massive sack behind the couch.
Purina ONE SmartBlend Natural Dry Dog Food with Rice
Keep this on hand if your dog has a sensitive stomach and you have zero storage. The 6-pound size is perfect for apartment cabinets, and my picky beagle mix actually finishes every bowl.
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Dog Food
Specifically made for indoor cats who lounge around apartments all day. My cat was gaining weight fast after we moved, and switching to this slowed that down within a month.
IAMS Proactive Health Weight Control and Hairball Care
For anyone whose dog gets gassy on grain-heavy food. Trust me, in a small apartment, you notice. Switched to this and the air quality in my studio improved dramatically.
Rachael Ray Nutrish Grain Free Chicken and Sweet
Toss this in any kitchen corner and forget about it. My roommate's cat is the least picky animal alive and still goes wild for this. Budget-friendly too when rent already takes everything.
Meow Mix Original Choice Dry Cat Food, 6.3 Pound Bag
Wet Food That Doesn't Stink Up a Small Space
Nothing worse than cracking open a can of pet food and having your entire 1-bedroom smell like a fish market for hours. These are the ones that kept complaints from my partner to a minimum.
Switch to the poultry and beef flavors if seafood ones make your apartment reek. These barely have a smell when you open them, and my cat acts like it's Thanksgiving every single time.
Purina Fancy Feast Classic Paté Variety Pack Chicken
Use these single-serve trays so there's nothing leftover stinking up your fridge. Perfect portions for small apartment dogs, and the trays crush flat for trash day.
Cesar Variety Pack Wet Dog Food - Chicken, Steak, Beef
Pair half a can with some kibble for a meal that actually keeps my dog full. Seal the rest with a silicone lid and honestly, no smell in the fridge at all. Took me five brands to find one that didn't reek.
Pro Plan Complete Essentials Chicken & Rice Wet Dog Food
Pre-portioned so you never have a half-open can sitting in your fridge stinking up your leftovers. Snap one open, serve it, done. My cat licks the tray clean every time.
MultiPACK
Smells more like actual food than most wet dog foods I've tried. Visitors couldn't even tell I'd just fed my dog, which matters a lot when your dining table is four feet from the dog bowl.
Blue Buffalo Wet Puppy Food: Chicken & Beef Recipes
Treats That Fit in a Junk Drawer
I used to have a whole shelf for treat bags. Now I share a kitchen with another human and two pets. These bags are small enough to stash anywhere and still make my pets lose their minds.
Grab these if your dog's breath could clear a room. In close apartment quarters, bad dog breath is personal. These actually work, and the bag fits in a kitchen drawer no problem.
Greenies Pumpkin Spice Flavor Petite Dental and Hard
Shake this bag and my cat teleports from wherever she's hiding. The resealable pouch stays fresh for weeks and takes up less space than a coffee mug in the cabinet.
Temptations Classic Seafood Medley Flavor Crunchy Cat
Toss a couple of these to your dog when you leave for work so they don't bark the second the door closes. My neighbor actually thanked me after I started this routine.
Milk-Bone Maro Snacks with Real Bone Marrow Dog Treats
For the cat who judges every treat you offer. Mine rejected three other brands before I tried these. Small bag, big reaction, and they don't crumble everywhere on your apartment floor.
Blue Buffalo Bursts: Cat & Dog Treats | Crunchy & Creamy
Use these for training in small spaces. They break into tiny pieces easily so you're not overfeeding during a 10-minute session in your living room. Soft enough that my old dog can handle them too.
Pup-Peroni Original Beef Recipe Chewy Dog Treats - 35oz
Storage Solutions for Tiny Kitchens
Bags leaking kibble dust everywhere, cans rolling around under the sink. Sound familiar? These containers saved my sanity and kept my landlord from finding pet food crumbs during inspections.
Dump your whole bag in here and slide it between the fridge and the wall. Airtight seal means no smell and no ants, which was a real problem my first summer in a ground-floor unit.
IRIS Airtight Pet Food Storage Containers
Fits inside a lower cabinet like it was designed for apartments. The snap-lock lid kept my curious cat from breaking in, which she absolutely tried twice with the old bag-and-clip method.
Iris Pet Food Storage Containers
Stackable and actually looks decent sitting out if you have no cabinet space. I keep mine next to the recycling bin and guests don't even realize it's full of dog food.
Vittles Vault Pawprint Outback Food Storage Container 15lb
Ditch the random cup you've been using as a scoop. This clips right to the inside of your storage bin so you're not digging around with your hands at 6am before coffee.
Pet Food Scoops & Storage - Best for Cats & Dogs
Stack two of these on your counter, one for kibble and one for treats. They look like regular kitchen canisters so your apartment doesn't scream 'pet owner' to every visitor.
Dog food storage ideas | Airtight bins | Rolling containers
Feeding Gear That Saves Floor Space
Bowls sliding across tile floors, water splashing everywhere, placemats bunching up. My hallway looked like a pet store exploded. These kept everything contained in one small corner.
Get this if your dog splashes water across the kitchen every time they drink. The raised design catches spills in a built-in tray. Saved me from mopping twice a day in my tiny galley kitchen.
Neater Feeder Express Mess Proof Elevated Bowls
Two bowls connected on one small stand. Takes up half the floor space of separate dishes and doesn't slide around on tile. My 600 sq ft apartment needed every inch back.
Loving Pets - Bella Roma - Travel Bowl - Double Diner
Heavy ceramic so it stays put on hardwood floors. My cat used to push her old plastic bowl across the entire apartment at 3am. This one doesn't budge and the noise problem vanished overnight.
Petrageous Designs 32 oz Ceramic Metro Deep Cat & Dog
Keep this folded flat in a drawer for water on balcony hangouts or quick walks. Takes up zero space when you're not using it, which is the whole point when every drawer counts.
Dexas Popware for Pets Collapsible Travel Cup
Perfect for small apartments because the half-gallon size fits on a counter edge. Fill it before a long work day and stop worrying about your cat's water running dry while you're stuck in traffic.
Petmate Replendish Waterer - 0.5 Gallon, Pearl Silver Gray