Fall, the season of oranges and browns, when leaves change and fall, homeowners adorn their homes with multicolor corn and pumpkins, and that chill in the air reminds everyone it’s time to get the sweaters out of storage.

It’s also when people get to eating apple-cinnamon donuts, stuffed squash and, of course, pumpkin-flavored everything — lattes, snack bars, bread, beer, pies!

Guess what? Your dogs, and some cats like pumpkin too, and it’s good for them.

You can feed your fur babies:

• Canned organic pumpkin (unsweeted, not pie filling)
• Pumpkin seeds
• Cooked, fresh pumpkin

Health Benefits of Pumpkin for Cats and Dogs

Digestive

Pumpkin is an excellent source of fiber — for us and for our fur babies. Magically, it can help with both constipation and diarrhea.

Treats made with pumpkin can help with both issues, or you can add a tablespoon of the pureed stuff to your pup’s regular food. Feel free to try it with your cats too, but not all cats will appreciate the addition.

Weight Loss

Want to make your dog happy and help him take off a pound or two? Replace a portion of their food with pureed pumpkin. It’ll fill them up, but with fewer calories, and they’ll love the flavor. Again, give it a go with your overweight kitty, but don’t be too surprised if she turns her nose up at it.

Overall

Pumpkin seeds are high in essential fatty acids, antioxidants, Vitamin A, beta-carotene, potassium and iron. They’re like a multivitamin in seed form. They’re great for the health of your pet’s skin, fur, urinary tract, and may reduce their risk of cancer.

The easiest way to add pumpkin seeds to your dog or cat’s diet is to grind them up and mix it in with their wet food.

DIY Pumpkin Treats

If you enjoy baking or prefer to cook your fur baby’s food yourself, you’ll find tons of recipes online.

One of our favorites — and super easy to cook — are these peanut butter and pumpkin dog treats. The only ingredients are eggs, canned pumpkin, peanut butter, and cinnamon. (The recipe also calls for added salt, but we prefer to skip that step.) It needs just 40 minutes to cook, and you will want some type of dog-themed cookie cutter to make the end-result more fun.

Here’s one for the kitties that we like — pumpkin and salmon kitty bits. Ingredients are pumpkin puree, salmon, egg, and oat flour.

Store-Bought Treats

If, like us, you prefer to keep the DIY to a minimum, there are lots of packaged pumpkin-flavored treats.

Here are just a few of our top picks.

Dogs

Blue Buffalo Halloween Boo Bars

Reward your pup for the ridiculous — we mean adorable! — getup you bought for her with a couple of these Boo Bars. Made with pumpkin, carrots, cinnamon, flaxseed and barley oatmeal, these treats are seasonal and won’t be around too much longer.

Wholesome Pride Pumpkin Strips

With just one ingredient, these dried pumpkin strips are perfect for any dog having digestive issues. They are not chewy, so not a replacement for rawhide, but dogs will enjoy them, while also quickly feeling better. (Reviews on Amazon indicate the retailer is prone to sending out close-to-expired packets. We recommend purchasing from Petco or at a pet store near you.)

Rogue Pet Science Pumpkin Pro Powdered Supplement

Designed specifically for dogs with loose stools, this supplement is made from organic pumpkin, organic fermented turmeric root, and organic fermented ginger. And because it’s a powder it’s easy to mix in with your dog’s food, though some dogs like it so much you can just put it on top.

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Cats

Friskies Party Mix Natural Yums with Pumpkin

Cats have to get their own seasonal treat too. These are made with real pumpkin and chicken and have fewer than two calories per treat.

Scrumptious Scratch Pumpkin Supplement

Essentially pureed pumpkin, you can help keep your kitty’s tummy settled by replacing up to 10% of each meal with this mix. Alternatively, you can feed the cans of tuna with pumpkin or chicken and pumpkin as a complete meal.

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