There is no reason we should post this other than we are happy about it and want you to be happy too. [More]
cats
IAMS Recalls Vitamin-Deficient Canned Cat Food
By 6.18.10
Do you feed your cat or kitten Iams ProActive Health canned food? Check the dates on the cans, because your noms may be part of a recall. The food isn’t dangerous in itself, but has dangerously low levels of vitamin B1, which is essential for cat nutrition. [More]
Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds: Best Of The Cat Picture Drive
By 5.28.10
“Consumerist needs your help in order to alleviate our cat picture shortage!” we said.
“I’m broke,” a few readers replied. “But I have cat pictures!”
“Send ’em over,” we said. And thus the great Cat Picture Drive of 2010 was born. Donations poured in from all over the world.
Tips For Taking Toto On A Trip
By 5.1.10
If you’re like us, you occasionally get a yearning to escape the concrete jungle or that suburban enclave and head for less familiar surroundings. But what what about your furry friend? The Chicago Tribune takes a look at a few tips and tricks to help get Rover on the open road with you. [More]
As Miami Homes Enter Foreclosure, Cats Move In
By 4.2.10
In Miami-Dade County, hit particularly hard by the housing boom, about one in ten dwellngs are in foreclosure. Don’t worry, though. They’re not empty. Homeless families have moved in. To be precise, colonies of feral cats. Because nothing makes a bank-owned property more appealing than the stench of cat urine. [More]
10 Things To Ask Your Vet About Your Pet's Medications
By 3.31.10
Because we all love our pets, we want to take good care of them. But since most of us aren’t veterinarians (unless we have a very specific demographic no one told me about), the best we can do when talking to our pets’ doctors is to ask the right questions. To help everyone along, the peeps at the FDA have put together this handy/dandy list of things you should ask your vet when getting meds for your furry friends. [More]
Sky Mall Kitties Song Celebrates Nonsensical Pet Products
By 2.22.10
Do you marvel at the ridiculous products in the SkyMall catalog? Musician Nina Katchadourian does, and she has written a song about them, viewed through the lens of the cats featured within its pages. The SkyMall Kitties. [More]
West Hollywood To Ban Retail Sales Of Cats And Dogs
By 2.16.10
West Hollywood has a history of animal rights activism, culminating most recently in the 2003 ban on declawing cats. Tonight, the city council is expected to pass an ordinance that will ban pet stores from selling cats and dogs, reports the Los Angeles Times. If enacted, it will be the second place that bans such business after South Lake Tahoe, which is also in California but right up against the Nevada border. “Humanely bred, reared, or sheltered animals” would be exempt, notes the paper. Also worth noting: there are no pet stores within the city limits. [More]
Continental Gate Agent Tells Passenger She Thinks Her Mental Illness Is Fake
By 1.29.10
Laura has a pretty good description of what an anxiety attack feels like to her: “First, your chest starts to feel tight, like you are wearing a corset. You can’t breathe properly, your heart rate starts to skyrocket, causing a pounding feeling. It’s very out-of-body. You can’t figure out what’s going on. It’s like being trapped by your brain into a tight corner.” If the skeptical gate agent for Continental had ever experienced this–or had just been given adequate training for dealing with passengers with disabilities–maybe she wouldn’t have told Laura her doctor’s note looked fake, or asked her to stay put when Laura said she needed to get her meds. [More]
Don't Get Cat Vomit On Your Laptop
By 1.20.10
Tayler’s cat and Tayler’s MacBook Pro just had an unfortunate run-in. Does anyone have any advice on cheap ways to repair this laptop, or at least how to get the content off of it without paying hundreds of dollars? [More]
Diamond Cat Food Recalled For Thiamine Deficiency
By 12.1.09
Diamond Pet Foods has recalled certain bags of dry cat food following 21 reports of health problems in cats. Select batches of Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat and Premium Edge Hairball do not contain enough thiamine, which is an essential nutrient for cats. Without it, they could develop thiamine deficiency. If untreated, this disorder could result in death, says the AP. [More]
Consumerist And Its Readers Will Never Want For Cat Pics Again
By 11.20.09
When Consumerist left Gawker to join Consumers Union, we lost access to the Getty image library, which had been the source for pictures like this and this. The new CatPaint iPhone app has already wowed some, but is it good enough for Consumerist? Let’s find out.
Here's Something We Won't Be Investigating
By 11.18.09
We asked for permission but our boss said, “No.”
Litter Robot Replaces Box Destroyed By Cat's Poor Aim
By 11.12.09
Jon wants the readers of Consumerist to know about the excellent experience he has had with Automated Pet Care Products, makers of the super-cool Litter Robot, which looks like a space station but actually eliminates the need for cat owners to scoop litter.
Keep Track Of Which Diploma Mills Will Work Out Best For Your Pet
By 11.10.09
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.
Iowa Feline Catches Swine Flu
By 11.6.09
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.
Homes With Cats 8 Times More Likely To Contain MRSA
By 9.23.09
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.
