Pets in the News

Why you might want to take your cat shopping

SYDNEY (Reuters) – An Australian bank has apologised for issuing a credit card to a cat after its owner decided to test the bank’s identity security system.
The Bank of Queensland issued a credit card to Messiah the cat when his owner Katherine Campbell applied for a secondary card on her account under its name.

Meanwhile, just send the dog up the street for a little hit… ?

ARMINGTON, Conn. – A Burlington woman has been charged with trying to get painkillers from a drug store by using her dog’s name. She faces more than two dozen charges related to her alleged repeated attempts to fraudulently obtain painkillers at a Farmington pharmacy under her dog’s name.

And finally, starting at $130 US at the Sarasota Ritz-Carlton, a dog massage

For another $220, the Ritz throws in gourmet dog biscuits, an in-room pet massage, a choice of nail buffing or nail polish, a souvenir photo, a brisk walk over Sarasota’s scenic Ringling Bridge and a gourmet meal of organic stew and designer water served on a silver tray.

Americans spend about $38.4 billion on their pets annually, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturer’s Association. Spending on pets increased an average of $2.3 billion a year since the association started tracking numbers in 1997.