Juju Plus Juno

we couldn’t imagine life with cats without these 5 necessities (that don’t break the bank)

whisker-friendly, raised stainless bowls

I get it, the fruit-shaped ceramic cat bowls can be so tempting. We used to have a strawberry one! But cleanliness has become a top priority for us after Juju had her first flare-up of chin acne. We were reminded that those cutesy bowls are simply bacteria breeding grounds.

These ones are dishwasher safe, and you don’t have to put the whole unit in the dishwasher- the stands are separate. We got the 2-pack for $22.99, and while they looked a little deep for whiskers at first glance, they’re actually perfect due to the bowl itself being huge.

universal can saver lids

Wasting wet food.. in this economy? We could never! There are a few different sets like these on amazon, but I went with this one for $5.99 because I mean, look at the adorable heart spoon it comes with.

I usually add a touch of water to the bottom before sealing up the leftovers, so that it stays moist in the fridge. Depending on your cat’s preferences, you might transfer the leftovers to a microwave-safe dish for a few seconds to heat it up for your carnivore.

mesh tubes & springs

These things will simply never not entertain my cats. I have seen them priced really high at pet stores, but the mega-packs are only around $6 on Amazon. With how quickly these get lost underneath the fridge and washing machine, we go through a 30 pack pretty quickly before a full search-and-rescue is needed.

The good news: I rarely have to buy more if I just look around the apartment hard enough. Juno is equally addicted to the springs and the tubes. If you get the mesh tubes, make sure you fold the edges inside of themselves to activate the bouncy shape.

skout’s honor spray (for seriously any pet mess)

When I say we have used this stuff for seriously everything- I mean it! So far it’s worked on every stain we have tried it on. It even removed a minor bloodstain (which it totally doesn’t even claim to do). Skout’s Honor has a variety of different pet-specific cleaning sprays- like this one that is a more all-encompassing version.

The one we have though is specifically targeted for cat urine, and it does an amazing job of freshening our litterboxes during deep cleans. Since we have a young kitten, he’s not always purrfect.. We’ve had to reach for this spray when he miscalculated his aim.. and let’s just say you’d never know it happened!

stainless steel litter box

Why is it like suddenly in 2025, we are just now learning that stainless steel is the GOAT? Seriously.. I love stainless steel. Beautiful, affordable jewlery that looks expensive and actually won’t tarnish? Stainless steel. Cleanest way to feed your pets? Stainless steel. Safest cooking utensils to use in 2025? I don’t even have to say it.

Seriously, how did it take the cat world so long to realize this is the ideal litterbox material? I know the title of this post says affordable so don’t kill me! But– at the time of writing, this $100 litterbox is on sale for $59.99. It comes with so many bells and whistles, including top entry, front mat, and a shiny new scoop.

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