Prescription cat medicine and essential supplies are often expensive and can take up a significant portion of your budget. With rising costs of pet supplies and veterinary care, many people are searching for more affordable options to continue to provide for their cats.

PetMeds has been operating since 1996 to connect cat owners to prescription pet medicine for the lowest prices. With decades of experience, PetMeds has become one of the leading online pet pharmacies. Many cat owners use PetMeds because of its daily discounts and price-matching offers. It’s also a useful alternative for people who don’t have pet insurance to help pay for expensive medication. Since it can ship prescription cat medicine through online orders, it’s become a viable resource for people who live in remote areas with limited access to pet care supplies.

PetMeds has gone through some recent changes to expand its product catalog. So, if you prefer making online orders and skipping visits to the pet store, PetMeds is definitely worth exploring. Here’s everything you need to know about this service and what benefits you can expect to experience from it.

PetMeds Reviewed

What Is PetMeds and Where Is It Produced?

PetMeds is an online veterinary pharmacy that has an expansive selection of medication, food, and supplements for dogs, cats, and horses. It has many popular brands in stock and can also ship prescription medication and veterinary diets.

The company was founded in 1996 and is based in Delray Beach, Florida. It began as an online pet pharmacy that mostly dispensed prescription pet medicine. Over the years, it diversified its range of services and recently acquired PetCareRx in 2023.¹ This acquisition expanded PetMeds’ catalog to include a wider selection of pet care products, including premium and prescription pet food.

Today, PetMeds has served over 11 million pet parents and is licensed to dispense prescription pet medicine in all 50 states. It has an online veterinary pharmacy verification by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. It’s also accredited by the Better Business Bureau and has an A+ rating.

Who Is PetMeds Best Suited For?

Any cat owner can benefit from exploring PetMeds’ options for discounted products. Before its recent acquisition of PetCareRx, shopping with PetMeds would have only been applicable to cat owners looking for discounted prescription cat medicine. However, it now has many premium and prescription cat foods and treats in its catalog. So, it’s a viable option for people who have to feed their cats specialty diets. With the rising costs of cat food and products, PetMeds can help lower cat care costs, especially for those who don’t have pet insurance for their cats, and you can also use PetMeds for dogs and horses.

Who Might Do Better With a Different Brand?

Several major pet suppliers offer similar services. For example, Chewy and Petco can also ship prescription cat medication to you, and they give you the option to set up auto-shipments for a variety of cat products.

You may be able to save a bit more when shopping with PetMeds because PetMeds does price matching on products in its catalog. However, it has a more limited selection of other cat products, like toys and furniture. So, if you’re not mainly looking for prescription medicine, you might benefit from other pet supply retailers because they’re likely to have more options for you.

Is PetMeds Legit? Finding the Lowest Prices

PetMeds offers multiple savings opportunities for its customers, and you don’t necessarily have to create an online account to experience these savings. PetMeds has daily deals and coupon codes that help you save an extra few dollars when shopping. It also offers free shipping for orders over $49.

You can save 40% with your first AutoShip order and will continue to save 5% on future orders. PetMeds also has the PetMeds Rewards Program, which allows you to accumulate points with every purchase and receive credit once you’ve earned a certain amount of points.

Another way you can ensure you’re getting the lowest prices is through PetMeds’ price match offer. All you have to do is contact PetMeds if you’ve found the same product at a lower price. PetMeds will verify the price and apply the savings to your order.

Extensive Catalog of Prescription Cat Medication

PetMeds does have its own line of pet care products, but it’s not a pharmaceutical company. So, most of its products are supplements and grooming supplies. PetMeds works with other pet medication manufacturers and posts their product listings on its website.

You can find hundreds of brands, and PetMeds carries most name-brand medications that you’d normally purchase at your veterinarian’s office. Some common types of prescription cat medication you can find through PetMeds include flea and tick medication, heartworm medication, anti-inflammatory medication for joint pain, and medication for hyperthyroidism. PetMeds also offers generic brands for some types of medication, so you could potentially experience even more savings.

Ordering Prescription Medication from PetMeds

PetMeds excels in distributing prescription medicine to cat owners at more affordable prices and has a larger prescription medication catalog than many of its competitors. The process for ordering prescription medicine is simple and straightforward. All you have to do is look for your cat’s medication on PetMeds’ website. Once you’ve added the medication to your shopping cart, you just follow PetMeds’ step-by-step checkout process. PetMeds will ask for information about your veterinarian and the prescription medication, and you can also opt for auto-shipments.

After you’ve submitted the order, PetMeds will take care of the rest. A representative will contact your veterinarian to verify your prescription. Once your order has been verified by your veterinarian, PetMeds will ship the medication and notify you via email. The same thing happens with medication refills. PetMeds will verify the prescription with your veterinarian and ship your order.

AutoShip Service

Staying on top of your cat’s medication and food shipments is made easy with PetMeds’ AutoShip Program. All you have to do is select the AutoShip option when you’re ready to checkout and choose how frequently you want your order to be delivered. You can make changes or cancel auto-shipments through your online account.

You’ll receive email reminders when orders are about to ship, and PetMeds will also email you if an item in your order is out of stock.

Access to Veterinary Care

PetMeds has partnerships with a couple of veterinary care services to help provide more seamless care for cats. It partnered with Vetster to create VetLive, which is an on-demand telehealth veterinary care service. PetMeds customers who have scheduled at least one AutoShip order can have one free 30-minute video call with a licensed Vetster vet through VetLive.

PetMeds also has a partnership with Pumpkin Pet Insurance to provide a more seamless experience for submitting claims and receiving reimbursements for products and services provided by PetMeds. Pumpkin’s pet insurance plans can cover VetLive telehealth calls and many different prescription medications purchased through PetMeds.

Inconsistent Experiences With Shipping

There are some customer complaints about shipping and delays. PetMeds has to verify with veterinarians before shipping prescription medicine, so it’s possible that this communication exchange can delay shipping. If you need food or prescription medication immediately, you may want to purchase your first order from a direct supplier so that you receive what you need right away. Then, when you have the food or medication, you can purchase subsequent orders through PetMeds and won’t be as affected by any potential shipping delays.

A Quick Look at PetMeds

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Do I need to provide my cat’s medical information to purchase items from PetMeds?

Yes, PetMeds is required by law to know certain information regarding your cat’s medical history. You can expect PedMeds to ask for your cat’s weight, breed, age, and any medical information related to the prescription medications you purchase. You must also provide your veterinarian’s information, as PetMeds will contact your veterinarian to verify all prescription orders.

Is there a limit to how many items can be auto-shipped?

No, there’s no limit to how many items you can schedule for auto-shipments. You can also change the frequency of your auto-shipments or cancel any of your subscriptions at any time.

Can orders be changed after they’ve been placed?

Orders can be changed after they’ve been placed as long as the changes are made before the order has shipped. So, it’s important to review your order immediately after submitting it to ensure everything is correct. If you spot any mistakes in your order, make sure to contact customer service right away.

What is PetMeds’ return policy?

PetMeds has a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee and offers free returns for dissatisfactory items. If you’ve purchased over-the-counter medicine or general cat supplies, you must request a refund within 90 days to receive a full refund. PedMeds will offer merchandise credit for any requests made after 90 days.

You have up to 30 days after the shipping date to request a refund on prescription cat medication. PetMeds can provide prorated refunds for any prescription medication that you aren’t satisfied with.

What Other Users Are Saying

PetMeds has generally positive reviews from customers. Many customers mention how easy it is to use PetMeds and navigate the website. There are numerous reviews on the savings that people experience when shopping with PetMeds. PetMeds also provides access to prescription cat medication to people who live in more remote areas where veterinary products are more scarce.

PetMeds has accumulated mixed reviews when it comes to shipping. It’s worth noting that most complaints with PetMeds’ shipping occurred during a transitional period within PetMeds in 2023. Several customer complaints posted during this time have mentioned that they were told that there were shipping complications due to changes in PetMeds’ internal system. It’s very possible that such internal changes affected shipping methods and shipping delays.

Some customers have stated that it’s helpful to notify your veterinarian’s office that you’ve placed an order with PetMeds and that a representative will contact them. This can help reduce the risk of delays and speed up shipping orders.

Fortunately, PetMeds does have responsive customer service. It offers various forms of contact, including phone, email, and live chat. Most customers have had a positive experience with PetMeds’ customer service and have had issues with orders resolved.

Conclusion

PetMeds has a generally positive reputation within the pet community. You can find some of the lowest prices on the PetMeds product catalog and request price matching if you’ve found a lower price from a different retailer. PetMeds also makes life more convenient for busy cat owners by delivering products straight to your door. For even more convenience and savings, you can set up AutoShip orders for an unlimited number of products.

Some people have experienced shipping delays, but alerting your veterinarian about shopping with PetMeds can help speed up shipping for prescription cat medicine. Overall, PetMeds works to make shopping for cat supplies more affordable and convenient, and it’s become a considerable option for people who live in areas that don’t have adequate access to pet care supplies.

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Featured Image Credit: New Africa, Shutterstock