Coming out of a store to find your car has been stolen is an inconvenience. But coming out of a shop to discover someone has taken your dog? That’s devastating. It’s upsetting to think there are actually dognappers in this world, but if you’re always tying your pup up somewhere, the lockable Safespot leash seems like a good idea.
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Los Angeles-based startup Petnet announced today that it has landed a $1.125 million seed round from Grishin Robotics, Kima Ventures, SparkLabs Global Ventures, and Launch Capital. Petnet (a different company from the Australian pet supply seller of the same name) will use the investment to commercialize its first product, the Smartfeeder, which is scheduled to ship to customers in the middle of this year.
Over the last few years, the pet care industry has proven to be relatively recession-proof. According to statistics from the American Pet Products Association, spending on pet products has continued to grow steadily, even after the global financial crisis in 2008. In 2013, spending in the U.S. hit an estimated $55.53 billion, with most of that amount, or $21.26 billion, going toward food.
The pet care market is also growing around the world and was expected to hit $96 billion in sales by the end of 2013, according to analysis firm Euromonitor.
Pet owners are willing to pamper their fur babies even if it means making financial cuts in other areas. In fact, some animals might be getting a little bit too much pampering. The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention says that an estimated 54 percent of dogs and cats in the U.S. are overweight or obese, due in large part to overfeeding.
Roly-poly animals are cute, but the extra weight can lead to long-term health problems, like diabetes, heart or kidney disease, joint conditions, and cancer. These conditions not only cause vet bills to mount up, but also reduce a pet’s quality of life and can ultimately shorten its lifespan.
Pet food dispensers already for sale that seek to address overfeeding include the Petmate Le Bistro Portion-Control Automatic Pet Feeder, which uses a timer, as well as the Gatefeeder, a dispenser that uses a Smart ID attached to collars to figure out when to release cat food.
Petnet wants to differentiate by creating a pet feeder that taps into the Internet of Things. The $199 SmartFeeder features “intelligent sensor technology, learning algorithms, and processing power that assesses the dietary requirements of a pet, creates a custom feeding schedule to meet those requirements, alerts pet owners when their pet has been fed and even reminds owners to purchase more food when they run low,” says the company. Demand appears to be strong so far. Petnet has already received over 10,000 pre-orders for the SmartFeeder.
The SmartFeeder joins a growing roster of pet care supplies and accessories, including Bluetooth LE-enabled pet tracker Puppy, and toys like Petcube and Egg that are all controlled by an online app.
Petnet received initial funding while participating in Bolt, a seed-stage fund and incubator in Boston for hardware startups. In addition to commercializing SmartFeeder, the company says it will use its seed round to enhance the product’s technology, hire more people, and develop other projects. Petnet CEO Carlos Hererra, who grew up in L.A., also wants Petnet to mentor high school students in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
In a statement, Dmitry Grishin, founder of Grishin Robotics, an investment company, said “Even the simplest things around us are quickly becoming robots these days. Through unique combinations of powerful hardware, smart software, and internet-connectivity, Petnet is a perfect example of this trend. I am confident in the company’s ability to successfully tackle the worldwide pet health challenge and disrupt the multi-billion dollar industry.”
Dogs, just like humans, need their exercise as well, and one of the ways to tell if there’s something wrong with your dog is by looking at their activity levels. If a dog is sick and unwell, chances are it is less willing to run around and play like it normally would. Monitoring your dog’s activity levels is one of the things the creators of FitBark are hoping to do. According to Sara Rossi, the co-founder of FitBark, “FitBark is a way to be a better dog parent.” Just like how fitness bands like Fitbit and the Nike FuelBand SE, FitBark was designed to monitor some of your dog’s vitals, allowing dog owners to check on whether their pets are running, walking, or sleeping.
In fact the company is also opening up its API to third party developers who might be able to cook up some pretty interesting applications for it as well, such as custom exercise plans, or maybe even food recommendations for different breeds of dogs. The company plans on selling FitBark for $99 for the device alone, or $149 with a portable basestation that will be included, and to help reduce costs down the road, the company is also turning to the use of Broadcom chips which is expected to help lower costs. As expected, FitBark will be waterproof and compared to last year’s model, it will be about 20% lighter.
FitBark Tracker For Dogs Gets Slight Hardware Upgrade original content from Ubergizmo. 
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For obvious reasons, cats and dogs don’t need to wear clothing like humans do. But a lot of pet owners humanize their pets and treat them like they would treat their own kids. It’s not necessarily a bad thing but sometimes it’s not good either (like feeding pets human food that might be too fatty for their systems.) But something that’s not likely to cause more harm to your pet is pet clothing.
As long as the clothes are not uncomfortable and overly thick that your pet will overheat in them, then I don’t see why not. You probably won’t be able to keep them on your pets that long though, because they’ll probably try to squirm their way out of their unnecessary outfit.
One such article of pet clothing is the Cat’s Pajamas. The bright red, one-piece suit will fit snugly over your entire feline and annoy him or her to bits and pieces. I’d be surprised if you don’t get a couple of scratches in the process of putting them on. Make sure you snap a lot of pictures while they’re on, because I doubt your cat will want to wear them ever again.
The Cat’s Pajamas available from Perpetual Kid for $24.99(USD).
[via The Green Head]
Dogs may be man’s best friend, but when it comes to modeling, cats reign supreme. Earlier, we saw a bunch of macho felines posing like male models in this hilarious photo series. This time, we’ve got another series that shows off the feline versatility: sexy cats posing like pin up girls.
These images are iconic, and what’s particularly fun and entertaining is the fact that each of the poses is replicated quite well and accurately by their feline counterparts.
Rawrr!
These shots are showcased at the Cats That Look Like Pin up Girls website, which was put together to promote Hurly-Burly, a fashion and costume company in Australia.
[via Laughing Squid]
The recent natural disasters in Japan have left the country focused on being as prepared as possible for the next event. And that even includes ensuring man’s best friends have everything they need to survive an emergency situation, including this elaborate coat that protects dogs from fire, freezing temperatures, and even falling debris.
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We’re sure there are many of you who can’t live without having your pet by your side everywhere you go, which results of the constant tug of war between going to work or just quitting altogether to spend every moment with your pet. If you’ve ever experienced this kind of heartache, then PetChatz will help make things a little better during those moments when you can’t be with your pet. (more…)
PetChatz Helps You Communicate With Your Pet While You’re Gone original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Earlier, we saw what superhero squirrels would look like with the help of Photoshop. This time around, it’s the hamsters’ turn, and there’s no need for any image editing software because Etsy seller Chez Marmota’s costumes have got them covered for real.
Chez sells a variety of superhero-themed costumes in teeny tiny sizes that will fit little pets, like chinchillas, hamsters, guinea pigs, hedgehogs, bunny rabbits, mice, or even your kitty.
From Batman and Superman to Captain America and the Flash, it looks like Chez has made them all.
The costumes are available at her Etsy shop Chez Marmota for $9 to $18 (USD). They’re perfect for acting out The Ratvengers or The Moustice League.
[via Fashionably Geek]
It’s no secret that dogs plus great photography and super slow motion
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Life gets a lot more interesting when there’s a cat around. Consider yourself lucky if you own a cat with a personality that’s as huge as that of Tardar Sauce’s (aka Grumpy Cat.) Even if you don’t, their demanding but endearing ways will soon melt down your walls and get to you.
As a result, cats have people making them all sorts of stuff, from iPad games for cats to the Cat Tunnel Sofa. Another thing to add to that list is Kitty-Casso.
In case it isn’t obvious enough to you, Kitty-Casso is a paint kit for cats. It contains five tubs of non-toxic acrylic paint, art paper, paint shields, one frame, and of course, a surprise toy for your cat.
Now I don’t think your kitty cat will know what you expect him to do after smearing his paws with paint, but hey, here’s to hoping that he’ll surprise you pleasantly and not make too big of a mess. And there’s always an outside chance he’ll create a masterpiece and you can sell it to a wealthy benefactor.
Kitty-Casso is available at Amazon for $19.95(USD). And dog owners, don’t feel left out – they also make Pup-Casso for your anipals.
[via Laughing Squid]
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