Tesla’s fancy electric vehicles have been criticized by some car lovers for not having the beloved “purr” of an internal combustion engine. But there is one Tesla that was hiding a “meow” in the bumper. [More]
actually about cats
Nestlé, Mars Commit To Using Seafood That Avoids Overfishing And Human Trafficking
By 3.16.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
With brands like Fancy Feast, Friskies, Sheba, and Whiskas, Nestlé and Mars are two of the biggest producers of cat food. Both companies have faced criticism for importing seafood from Thailand, where the fishing industry has been accused of human trafficking and other rights abuses. Now the two packaged food giants say they are halting the use of a practice linked to these alleged human rights violations. [More]
Why Pet Owners Should Care About Banfield & VCA Animal Hospitals Coming Under Same Corporate Umbrella
By 1.9.17 — Updated: 1.10.17
A pending merger will put a number of the nation’s biggest veterinary care chains — VCA Inc., Banfield Pet Hospital, and BluePearl Veterinary Partners — under the ownership umbrella of candy and packaged foods giant Mars Inc. This deal will add VCA’s nearly 800 hospitals into what some critics say is a one-size-fits-all medical assembly line. [More]
9Lives, EverPet, Special Kitty Canned Cat Food Recalled For Low Thiamine Levels
By 1.4.17
When you buy commercially-prepared food for your cat, it’s because you trust a company that sells pet food to make meals that are nutritious for our feline friends. Some canned cat food from the brands 9Lives, EverPet, and Special Kitty fell short, being deficient in a vitamin that’s essential to cats, and have been recalled. [More]
More Companies Turn To Mandatory Arbitration: CreditKarma, Redbox, Kitty Bed Maker
By 10.20.16
People in a wide variety of circumstances, from drivers signing up to work for Uber to senior citizens entering a nursing home, sign mandatory binding arbitration agreements. Two popular online services have recently started to require that customer disputes go to arbitration, and a reader sent along a product purchased online — a cat bed — that came with a arbitration agreement of its own. [More]
Pet Wellness Plans Aren’t Insurance: You Still Have To Pay After They Die
By 5.26.16
It must feel awful to still be paying for your pet’s health plan after the pet has died. Yet there’s a difference between pet health insurance and the wellness plans that some vets market. While both are designed to help pet owners spread the cost of medical care throughout the year, wellness plans are for a fixed period of time, whether the pet is actually alive during that whole time or not. [More]
More Animal Shelters Holding Black (Fur) Friday Adoption Promotions
By 11.25.15
One of our favorite Black Friday trends that’s been spreading across the country is the animal shelter doorbuster: that is, busting adoptable animals out from behind animal shelter doors and into new and loving homes. The promos use the idea of “Black Friday” to push pets with black and white fur to create super-cuddly sale events where adoption fees are waived. [More]
Nestle Investigation Results: Yep, Your Cat’s Food May Have Been Caught By Slaves
By 11.23.15
In a series of recent lawsuits, consumers have taken issue with the treatment of workers on fishing boats from Thailand that work far out to sea. The issue got consumers’ attention after reports from non-governmental organizations and a New York Times investigative series this summer, and companies that buy and sell fish conducted their own investigations. Nestle has now concluded theirs, and admits that yep, there were vendors who severely mistreated along their supply chain. [More]
Class Action Suit Alleges Nestle Benefits From Fishing Vessel Slavery To Make Fancy Feast
By 8.28.15
Last week, we shared the news that a Costco customer had filed a class action lawsuit against the warehouse retailer, claiming that they sell shrimp benefiting from slave labor. Now cat owners have filed a similar lawsuit against Nestle, parent company of Fancy Feast cat food, claiming that the company uses mistreated and enslaved workers to catch fish destined for cat food cans. [More]
Amazon’s Stupid Shipping Gang Sends Giant Off-Balance Box Of Kitty Litter
By 8.17.15
Indira ordered a small box of cat litter, as boxes of cat litter go. The litter was fine, but she was a little concerned about the box that it arrived in. From what we’ve learned, this box was a bad choice both to accommodate the merchandise inside, and for its journey from Indira’s doorstep. [More]
Hairless Cat Missing In Atlanta Airport Found Alive And Safe
By 6.8.15
We are delighted to share a story with a happy ending regarding a pet flying in cargo. Specifically, Rudy the hairless cat, who was shipped on Delta Airlines from Seattle to Florida to join his new family. Rudy escaped from his crate somewhere at Delta’s Atlanta hub on Thursday, and was found earlier today. [More]
Let’s Review Again What ‘Target Math’ Is And Why It’s Bad
By 5.13.15
When shopping, you compare prices for different sizes and quantities of the same item and weigh that against your needs to determine which is the best deal. Except at Target. At Target, customers have to deal with a special kind of math, where putting an item on sale means that the price goes up, and where buying things in larger quantities means that you pay a higher unit price. It’s a special place where the bargains are plentiful, but make no sense. [More]
Cat Lost For 2 Weeks In JFK Airport Found Alive
By 4.16.15
While it only took a few hours for a wolverine roaming Newark airport to be caught and contained, an even more wily creature roamed a different airport in the New York metropolitan area for two weeks. Felix the cat, who was moving from the United Arab Emirates to the U.S. along with his owners, escaped from his carrier when the top was crushed. Fortunately, searchers found him safe and in good health. [More]
These Ads Use Infomercial Tropes To Sell Shelter Pets
By 3.25.15
Pet owners know that domestic animals have many uses around the home. Thousands of years ago, that’s why we welcomed them into our dwellings in the first place, and we’ve come to appreciate them for their other skills as well. Cats were originally welcomed inside to catch vermin, and now they are also alarm clocks and are fur-covered laptop cozies. Dogs now guard our houses and clean up crumbs on the floor. [More]
Rejoice! Cat Accidentally Sold Along With Mattress Is Home Again
By 12.29.14
Because not every lost pet story has a happy ending, fans of Camo the Mattress Cat will likely be incredibly relieved to hear that the beloved pet accidentally sold along with bedding on Craigslist has been reunited with his owners. [More]
Check To Make Sure That Box Spring You Buy Off Craigslist Doesn’t Come With A Free Cat
By 12.24.14
Anyone who owns a cat knows that they like to get into the tiniest, oddest of places. And if you think you can get them out when they aren’t ready, you’ve got another think coming. All those cat factors combined in the most unfortunate of situations when an Oregon man realized he’d sold his girlfriend’s cat along with a box spring. [More]
Cat Owners Who Value A Smell-Free Home Should Thank This Guy For Inventing Kitty Litter
By 12.5.14
Cat owners: There is a debt of gratitude to be paid. Every time you walk into a home with a cat that doesn’t smell like cat pee, and every night that you spend comfortably in your bed with your favorite feline friend snoozing cozily on your feet is all because of one guy, when you get right down to it. He is the guy who invented kitty litter. [More]
Black Friday Mania Spreads To Animal Shelters, Adoption Events For Black Cats And Dogs
By 11.28.14
Since we first learned about this idea two years ago, a really great Black Friday promotion has become even more popular nationwide. It’s a doorbuster that aims to bust thousands of doors: the doors of cages and kennels at animal shelters, that is. Shelters and rescue groups have pounced on the idea of the holiday, and offer discounts or free adoptions of animals with black fur, and often animals of other colors as well. [More]
