While keeping resolutions may be a losing battle for us weak humans, it may be easier for you to keep them when they relate to your pet's health. Studies say that about half of dogs and cats are overweight or obese, which can result diabetes, respiratory disease, kidney disease, and other ailments including hip dysplasia. more ›

While we think we've solved the mystery of how Willow, the Colorado cat who went missing five years ago only to surface in New York this week, traveled to the Big Apple, there are still many questions. Like how could Willow's microchip, with information about her Colorado home, not be detected? Well, there are some theories. more ›

After telling us that Willow the Colorado cat had been living in Brooklyn, our tipster added, "If either of my cats disappeared for years I would just want to know what happened and that he or she was loved... Please contact her Colorado family!" So we did: We got in touch with Jamie Squires who said she was "grateful" to Willow's New York owner for taking care of her. And how does Squires know Willow was taken care of? "She's fat!" Squires joked, referring to how Willow, a small calico, was five-and-a-half pounds when she ran off and is now clocking in a healthy seven pounds. more ›

Willow's NY owner "fell in love with her on a ski trip when she was a stray in Colorado, and flew her back to Brooklyn, thinking she was too amazing to leave behind." more ›

Here at Gothamist we love a good lost dog story as much as the next blog, so we were happy to read another tale of a pup reunited with their person in the Post today. Earlier this month a 58-year-old man named Bruce, who didn't give his last name, went shopping at the Bowery Whole Foods but left his 5-year-old chihuahua Henry in a fancy dog carrier inside his Porsche Cayenne. When Bruce got back to his car though, it had been broken into and the canine and its carrier was gone (as was a laptop). "He had never left my side since he was 3 months old," Bruce told the paper. more ›

Recently there have been more videos than we're comfortable with showing rats riding the subway (one didn't survive the close encounter with straphanger). And now, the latest, comes with a twist. This time the rat was brought on to the train on purpose, and sits on the lap of its owner, feasting on a shared plate of pasta... as fellow passengers react with both shrieks and laughter. more ›

Okay, we know New Yorkers like exotic animals (Antoine Yates, anyone?), but are we really at the point where we've got kangaroos living in apartments? Because videos of a man with a kangaroo at a Third Avenue pet store—seems like the Upper East Side Unleashed by Petco—appeared on YouTube and it's pretty crazy. A man who was at the store with his dog filmed it and sounds pretty amazed by the sight of the adorable marsupial (his dog, though, is more interested in a fellow canine). more ›

We received an excited email from a reader stating: "A friendly exotic bird was saved by New Yorkers on the UWS Saturday in freezing temperatures"... with a link to a website retelling this story from the rescuer: "I was on the UWS on Saturday and noticed this bright orange/green/blue bird standing on the sidewalk chirping. It looked pretty out of place..." more ›

A 49-year-old Manhattan mom, Dianne Rochenski, can't get enough of the city's unwanted mascot: the rat! According to the Daily News, she keeps rat figurines, and giant stuffed rats in her apartment—in addition to her two pet rats, of course. Pet rats aren't that crazy of an idea... but hers, Remalina and Christiana, sleep in her bed. more ›

Portrait artist Allen Hirsch has reportedly been in South America for the past couple months, while news that a Queens hairdresser was attacked and bitten by his pet monkey came to light. He may not want to come back any time soon, since he is now facing new criminal charges that may land him in jail for up to a year. more ›

On our way into the office this morning we found this ravenous little guy running around in the street and eating drywall that was crumbled up on the curb. So we fashioned a leash with a T-shirt and brought him inside. But what then? Following the advice of Patrick Kwan at the Humane Society of the U.S., we took the pup to get scanned at the local vet, to find out if he had a microchip. Lo and behold, he does! more ›

In case you haven't heard yet, San Francisco really likes animals. So much so that they're considering banning the sale of pets in pet stores. The proposed ban aims to curb people from impulsively buying pets only to give them up later, which often results in shelter crowding or euthanization. The ban would cover the sale of all of God's creatures except for fish, because let's face it, nobody cares about your pet goldfish. But could the ban be making its way to New York? more ›

After increasing the cost of pooper scooper fines from $100 to $250, city inspectors issued far fewer tickets to dog owners who didn't pick up after their pooches last year. The number of pooper scooper violations plummeted from 903 in the fiscal year of 2008 to just 580 in 2009—but experts say the decline in tickets has nothing to do with the higher cost of the violations. more ›

The Long Island mother accused of torturing and killing cats and dogs and forcing her children to take part in the abuse might plead not guilty by reason of insanity. After getting hit with additional felony charges of animal cruelty and child endangerment yesterday, the lawyer representing Selden resident Sharon McDonough said he is "considering an insanity defense" for his client, who so far has pleaded not guilty, according to 1010WINS. Investigators uncovered the remains of 42 animals in her backyard after her son alerted authorities, claiming his mother "would buy the dog, treat it like it was the greatest dog in the world for a few days, then they would sit in the cage until she decided to kill them." more ›

Some 2 million pets and other animals travel by commercial airline each year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. And considering how much airlines charge for the service, it all amounts to big business for the industry. But how much should it cost to take your pet with you on a flight? One area woman is up in arms after realizing that her cat's ticket to fly from New York to Virginia actually cost more than her own ticket! more ›

We can't decide if this trend is more or less inappropriate than the slatternly tween Halloween costume fad. While it's true that only a very sick perv would be aroused by these provocative pooch costumes, isn't that also true of the "Devil Grrrl" costume for eight-year-olds? As we were recently reminded by that New Jersey cow-fucking incident, bestiality is still a thing, and if you're going to go out with your dog dressed like this, you should definitely keep it on a tight leash. more ›

Another goat has been found wandering around near the Hutchinson River Parkway in the Bronx, the third such incident this summer. City Room reports that the goat, a brown male Nubian believed to be about a month old, was at death's door with pneumonia when it was discovered on Tuesday wandering around a nursing home near where the parkway intersects with Interstate 95. Employees corralled the goat, and it was taken in by Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, N.Y., where it's still quite ill, but expected to survive. The location where the goat was found is not far from where two other goats were found wandering in late July. Richard Gentles at Animal Care & Control tells the Daily News that he doesn't know why the area is so popular with goats, but speculates that "someone owns them and are keeping them in their backyards." (That's illegal in New York City.) And Farm Sanctuary's director believes the Hutchinson River Parkway "has become something of an 'underground railroad' for goats looking to escape New York City's live markets with their lives." more ›

A New Yorker Talk of the Town piece investigates a fear that's been plaguing Upper West Side dogowners: Dognappers who prey upon beloved pooches (especially petite ones) in hopes of a payday. One dog owner explains, according to lore, "There's a two-man team, with one in a gray hoodie on a bicycle who comes by and slices the leash with a razor, then goes away with the dog. The other guy calls you up later on and says, 'Hey, I found your dog! What's it worth to you?'" While others have heard about this team and their dastardly M.O., even heeding advice like, "Don't leave your dog outside Starbucks. And don't use leashes that people can slice through," and keeping a careful eye out for bicyclists, the police at the 12th Precinct say there have been no dognapping reports in the past few weeks. A Brooklyn College poli-sci professor tries to explain the paranoia through the lens of the financial crisis, "A small dog creates a tremendous amount of emotional attachment, but at the same time it is a luxury item--and that's being taken away." more ›

The lead article in the NY Times Real Estate section is for anyone who has ever wanted a pet in your NYC apartment, but whose building or allergies prevent them from getting a dog or cat. There are apartment dwellers out there whose pets include rabbits, chinchillas, and a 5-foot-long iguana "who wanders freely" in his owner's apartment, even "reliev[ing] itself in a paper-towel-lined bathtub." more ›

Awww: A dog that went missing from Sunset Park on Monday afternoon was found 60 miles away on Long Island the next day. Newsday reports the chihuahua named Boy was reunited with his tearful and grateful owner yesterday. more ›

A 23-year-old animal groomer in Brooklyn is facing charges of animal cruelty and could spend up to a year in jail if convicted. The charges stem from an experience Igor Kisil and his Burmese cat Nusha had with groomer Bechir Bejaoui of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Kisil says that when he went to pick up his small cat, who weighs only three pounds, she was returned to him in a carrying case covered with blood. Kisil says that the cat was literally crying, with tears coming from its eyes, and her face was covered with blood. The distressed pet owner called the cops, but when they responded they said it wasn't their jurisdiction to handle such a matter. more ›