When I left home, my pets all stayed with my mum. It's their home and they're happy there so I…read morewould never dream of uprooting them and bringing them to Cardiff. Still, I miss them all like crazy and none of the places I've lived in here allow pets so there's this huge animal-shaped hole in my life. Pets at Home provides some relief from this. Firstly, and most obviously, I get to go and enjoy the cute animals they have there. My favourites are the guinea pigs and the Roborovski hamsters, and I can quite easily spend a good hour in there debating whether my landlord would notice if I bought one. I am eternally disappointed that there are no mice here, but any cute animals will amuse me well enough. Secondly, since I miss my cats and dog so much, and feel pretty bad for abandoning them, I regularly pop in to buy them treats and toys to take home with me. The range of beds is particularly good, which is handy when you have a dog as destructive as mine. This branch also has a Companion Care Vetinary Centre (02920 232 957).

I'm a sucker for pet shops, and I particularly love this chain of pet supermarkets. Although you…read morecan often pick up bits and bobs at little independent pet shops, when you need several things it's often easier to head straight to Pets at Home. My only complaint is that this branch (perhaps it's the same at all Pets at Home branches?) don't sell the dog food I buy (Harrington's), so I still have to pick that up elsewhere. For pick 'n' mix dog treats, squeaky toys, and accessories such as shampoo, bowls, leads and collars, however, Pets at Home has far more choice than most smaller pet shops. The staff all seem real animal-lovers, and if you take your dog in with you they often ask if they can give it a treat or two. Just be prepared for your dog to get into a right frenzy over all the food smells luring them from aisle to aisle - oh, and watch them if you go near the rabbit and guinea pig enclosures!

We've used these vets for quite some time and always found them to be friendly, helpful and full of…read morepractical advice. Of course they're pretty expensive too but that comes with the territory I guess. Appointments are necessary unless its an emergency - took our terrier when it had a stick jammed in its mouth and we thought it had a broken jaw - and that way they can keep the small waiting room reasonably well managed as all kinds of visitors from labradors to tabby cats in a small space can make for some interesting situations! The vet has always been a lady, and they're really good at making nervous 'patients' feel settled during the examination. Park nearby or, if you're lucky, in one of the spaces right outside. Theres also a bus-stop within 30 yards and this road - Cowbridge Road East is on one of the main bus routes in&out of the city. Thats about it, oh, and bring lots of money too.

Imagine a red setter dog; who is old in his years, he isn't dying yet, but he has a nasty broken…read moreleg all bandaged up. He's a large dog that was largely loved. I must have been around eight years old if not younger than that at the time, when grandma and granddad visit us in Cardiff with their dog. Kelly was his name... he was gorgeous and used to play with him many times even when he was old. He hurt his ankle whilst they stayed with and so we took him down to Penylan's veterinary and the vet people were very good with him and they were very quick in trying to get him mended again. Grandma was in tears and those of us who went with the dog had to say good bye there and then because he was so poorly by then, being old an all... It is such a sad thing to be a part of: the time when you have to say good bye to an adorable pet who you have had many memories with, but at least we got time to do so... And then it wasn't and ending to a life that was too tragic; unlike for my brother's cat, but that is another story... Enjoy your time with them to the full whilst you still can for time and life are both very precious towards all life. I recommend this place to all animal lovers.

Great service, friendly atmosphere and people. My puppy love this place! Been with them only couple…read moreof months but haven't had any problems. I do recommend this place! My Staffie probably to :)

PDSA is one of my favourite charities; they do so much good and I am so much an animal person. I'm…read morethat person that starts crying every time any charity advert comes on the television. I'm that person that starts crying twice as hard if that advert is about animals. I'm always going to be a little bit biased, then, when it comes to sorting out the wheat from the chaff with regard to charity shops. However, this one really is brilliant. The staff are excellent - they obviously care about what you care about and they always sing out a cheery 'Helloo!' when you walk through the door. The range of products maybe isn't quite as good as in, say, the British Heart Foundation shop (which is just down the road a little bit) but it's still good. Also, the prices are excellent.

Pdsa charity shops sell the cheapest second hand books available, and I love them for it. The don't…read moresort the books in alphabetical order like most of the other charity shops, and so it takes longer to find the authors and titles that you are looking for, but this is sometimes not a bad thing. Yes, it takes you longer to cast your eyes over the full range of books displayed, but in doing so you may find a book that you would not have otherwise seen. This has happened to me several times, and I've always been grateful. The only time that I have felt that this lack of order has been tiresome is when I have been in a rush and have not had the time to look through the entire collection. The Pdsa is not usually as good as a lot of the other charity shops for clothes and accessories, but I have still managed to find items that I like despite this. Again, their displays are not exactly easy to navigate, but their pricing policy more than makes up for it. As with the books, clothing prices tend to be lower than elsewhere.

This has the largest selection of reptiles in the area and located out on Cowbridge Road its easy…read moreto find with parking out front. It doesn't look too appealing from the outside, and considering how much I hate snakes I didn't have too much fun inside but then my boyfriend had agreed to look after his brothers snake while he was away so I had to chance! Carefully avoiding looking too closely in the tanks I did notice that it was very clean and the tanks seemed quite large. They also had a nice friendly selection of fish. Not really knowing much about looking after the snake, the staff really helped us out. I wasn't too thrilled to be buying the food for her but at least it was just the once! Anyway they have a selection of snakes, lizards, tortoises, scorpions, spiders and more.

Fab place for getting all your food supplies for your unusual pets. They've usually offers on the…read moreboxes of live food (3 for a fiver - you can mix and match). It's great to just take a look at all the pets on sale too - they seem well cared for and the place is always clean - the only off putting thing for me is the bins (un-lidded) with humongous crickets/locusts inside. Not much parking but its never really busy so we've not had a problem on that score yet.

All the poor little dogs here will break your heart. I still can't believe how some people can just…read moreabandon their animals but I know its not always that simple either. At least if the dogs end up here they have the chance of finding a nice new home. I went with my friend to visit the dog she was intending on re-homing and its a really good place. The staff to their very best to make sure you are right for the dog. You might just want the cutest one by they will match you up with the most suitable dogs for you. They had quite a few bull-dogs and staffy types so you may not instantly find the right one for you. Tedi the new dog has been a really good pet to my friend. He's had all his injections and medical check-ups so she didn't have to worry about the expense of that, and he's really lovely. I want one.

It's tough visiting a rescue centre like this. Each pair of puppy-dog eyes staring out at you from…read morebehind the bars seems to be begging you to take them away from the noise and chaos of kennels. These dogs desperately need homes. The RSPCA is severely struggling to find kennel space because there is so much demand for it - and this puts huge pressure on their resources. The staff at this rescue centre are very helpful if you have questions about particular dogs, and are keen to find suitable, well-matched homes so that the dogs are not returned to the rescue centre. I've never actually rehomed from this centre, but I have visited a couple of times hoping to find the right dog (she came along from elsewhere, in the end!). They keep the kennels clean and exercise the dogs as regularly as is possible with the numbers they're dealing with - and take on dog walking volunteers if you have any time to spare. If you do decide to rehome a dog from this centre, you will be asked to pay between about £95 and £120, depending on the age and breed of the dog.

This small veterinary surgery is located at the back of the Pets At Home store in Cardiff Bay. Run…read moreby joint partners Henning and Johann, it's not as impersonal as you might expect - considering it's housed within a big branch of a large pet supermarket chain. The partners are also the clinic's two Veterinary Surgeons, and the rest of the team includes a Veterinary Nurse, a Practice Co-ordinator, a student Vet Nurse, and several receptionists. They're a friendly bunch and the surgery seems to be well-kept and well-equipped, with an operating theatre, x-ray equipment, ECG, ultrasound, an in-house lab, biochemistry facilities, an isolation unit, 'hospital wards' (custom built kennels for in-patients), and much more. There's always plenty of parking, as it shares the site of Pets At Home, and they offer promotions such as Pet MOTs for dogs and cats who are 7 and over, and discounts off puppy and kitten vaccinations.

Awful - a horrible uncaring experience - never again! Found…read morean injured cat on my doorstep at 7am this morning - obviously someone's pet, hit by a car I assume, unable to move its back legs. Called the RSPCA for advice as I didn't know who owned it. Lovely friendly little thing - obviously much loved. RSPCA were fantastic - called me back, gave me a reference number and told me to take it to Companion Care who would take care of her. Took her down at 9.00am to be greeted by total indifference. Didn't examine her, no compassion at all - just complaining that RSPCA may not pay them, and if she needed an x-ray it wouldn't cover the cost. Refused to look at her until I supplied details of the number I had called for the RSPCA. Sat there for 25 minutes with the injured cat and eventually they took her whilst discussing how they could pass her off to Cats Protection. Surly receptionist, disinterested vet.....this place is ONLY about the money and not the care. I actually felt bad leaving her there......would never ever recommend and my dog who is registered there is about to be de-registered - wouldn't give them a penny in the future! Avoid.

This isn't the biggest Pets at Home but its my nearest so most frequented. Its in a handy spot…read morebeing in the same area as Ikea and Asda. I can tend to the whole house in one go. Shop wise they welcome your pets along and also have a vert based at the store so if you have a bit of a worry about your pet or getting one, then you can try and get your questions answered. It doens't have a lot of the bigger stuff that the Newport road branch does like giant fish tanks and rabbit hutches but it does have a selection of small rodents you might like.

This place is HUGE and excellent for everything animal related although they may not stock all the…read morefood you may want - although if you are lucky to live in the UK you can order on line and still pay UK prices. Have a pet go here.