What a week for technology. Not only is it bringing us a giant iPod Touch and a pocket to go along with it, but it also marks the discovery of bacon-scented bubbles and toys with which to project them in your face. Chicken and peanut butter smells are also available. The drawback, as with Snausages, is they’re meant for dogs, so if you’re a human and you partake in their wonders then you’re seen as slummin’ it. [More]
pets
Schering-Plough Cares That Your Pet Ate Your Claritin
By 3.25.10
Dogs are wonderful creatures to have in your life, but they have a serious vice. They like to eat things that should not be eaten. Like paper wrappers, light bulbs, socks, and human medications. Matt’s puppy somehow got its paws on and ate seven Claritin tablets. When she called up the SPCA’s poison control center for help, Matt’s wife learned something downright heartwarming about Schering-Plough, the maker of Claritin. [More]
Uncle Milton Offers Whimsical Customer Service, Replacement Tadpole
By 2.19.10
Elizabeth was raising two tadpoles under the watchful eye of Master Yoda in a frog habitat at work. When tragedy struck and one of the tadpoles suffered an early death, Elizabeth e-mailed a plea for help to the company that made the habitat, Uncle Milton. Her efforts resulted in the shipment of a new tadpole and a wonderfully funny and geeky e-mail exchange, which she shared with the world on her Livejournal. [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]
Now Your Dog Can Post Mindless Drivel To Twitter, Too
By 2.15.10
Have you always wanted to use an Internet-enabled collar and a Twitter feed to keep up with what your dog is up to when you’re out of view? Me either, but Mattel thinks that there might be a market for this sort of thing, and will bring Puppy Tweets to market this summer. [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]
Buy Your Giant Snakes While They're Still Affordable
By 1.21.10
Wired reports that the government is considering a ban on the import of Burmese pythons and eight other “injurious species” of snake, because loser pet owners in Florida keep releasing them into the wild where they breed and take over. If enacted, the ban would only affect imports, not sales by breeders in the US, but prices will probably shoot up. [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]
Sears Driver Runs Over Customers' Dog, Inspires Website
By 12.11.09
What do you do when a Sears delivery driver runs over one of your dogs and kills it, but all Sears will tell you is that it’s your fault for letting your dog out of the house? You start a website called searskilledmydog.com. Update: There has been a reconciliation between the owners and Sears. I’ve included a statement from Sears below. [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]
Pet Store Takes Advantage Of Grocery Shrink Ray
By 11.16.09
Dan sent in this pic from a local pet store. It reads, “After January 1st, bag sizes will be decreased, and these new prices will stay the same. For the rest of 2009 you will save 12.5% on all big bags of Science Diet dog food!!” I like how they’re spinning the reduced packaging in a way that benefits them and the customer, while also making sure nobody is fooled come January 1st.
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.
Tiny Turtles Spread Joy, Salmonella
By 10.19.09
Turtles remain a popular pet with kids. In 1975 the U.S. banned the sale of ones smaller than 4 inches, but the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) estimates almost 2 million were being kept as pets as of 2006. They’re also responsible for one of the slowest outbreaks of salmonella we’ve seen in recent years.
Now Available For Halloween: "Sexy" Costumes For Dogs
By 10.9.09
Last year, we highlighted sexy Halloween costumes for inappropriately young girls, but costume makers have decided to take it farther. To sexy costumes for dogs.
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.
Atheists Sell Pet Care Service To Christians Anticipating The Rapture
By 9.2.09
An atheist in New Hampshire is hiring out pet care services to Christians who believe that there will be a rapture and they will leave behind their pets. He won’t tell Mainstreet whether the business is very successful—he says his clients number “more than one and less than 175,” but it’s certainly an interesting way to bring two traditionally opposing groups together under a common (profit-making) cause.
