MySQL – Convert SQL Query to Laravel

Try using an UPDATE JOIN of the table against itself

UPDATE
    animal_table A
INNER JOIN
(
    SELECT
        category_id,summary_id,
        animal_nbr,animal_amount,'00' info3
    FROM animal_table
    WHERE animal_type = 'special'
) B USING (category_id,summary_id)
SET
    A.animal_info1 = B.animal_nbr,
    A.animal_info2 = B.animal_amount,
    A.animal_info3 = B.info3
WHERE
    A.animal_type = 'cats' AND
    A.category_id = 'foo';

Make sure that animal_table has a compound index on category_id and summary_id. If you do not have such an index, please run this:

ALTER TABLE animal_table ADD INDEX (category_id,summary_id);

UPDATE 2011-09-27 13:10 EDT

I just noticed that categrory_id 'foo' limits the dataset. Here is an updated refactoring of my answer ( I moved category_id = foo into the subquery )

UPDATE
    animal_table A
INNER JOIN
(
    SELECT
        category_id,summary_id,
        animal_nbr,animal_amount,'00' info3
    FROM animal_table
    WHERE animal_type = 'special'
    AND category_id = 'foo'
) B USING (category_id,summary_id)
SET
    A.animal_info1 = B.animal_nbr,
    A.animal_info2 = B.animal_amount,
    A.animal_info3 = B.info3
WHERE
    A.animal_type = 'cats';

I also recommend adding this additional index to accommodate the subquery

ALTER TABLE animal_table ADD INDEX (animal_type,category_id);

SELECT 
    u1.id,
    u1.domain,
    t1.end_date

FROM urls u1
INNER JOIN 
        (SELECT 
            l1.urls_id,
            MIN(end_date) as end_date       
         FROM urls u2 
         INNER JOIN links l1 
             ON u2.id = l1.urls_id 
            AND l1.status = "Approved" 
            AND (l1.end_date > now() OR l1.end_date IS NOT NULL)
         GROUP BY l1.urls_id) t1
ON u1.id = t1.urls_id

Source requirements (not 100% sure about p4, so this could be changed):

1). end_date NOT NULL  AND
2). end_date > now()   
3). status is "Approved" AND
4). return latest end_date closer to present or now.