Consumerist
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higher education
Keep Track Of Which Diploma Mills Will Work Out Best For Your Pet
In this job market, anything you can do to give your cat or dog an edge is worth pursuing. That's why you shouldn't enroll your pet in just any diploma mill—you want one that's a proven scam. Boingboing points out that there's a Wikipedia page to keep track of animals with fraudulent diplomas to make it easier to comparison shop for that next fake certificate.
"List of animals with fraudulent diplomas" [Wikipedia via Boingboing] (Thanks to Trai_Dep!)
(Photo: ourdogholly) -
H1N1
Iowa Feline Catches Swine Flu
When you're home sick, snuggling with a pet can have tremendous healing powers. "Plus," you might say to yourself, "at least Fluffy can't catch this awful swine flu I have." Well....not so fast. It's not common, but a cat in Iowa has been diagnosed with, and recovered from, swine flu. More » -
your health
Homes With Cats 8 Times More Likely To Contain MRSA
You may have thought you could only get MRSA at hospitals and the beach, but apparently researchers have discovered that it can be transmitted via pets and lead to repeat infections, reports the New York Times. One recent case involved a baby elephant and 20 human caretakers at the San Diego Zoo last year, but at the domestic level it looks like cats (and dogs, but not to the same degree) somehow contribute to cycle of infection at home. More » -
marketing
Certified Pre-Owned Cats: Inspected, Detailed, Better Than New!
The problem: thousands of sweet, cuddly, adoptable adult cats languishing in shelters. People gravitate toward tiny kittens, which are plentiful in the summer months, leaving adult shelter cats without humans to own. A possible clever solution: Clever marketing ploys. Which is the origin of the Michigan Humane Society's Certified Pre-Owned Cats campaign.
With $0 down and 0% financing, you can bring a brand new (to you) cat home today! More »
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allerca
New Jersey Man Sues Allerca For Non-Delivery Of Amazing Hypoallergenic Cat
Allerca's elusive hypoallergenic kittens remain elusive. A few months ago, we posted about Allerca and their amazing genetically engineered allergy-safe felines. "Lifestyle Pets" charged thousands of dollars for the kittens, but failed to actually deliver any. We featured one scammed reader's story, and now another kittenless customer is suing the company. More » -
roll your own
"I Make My Own Bathroom Gag Gifts"
Twice this week, our Morning Deals post has featured a link to Tinkles the Toilet Cat, which surprisingly has still not sold out. ("It's the lowest price we've seen for a toilet cat by $4," writes dealnews.) We underestimated the ingenuity of shoppers, it looks like: Todd sent us this picture from his girlfriend's incredibly frugal brother, who makes his own Tinkles. Or, uh, something like that.
Todd adds, "Yes, it is actually using the toilet."
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infestations
Help, There Are Bugs In My Kitty Litter!
Dawn is freaked out because when she got up this morning, she found bugs in her cat's litter box. She called the company that makes the litter to ask them what to do, and they offered coupons but no real explanation. "Maybe some of your readers have had the same experience and could help me figure out what to do," she writes. "Thanks!" More » -
pets
Treat Your Pet's Arthritis With Lead
People love their pets and want the best for them. That includes medical treatment, and loving, well-meaning pet owners buy over-the-counter supplements for their critters' aching joints. Unfortunately, nutritional supplements for humans don't get a lot of scrutiny, and those intended for pets get even less. A study by ConsumerLab.com discovered that arthritis supplements for dogs, cats, and horses not only didn't contain the quantity of active ingredients promised, but also contained...other things. More » -
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pets
Which Airlines Are The Most Pet Friendly?
Petfinder.com compared airlines to see which ones are the best choices if you're traveling with pets. You may remember our post a while back on Pet Airways, about which Petfinder says, "While Pet Airways didn't make the rankings because they haven't 'hit the air' yet, [we are] excited to see the promising airline take off." More » -
your health
Gross: Your Pet Could Give You A MRSA Infection
We know you love little Fluffy, but according to an article from ABCNews — he could give you methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. In case you are not aware — that's bad news. More » -
recalls
Is Nutro Ignoring Owners Of Cats Made Sick By Recalled Food?
ConsumerAffairs.com reports that independent tests of the cat food recently recalled by Nutro does indeed contain more zinc than recommended, which was why Nutro recalled the product in the first place. However, Nutro says it's received no complaints from pet owners, while pet owners have told ConsumerAffairs.com otherwise. They say that Nutro either won't respond to them or says it's not responsible for their pets' illnesses or deaths. More » -
pets
Nutro Cat Food Recall
Certain varieties of Nutro dry cat food have been voluntarily recalled because of incorrect mineral levels that could make kitties sick. Return Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care and Nutro Max foods with expiration dates between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010 were affected. More » -
meow mix up
You Had A Cat. Here Are Some Cat Ashes. Problem Solved!
How do you verify the identity of your cat after he's been cremated? Matthew has no idea if the box he received really contains Spike's cremains or the cremains of someone else's pet. His vet offered to print out a new certificate with the correct name on it, but that seems less like a "solution" than a "waste of printer ink" designed to placate without providing answers. More » -
om nom nom
Bizarre Pet Products: Feces-Eating Prevention Pills
One of the problems with dog ownership* is having to reconcile the concepts of "best friend" and "eats her own poop." My late cocker spaniel, Lady, treated the front lawn as her personal snack bar, and was particularly fond of the gifts the local rabbits left there for her. I never realized that there were products designed specifically to stop this behavior. More » -
consumer reports
Consumer Reports Offers Tips For Saving On Pet Food
The Consumer Reports Health Blog has some good suggestions for pet owners who might not have quite as much money to spend on their animals as they used to. More » -
psas
Welcome To The New Improved Consumerist
Extensive market research that we paid out the @#$ for has determined that this blog doesn't contain nearly enough pictures of cakes and cute animals. Today, at the beginning of a new fiscal blogging year, we're pleased to bring you additional photographs of things you'd like to pet or eat. More » -
horrible
Cat Arrives Frozen After Plane Ride
Breeder ships rare pregnant cat via airline. It arrives frozen and dead. According to the airline's vet, the cat died from uterine toxicity from multiple dead kittens. Because the baggage handlers thawed, froze, and thawed the cat again, there's no way for the breeder to prove that the cat died from being frozen. The airline has offered to refund the breeder's ticket, but admits no culpability in the cat's death.
Cat flown, arrives to new owner frozen [WPRI] (Thanks to bibliophilebullpen!)
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pedigree
14 Brands Of Pet Food Recalled
Mars Petcare US is recalling 14 brands of dry dog and cat food made between February and July of this year, after two people who may have had contact with some of the food became infected with Salmonella. If you feed your dog or cat any of the brands listed below, here's how to check the package code. More »
cats
New York, 1:06 AM
Wed Nov 11
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