“Rollbark” Pricing: The Walmart Guide to Spoiling Your Pet on a Budget

Everyday low prices? More like everyday low “purrices." Although Walmart sells popular cat and dog food brands like Purina, Sheba, Friskies, Nutro, Cesar and others, its exclusive brands deliver even more value. Plus, you’ll find savings on cat trees, dog crates, and even exotic pet food and supplies.

So settle in with your furry pal and read on to find out everything pet parents love about Walmart — and we don’t just mean the phenomenal fashion choices:

Walmart’s Private-Label Pet Brands

Most pet owners would love to serve only top-of-the-line food — organic, free range, no artificial ingredients, etc. — but that stuff costs as much (or more than) your own dinner. And let’s be real, your dog or cat will happily scarf down “animal by-products" from whatever freaky place they originate.

So, the best food is whatever you can afford that your pet will enjoy. That’s where Walmart’s exclusive pet brands come in, offering food and pet supplies at steep discounts.

Special Kitty

Special Kitty is Walmart’s private label cat food and litter brand, offering many varieties of canned and dry food for cats and kittens. When we visited Walmart recently, Special Kitty paté was 33% cheaper than Friskies paté:

Cats.com rated Special Kitty food — which is produced by The JM Smucker Company — an overall 5/10, giving it 10 points for affordability. Their key concern was the use of fillers like corn and soy. If you’re on a super tight budget or feeding a cat colony, though, as the saying goes, “Fed is best."

Ol’ Roy

Ol’ Roy is Walmart’s house brand of dog food, named after Sam Walton’s own dog. It’s made by Mars Petcare, which also manufactures higher-end brands like Natura, Iams, and Royal Canin. Ol’ Roy offers “complete nutrition," although the wet food appears to contain higher-quality ingredients than the kibble.

(Lesser known than Ol’ Roy is Golden Rewards, Walmart’s private-label dog treats made with chicken, duck, and pork. Walmart customers overwhelmingly give Golden Rewards products five stars.)

Vibrant Life

Vibrant Life is Walmart’s line of pet accessories — such as travel carriers, chew toys, beds, harnesses, bowls, training pads, climbing trees, and litter boxes — for animals of every ilk, from dogs and cats to guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, goats, pigs, and chickens. (The only drawback to these fabulous, inexpensive products? Those impulse buys you can’t resist!)

Consumer Repurrts: Special Kitty vs. Friskies

Yes, Walmart’s private labels are cheaper than the name brands — but if price is no object, which do furry foodies prefer?

We put it to the test, designing a side-by-side competition between Friskies Mixed Grill Paté and Special Kitty Mixed Grill Dinner Paté. Our judge? A 12-year-old tortoiseshell with a sophisticated palate named Boomer, who has always dreamed of being a gourmet influencer. With Friskies on the left and Special Kitty on the right, let’s see which she preferred…

It’s official, folks — Friskies’ slop was the instant winner. So, based on a focus group of one, you do get what you pay “fur."

However, when we took the Friskies bowl away, Boomer was happy to eat from the Special Kitty bowl instead, so maybe the difference is splitting hairs (or whiskers, anyway).

Pawp: Free Vet Video Visits with Walmart+

As if saving on kibble and chew toys at Walmart weren’t enough to make your tail wag, your Walmart+ membership unlocks access to Pawp, the 24/7 digital health clinic for pets that’s like having a veterinarian in your sweatshirt pocket. Normally this pet-parent helpline costs $99/year, but as a Walmart+ member, you get it for free.

It’s not a substitute for emergency surgery, but Pawp is perfect for those late-night “why is my dog chewing toilet paper again?" questions.

Walmart Flash Deals for Pets

Walmart Flash Deals are limited-time discounts up to 65% that rotate every day or so. In the Pets category, you can find big markdowns on products such as feeders, wireless fences, collars, treats, self-cleaning litter boxes — but hurry, you’ll need to fetch ‘em quick before they’re doggone.

Can You Bring Your Pets to Walmart?

As much as we love Walmart merch for our pets, it differs from stores like PetSmart and Petco where leashed pets are generally allowed with their accompanying human guardian (or, in the case of cats, with their dedicated human servant). Walmart asks that shoppers leave their pets at home. Service animals “as defined by the ADA" are, of course, welcome.