A control apparatus for a vehicle drive-force transmitting apparatus that includes a gear mechanism and a continuously-variable transmission mechanism including a primary pulley, a secondary pulley, a transfer element that is looped over the primary and secondary pulleys, and an actuator configured to apply, to the primary pulley, a thrust, based on which the transfer element is to be clamped by the primary pulley. The vehicle drive-force transmitting apparatus defines a first drive-force transmitting path for transmitting a drive force through the gear mechanism and a second drive-force transmitting path for transmitting the drive force through the continuously-variable transmission mechanism. The control apparatus is configured, upon vehicle deceleration with the first drive-force transmitting path being established, to set a lower limit value of the above-described thrust, based on a gear ratio of the continuously-variable transmission mechanism and an amount of change of a rotational speed of the primary pulley.