Category: pet owners

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Dog Owners Can’t Wait to Try a Robotic Pooper-Scooper

I remember when I was young, my dad had to walk around the yard every weekend scooping up all the dog poo before he could mow the lawn.

Sometimes I had to do it too, and you could always tell when the dog had gotten hold of some crayons…

Well now it seems like there’s a robot for every unpleasant task–vacuuming, mopping, even cutting the grass–so of course it was only a matter of time before someone invented a robot that scoops the poop for you.

You read that right.

The scrappy start-up Beetl Robotics, led by CEO Xiong Chang, has developed a prototype for a machine that will rove through your yard picking up all the little presents that your four legged friend left behind.

Their Facebook page, which explains that the robot will deposit the doo into a compost bin, shows the development of their design over time, from this early concept…

…to a finished product that debuted at the 2017 CES (consumer electronics) trade show, where Beetl placed 3rd for Best Tech:

The company follows the Agile method of product development, which allowed them to deviate from their original design to make the concept even better.

According to their website:

We iterated on our robotic poop-scooper idea to add lawn mowing functionality.

We opted for a sickle-bar grass shear mechanism to get the added benefit of releasing the clamshell jaws from long grass.

All navigation was processed via computer vision and advanced sensor fusion.

Consumers are very excited about this technology, but unfortunately it can take a long time to get from concept to market, so the Beetl isn’t available for sale yet.

Still, I love a good robot, so sign me up when it is. What do you think about this idea? Do you need one for outside, and another for inside, to pick up your kids’ toys before you run your Roomba? Tell us in the comments!

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A Woman Built a Realistic Iron Throne for Her Cat out of a Cardboard Box

Do you ever think about your pet: “Wow, you deserve to be royalty”? If so, you’re not the only one.

One cat mom went above and beyond by actually building a throne for her Maine Coon out of cardboard.

Elly’s cat, aptly named King Arthur, is a 17-year-old Maine Coon. When it was time for Elly to make a new bed for Arthur, she got inspired by his very regal name and decided to make him a throne.

You might assume that a throne made out of cardboard wouldn’t be that fancy-looking, but don’t be fooled — this throne was inspired by the Iron Throne on Game of Thrones, and it looks totally legit!

I made my 17 year old King Arthur a cardboard iron throne. from aww

Elly posted a photo of Arthur in his throne on Reddit.

She told Just Something that she used a cardboard box for children’s boots to make it.

Photo Credit: Imgur

“I was looking at this cardboard box, a shoe box for children’s boots that my mom had mailed me something in, and I was thinking I could make Arthur a new bed,” Elly explained. “I opened it up and it already kind of looked like a chair, so I thought I could make a throne, since we often call him King Arthur. And then I realized the best throne to make would be the Iron Throne.”

Photo Credit: Imgur

Elly added that King Arthur loves sitting and lying in his new throne.

“He is definitely the head of the house, so it’s fitting,” she said.

The post A Woman Built a Realistic Iron Throne for Her Cat out of a Cardboard Box appeared first on UberFacts.

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A Woman Built a Realistic Iron Throne for Her Cat out of a Cardboard Box

Do you ever think about your pet: “Wow, you deserve to be royalty”? If so, you’re not the only one.

One cat mom went above and beyond by actually building a throne for her Maine Coon out of cardboard.

Elly’s cat, aptly named King Arthur, is a 17-year-old Maine Coon. When it was time for Elly to make a new bed for Arthur, she got inspired by his very regal name and decided to make him a throne.

You might assume that a throne made out of cardboard wouldn’t be that fancy-looking, but don’t be fooled — this throne was inspired by the Iron Throne on Game of Thrones, and it looks totally legit!

I made my 17 year old King Arthur a cardboard iron throne. from aww

Elly posted a photo of Arthur in his throne on Reddit.

She told Just Something that she used a cardboard box for children’s boots to make it.

Photo Credit: Imgur

“I was looking at this cardboard box, a shoe box for children’s boots that my mom had mailed me something in, and I was thinking I could make Arthur a new bed,” Elly explained. “I opened it up and it already kind of looked like a chair, so I thought I could make a throne, since we often call him King Arthur. And then I realized the best throne to make would be the Iron Throne.”

Photo Credit: Imgur

Elly added that King Arthur loves sitting and lying in his new throne.

“He is definitely the head of the house, so it’s fitting,” she said.

The post A Woman Built a Realistic Iron Throne for Her Cat out of a Cardboard Box appeared first on UberFacts.

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Your Cat Makes Facial Expressions, You Just Probably Can’t Read Them

If you pay very close attention, you may finally be able to tell WTF your cat is thinking.

A study in the journal Animal Welfare found that cats show their moods on their faces, but that only a small subset of people can actually pick up on what they’re feeling.

Researchers at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada conducted the study by asking 6329 participants to watch videos of cats reacting to certain events. The participants had to name whether the cat was exhibiting a positive or negative reaction by relying only on their faces—not their tails or any other body language.

Most of the respondents were cat owners. Nonetheless, their average score was just 59 percent correct, which is not very impressive.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

But 13 percent of participants scored very well on the test. They correctly guessed 15 out of 20 questions. These participants weren’t just cat owners, but people who had very extensive experience with cats, such as veterinarians.

Thus, the researchers concluded that a minority of people can tell what cats are feeling based on their facial expressions alone.

It’s not clear whether this talent is innate or learned, though.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

“They could be naturally brilliant, and that’s why they become veterinarians,” the study’s senior author, Georgia Mason, told The Washington Post. “But they also have a lot of opportunity to learn, and they’ve got a motivation to learn, because they’re constantly deciding: Is this cat better? Do we need to change the treatment? Does this cat need to go home? Is this cat about to take a chunk out of my throat?”

Who knows? Maybe you, too, can learn this skill one day.

If you want to test yourself, a shorter version of the video test that participants used is available online.

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A Woman Wanted Her Pet Buried with Her, so the Healthy Dog Was Euthanized

This is pretty messed up.

We all love our pets like family, but this story makes my blood boil. It reminds of when some billionaire leaves a ton of money to their cat or something.

I mean I know we all love our pets like family, but this is absurd.

And cruel.

A woman in Richmond, Virginia, had it clearly stated in her will that her beloved dog Emma, a Shih Tzu mix, was to be put to sleep and buried with her at the time of her death. Workers at the Chesterfield County Animal Services were heartbroken that they had to honor the recently deceased woman’s wishes, but they still euthanized the healthy dog. They actually tried to appeal to the woman’s estate, but to no avail. The dog’s owner was 67-year-old Anita Cullop-Thompson.

The manager of the animal care facility said, “We did suggest they could sign the dog over on numerous occasions — because it’s a dog we could easily find a home for and re-home. But ultimately, they came back in on March 22nd and redeemed the dog.”

Emma was taken directly to a vet’s office, euthanized, and then cremated. Her ashes were returned to the deceased woman’s estate. As you can imagine, this story went viral and greatly upset many people, including big-time celebrities.

The Humane Society of the United States is clear on where they stand on the issue. Vice President Amy Nichols said, “It is a heartbreaking situation. While we don’t know the specifics of this case, as a general matter, we don’t support the euthanasia of healthy and adoptable animals when other alternatives exist, such as re-homing of the pet.”

Share your thoughts about this story in the comments. We’d like to hear from you!

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A Study Shows That Cat Owners Pass on Their Own Personalities to Their Cats

Sometimes, humans and their pets seem eerily similar to each other, and it’s not just in our imagination, according to a new study.

In a study published in Plos One, researchers surveyed over 3000 cat owners. They asked them a variety of questions about five broad personality traits: extroversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism. Then they observed their cats’ behavior.

The researchers found that the traits that were dominant in owners were also observed in their cats.

For example, owners who rated higher in neuroticism had cats who exhibited behavior problems. Owners who rated themselves as more extroverted had cats who enjoyed being outside more.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Cats are notoriously independent animals. They’re not really into being told what to do or how to act. So, how do they end up picking up on so many of their humans’ traits?

It may be due to the tight bond that many humans and cats share.

“Many owners consider their pets as a family member, forming close social bonds with them,” explained Dr. Lauren Finka, co-author of the study. “It’s therefore very possible that pets could be affected by the way we interact with and manage them, and that both these factors are in turn influenced by our personality differences.”

Photo Credit: Pixabay

She added that “further research is needed to investigate the causal nature of this relationship – and to look at if, and how, owner personalities are directly influencing their cat’s behavior and welfare.”

Cool!

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Pet Owners Share the Most Intelligent Things Their Animals Ever Did

Let’s be honest: most of the time, we only take note of the really dumb stuff our pets do. Ripping stuff up, eating the trash, etc.

But they do have the ability to blow our minds once in a while. Like the type of things these AskReddit users shared.

1. Good boy!

“My dad has always had problems with throwing his back out and it usually makes him unable to move for several weeks. Anyways, one time when he threw out his back, my dog grabbed a blanket in her mouth and slowly spread it over my dad while he was sleeping. We were all amazed and gave her a treat.”

2. Another good boy!

“Woke me up and brought me outside to under the deck, where he very obviously showed me the cat that got out and was hiding under there. He looked at the cat, then back at me, then at the cat, then back at me.”

3. He’s testing you

“My friend’s dog knows he’s not allowed onto one very specific carpeted area in the house and he knows never to step onto that area. How does he like to be a smart-ss about it? He grabs his favorite toy, casually tosses it onto said carpeted area, looks at us, and gives us the “well my toy’s there and I have to step onto the carpet to get it”. He does it so slowly and so deliberately that you know he’s being a complete smarta** about it. I can’t help but laugh every time he does it which is not often. He typically does it when he’s desperate for our play because he knows he’ll get a laugh and a positive reaction out of it.”

4. The lost watch

“When I was younger I lost a watch that I really loved. Around that time my cat developed a habit of using his front paws to reach under the fridge and just scramble around under there like crazy. He was seriously obsessed and did that for almost a year, until one night he pulled out a tray that had been under the fridge, and on it was my watch. After that he never touched the fridge again. He was a good boy.”

5. Imitation

“There was a time when, coming back from a trip, the balls of my feet were swollen and it hurt going up and down the stairs. My cat would actually imitate me by limping up and down the stairs (taking the steps one at a time) while meowing pitifully. I swear if he could talk, he would’ve said something like “see, this is how stupid you look.”

6. Saving the fish

“My cousin had a koi fish pond and two dogs. One night the dogs started barking during the middle of the night really loud and urgently, and they almost never bark at anything. My cousin and her parents knew something was weird and went out to check.

One of the fish somehow managed to jump out the pond and was flopping around next to the water on the concrete, and one dog was trying to help it back in the water with his nose while the other was barking for my cousin or her parents to help.

Once they watched them place the fish in the water, they went back in the kennels to sleep. They would watch the pond a lot from then on.”

7. Show us your puppies!

“Not my pet but the dog of a farmer in my grandma’s town that recently had given birth to puppies. When we were strolling around by the farm we saw the dog and said to her: “hey, show us your puppies!” next thing we know, the dog ran around the farm and came back with all her cute little puppies and let us play with them. What a wonderful day.”

8. Smart cat

“My 13 lb ginger cat always had to be near me. Some of the doors in my house didn’t latch, and he learned to open them by using his body as a battering ram. Okay, fine. So one day I’m in a closed room with a door that does latch, and I hear the doorknob rattle. It rattles for a bit then turns, and the cat pops the door open with his weight and saunters in.

I miss him.”

9. Hide and seek

“I actually have a story for this. I taught my dog to play hide and seek. I made him sit in the kitchen while I hid a rawhide somewhere in the house. He would then search until he found it and would then bring it back to me. I would then tell him to hide it and he would. One day I was searching for the damn rawhide for like 10 mins and could not find it. Searched everywhere. Eventually I had to give up totally confused. Next morning I open a dresser drawer to get a pair of shorts and there it is. He saw a slightly cracked drawer, dropped it in, closed it, and outsmarted a human. I was very proud.”

10. Pleased with herself

“I watched my Australian Shepherd problem solve how to get her tennis balls that get stuck under the furniture out by taking another tennis ball and rolling it to knock the stuck one out. She seemed very pleased with herself.”

11. Haunted

“Rock in a rocking chair. I thought my living room was haunted for weeks.”

12. Hiding pills

“He has to take antibiotics for ten days. They are pills.

In the beginning, i was wondering why he wasnt getting better. Turns out, the a**hole was keeping them in his cheek or under his tongue and spitting them out under the closet.

So now i hold him until he swallows and then i check his mouth.

It’s really one of those times i wish i could explain to him why i am ‘torturing’ him with eye drops and painkillers and whatnot. YOU ARE A SENIOR KITIZEN AND YOU HAVE A SEVERE COLD. Stop spitting things out!

On the other hand, he has never scratched or bitten me, just struggles and pulls away.he is a very sweet cat.”

13. A great pair

“Not mine, by my mother had two cats in Hawaii before I was born. She would tell stories about how one, Epo, was very intelligent, and the other, Popokie, was as dumb as a bag of rocks. Made a great pair.

She would talk about how they’d be playing out back and she would call them in for dinner. Epo would immediately show up, but Popokie would be lost in her very small backyard

She would just look at Epo and say: “Epo, go get Popokie!”

And Epo would run out and guide Popokie into the house and to his food dish so that he could have dinner.

Same sort of thing if she had no idea where Popokie was. She would just tell Epo to find him, and Epo would go search the house and bring Popokie to her.”

14. Faker

“Faked to have a paw injury so I’d carry him around the house.”

15. Head for the truck

“If I called my girlfriend at around 9 PM on a Friday, my dog would always get excited and head to the truck.

I was stationed in Shanghai for about a year, but lived for years in Thailand with my GF and my dog.

Whenever I had a long weekend I’d fly back to Thailand. My dog quickly picked up on the idea that whenever my GF switched from speaking Thai to English, she was talking to me. I would call her when I arrived at the airport on a Friday evening, as it was only about 15 minutes from our home, and she’d come pick me up.

My dog was able to put this whole scenario together and went ape-sh-t whenever I called on a Friday evening and he would immediately head for the truck to go pick me up. When I would call her at other hours of the day, he would look at her like he knew who she was talking to, but he knew that it didn’t mean that I was coming home.”

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