Pets
Apollonia Poilane kisses her dog, Tiger Lily, during a flashmob as part of a Valentine's Day celebration in Paris in 2014. Here's how to show your pet you love them on Feb. 14. Reuters

Valentine's Day is all about love, and it's obvious who Americans adore most of all: their pets. One in five people will buy their dog or cat a gift for Saturday, according to a survey from the National Retail Federation, on average spending about $5.28. It makes sense -- VetIQ found more than 80 percent of pet owners say they get the most unconditional love from their animal. About the same amount say they'd rather cuddle with their pet than their significant other.

Ditch your date, and give your true favorite a treat with the following gift ideas:

  1. Make a special Valentine's Day pet trading card on Blue's Buddies. Be sure to include a rundown of quick facts, including the craziest thing your pet has done and his/her ideal day.

  2. Turn a regular pet sweater into a DIY seasonal one by putting a sticky-backed felt heart on it.

  3. Whip up some puppy pancakes with eggs, milk, butter, honey, flour, baking powder and cinnamon. When you're done, make some for yourself with this recipe from Pretty Fluffy.

  4. Buy your cat a kitty cake from Pampered Paw gifts. They're made with carob, baked salmon or white tuna, cat nip and yogurt. They're $18.50 before shipping.

  5. Get a new, heart-adorned water or food dish for them for $5.51 on Amazon.

  6. Bake your dog pupcakes with this recipe from Irresistable Pets. Top with peanut butter.

  7. Cave to your pet's social media demands and create a Facebook or Instagram account for them. Huffington Post offers a definitive guide to making your animal Internet famous.

  8. Find Fido and Fluffy a friend -- frugally. The Best Friends Animal Society is offering $10 pet adoptions in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and New York City through Feb. 28. Details here.

  9. Dress your pet in a custom bow tie collar. Here's a $35 heart-patterned one on Etsy. They'll look so good, they won't try to shake it off. (Probably.)

  10. Set up an iCPooch device, which lets you video chat with your animal from your smartphone whenever you want. This $130 device also connects to Wi-Fi and dispenses treats.

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