The Petside Digest: This Week's Must-Reads

Chicken Soup for the Soul Goes Cat Crazy: Family Goes Strong In recent weeks, it seems cats have become a pretty popular topic in the news. And so, to start this week's Digest, we'll begin by looking at the newest book in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series which deals with our fettered fan-dom of our feline companions. The book, which is slated to hit shelves April 12, takes a look at some of the core reasons why we love our cats, among them being the unconditional love that felines can offer us. It chronicles a bunch of stories regarding cats by owners that are just as crazy about their cats as the co-authors of the Chicken Soup book. One Chicken Soup book not enough for you? Don't worry. This book isn't the first Chicken Soup text about cats, and you can pick up and read the others before this newest one goes on sale! Fat Cats and Plump Pups: Gawker Apparently, the obesity epidemic isn't restricted to humans, and has, in recent years, spread to our four-legged friends. According to cited data on a report at Gawker.com, "over half of all American dogs and cats are at least overweight, and some 20 percent of them are obese." The statistic seems pretty shocking, but is it, really? If we as Americans are obese, it seems obvious that our pets are going to follow the same pattern. We have to ask ourselves, what can we do to better ourselves first, and, by extension, better the health of our pets? From Plump To Pampered: PeoplePETS In this next story, we make the smooth transition from discussing plump pets to ones that are overly pampered. According to a report on PeoplePETS.com, actress Kristen Chenoweth was seen this week going bed shopping for her Maltese Maddie and the newest addition to her family, a white and tan Havanese named Leia. In order to mitigate the differences between the dogs and ease them into a comfortable living environment, Chenoweth attained a bunk bed so that the two animals would be comfortable near each other. Over the top and unnecessary? Perhaps. But really, who wouldn't want to be those pups? A plush red bunk bed? Nice moves, Maddie and Leia! Goats Will Be Popular When Pigs Can Fly...Can Pigs All Of A Sudden Fly?: New York Times The headline does read right. In a New York Times story this week, San Francisco urbanite Heidi Kooy recently purchased two Nigerian dwarf goats for the purposes of producing her own food. As the article states, Kooy had "fantasies of fresh raw milk and homemade cheese, yogurt, and ice cream." The report goes on: apparently goats are becoming somewhat trendy among some urbanites that are interested in making their own food. Kooy, among others, unearthed clauses in health ordinances that allow up to 2 goats per household in their respective cities. To note: New York is not one of these cities that allows goats. So will goats actually become more popular with the majority of the country? Probably not, the report says. But still, it's interesting to think about animals that are usually seen out in the country in cities. Adoptable Pet of the Week: D.J. This adorable feline is a 2-3 year old that came into a shelter with a broken leg, and she's now ready for a home! She is great with kids and other animals, and will kiss you more than you could imagine! Image Source: Adopt-A-Pet.com