Chrome extensions for cat and dog lovers
Chrome extensions for cat and dog lovers come in three groups: ones that put a new photo or fact on your new tab page, small animated companions, and ones that put your own pet in your browser. Here are ten, with what each one does.
We make one of them, Pawsome Family, so weigh what we say about it accordingly. We have not tested the others. What we say about each one comes from its Chrome Web Store listing, checked on October 7, 2026. Listings change, so look before you install.
For cat lovers
- Tabby Cat. A new cat in every new tab. They blink, sleep, and let you pet them, and they sometimes leave you a small gift. Listed as free.
- Cute Cat Wallpapers New Tab. A cat or kitten wallpaper on every new tab, with the time, the date, and shortcuts to the sites you visit most. It also puts a Bing search box on the page.
- Sleeping cat in the browser. One small cat, asleep, to keep you company. Listed as free.
- Meow, The Cat Pet. A cat that walks on your screen while you browse. You feed it, play with it, and pet it. Listed as free.
For dog lovers
- Dog Facts. A fact about dogs, with a photo, every time you open a new tab. There are dog jokes behind the toolbar button.
- Dog Lovers Backgrounds. Dog photos as the background of your new tab page.
- DogOfTheDay. A new dog photo with notes on the breed, opened from the toolbar. It does not show the same dog twice. Free for a set number of dogs a day, with a paid tier.
- Dog Vision Simulator. Right-click any picture to see roughly how a dog would see it. Handy when you are choosing a toy they can actually spot.
Your own cat or dog in your browser
The newest kind of extension starts from your photos, so the animal on your screen is yours.
- Pawsome Family. Ours. You add 1 to 5 photos of your dog or cat, and a small animated pet that looks like them walks, sits, and naps along the bottom of every tab. See an example tuxedo cat or beagle. One pet is free for 30 days, then it is $5 a month, billed yearly.
- FriendPet. Turns one photo of a pet, a partner, or a friend into a character that walks across your pages and waves. Listed as free.
If this is the kind you want, how to turn your own dog or cat into a desktop pet compares more ways to do it.
Three things to check before you add one
- Only one extension can change your new tab page. If you add two new-tab extensions, Chrome uses one of them. Pick your favorite.
- Look at what else a new-tab extension changes. Some add their own search box or shortcuts. The listing says so, and so does the page once it is installed.
- Look at the date and the permissions. Several extensions on this page were last updated in 2023 or 2024. An extension that appears on every site also triggers a broad warning from Chrome. See what that warning means and how to check an extension first.
Which one should you start with?
- For something that asks nothing of you, start with a new-tab extension: Tabby Cat for cats, Dog Facts for dogs.
- For a little company while you work, try a pet that stays on the page. Virtual pet Chrome extensions: 10 to know sorts them by kind.
- For your own animal, start with the two in the section above.