All posts tagged: pets

I Call My Dog ‘Baby’ And Apparently That Bothers People With Kids More Than It Should

I Call My Dog ‘Baby’ And Apparently That Bothers People With Kids More Than It Should

Published by Jenni Sidey

It’s not a radical idea. I really just love my dog, so I say nice things to him and call him cute names, like baby, and no, you cannot come over and listen because I’ll probably tone it down for company. I find most dogs — besides that one obnoxious guy at the dog park; you know who I mean — endlessly fun and fascinating. They’re generally loving, and they don’t talk back. They do funny, odd, and frequently very, very cute things. (Check the one quadrillion internet videos for proof.) You can yell at them for walking on your head at 3 am, and they forgive you almost instantly if you come crawling back with cookies, thereby reinforcing that they can walk on your head at 3 am. Sometimes, my dog even does what I say, and he listens to my problems whether he likes it or not. The reason dogs are so awesome, actually, might be because they really aren’t like people. (Sorry, people.) I have an intense emotional bond with my dogs: …

OpenAI adds AI pets to its Codex coding tool

OpenAI adds AI pets to its Codex coding tool

Published by skeptic

AI companions are quietly becoming a staple across the industry, and OpenAI is now joining the trend. The company has launched Codex Pets, an optional animated companion baked into its AI coding tool. SEE ALSO: Everything you need to know about Elon Musk’s OpenAI testimony Like most AI companions, it isn’t doing any heavy lifting. But Codex Pets earns its keep as a floating overlay that surfaces project status updates in real-time, so you don’t have to switch tabs. Users can monitor active threads and track whether Codex is running, waiting on input, or ready for review, all without ever leaving whatever they’re working on. Getting started is straightforward. Head to Settings, select Appearance, then choose Pets to pick from the built-in options. Once activated, the floating overlay can be toggled on or off by typing /pet in the composer, using Wake Pet or Tuck Away Pet in Settings > Appearance, or by pressing Cmd+K on Mac or Ctrl+K on Windows. Mashable Light Speed The feature ships with eight built-in variations — including a cat …

When A Cat Truly Loves You, They’ll Let You Do This One Thing They Usually Hate

When A Cat Truly Loves You, They’ll Let You Do This One Thing They Usually Hate

Published by Jenni Sidey

Anyone who owns a cat knows just how particular their feline friend can be. Cats are meticulous and mysterious, and the way they act in your presence can tell you a lot about their true feelings toward you.  As your cat stalks from room to room, prowling the hallways of your home, perhaps even pouncing on your feet as you walk by, you may have asked yourself the following question: Does my cat even like me? It’s a question cat owners ask themselves more often than they’d probably admit. A 2019 study from Oregon State University found that roughly 65% of cats form secure attachments to their humans, which is strikingly similar to the rate found in human infants.  So if your cat spends most of its time acting like you’re an inconvenience, there’s still a very good chance it considers you its person. There’s one specific action a cat will only let their favorite humans do. When a cat truly loves you, they’ll let you gently touch their nose Elvis Kaiser / Unsplash If …

Which Automatic Litter Box Is Best? We Tested Litter-Robot’s Lineup

Which Automatic Litter Box Is Best? We Tested Litter-Robot’s Lineup

Published by skeptic

In This Guide If You Want All the Bells and Whistles Whisker Litter-Robot 5 Pro Jump to review A Model That Refills Litter for You Whisker Litter-Robot 4 Jump to review As the pet tech writer here on the Reviews team at WIRED, I have a lot of opinions about which automatic litter box you should get. I’ve tested nearly 20 models, but I still go back to one of the first models my cats ever used, the Litter-Robot 4. Among all the brands I’ve tested, Whisker’s connected phone app is leagues above the rest. The app design is clean, easy to use and understand, allows you the ability to monitor usage and control settings while away, and keeps you connected to your cat’s important health metrics. In fall 2025, Litter-Robot released a whole new line of upgraded automatic litter boxes, and we have tested them all. From the technologically advanced Litter-Robot 5 Pro with dual cameras and AI-powered insights to the pared-down, compact Litter-Robot EVO, there’s a Litter-Robot model for every home and budget. All …

The Calming Power of Pets: My Dog Is My Co-Regulator

The Calming Power of Pets: My Dog Is My Co-Regulator

Published by Jenni Sidey

If you’re on the fence about inviting a dog into your life, I hope what I share here helps tip the scales for you. My relationship with dogs didn’t start off cuddly and soft. When I was 8 years old, I was bitten by a German Shepherd that had rabies. It was a deeply traumatic experience complete with hospitalization and a lot of shots. That experience stayed with me for years in the form of paralyzing fear. Yet, underneath that fear, I always wished I could get over the trauma of the bite and enjoy a dog as a pet. I was skittish. After more than two decades of contemplation, I worked up the nerve to bring a yorkshire terrier puppy into my life. I chose a Yorkie because he felt small, manageable, and non-threatening. He was only 1 pound when I brought him home. What I could have never predicted was how profoundly Gizmo would support my mental health. Not in a dramatic, ‘the earth shook’ kind of way, but in quiet moments of …

You be the judge: my partner’s hair cream is toxic for our pets. Should he give it up? | Life and style

You be the judge: my partner’s hair cream is toxic for our pets. Should he give it up? | Life and style

Published by Sam Flores

The prosecution: Mabel double quotation markThe mousse he uses puts our animals at risk. I would like him to switch treatments My boyfriend Steven uses a hair-growth mousse to treat his hair, and I don’t like it. It’s toxic for pets, which is a problem because we have a cat and a dog. He isn’t even that bald; it’s just a small patch on the back of his head, but he’s paranoid about it, so he’s stocked up on these mousses and creams. I would like him to switch to using hair-growth tablets, which also work well. He doesn’t want to because he says they are less effective, but I think this is selfish. He says that it’s fine because our pets aren’t licking the back of his head. But that underplays the fact that our pets go everywhere in our home. Why take the risk? double quotation mark There’s also a subtle imbalance because I moved into Steven’s home nine months ago, and while he’s never made me feel unwelcome, it still feels as if I’m …

Dog owner shares 4 words you should ‘never say’ to your pet | UK | News

Dog owner shares 4 words you should ‘never say’ to your pet | UK | News

Published by Sam Flores

They don’t understand why you’re shouting at them (stock) (Image: Getty) Whether you’ve grown up with dogs or you’re a first-time owner, there’s always something new to learn when it comes to training. Now, one dog trainer has revealed a simple four-word phrase you should never say to your pet – no matter how frustrated you feel. On TikTok, a trainer known as @southerndogtraining1 explained why the phrase “What did you do?” could actually make your dog’s behaviour worse. He said: “Have you ever said that when you’ve come home and your dog has destroyed the house? If you answered yes, please stop – it’s massively detrimental to your dog.” According to him, the issue isn’t what your dog has done – it’s how and when you react to it. READ MORE: Rescue shelter staff heartbroken after scanning stray dog’s microchip He explained: “If your dog does something wrong, you have about three seconds to catch them in the act and either reward or discipline that behaviour.” But if you come home long after the …

This motion sensor ignores your pets but catches intruders

This $30 motion sensor ignores your pets but catches intruders

Published by skeptic

Home security is a crucial aspect of setting up a smart home. You don’t need a smart home to have a good security system. But, if you have a smart home, it’s a good idea to include some form of security aspects that you’re able to look at while you’re not home. It can provide you with peace of mind to know your home is safe and secure. There are different levels of security that you can incorporate in your home. While you don’t need to opt for a laser grid that you’ve seen in films like Ocean’s Twelve or Entrapment, you can still get some good motion detectors or sensors to alert you if something is going on at your residence when you aren’t there. One that I personally employ is a Ring Alarm Motion Detector and it has some great features that I’ve enjoyed for years. Related This $15 smart home gadget gives me more peace of mind than a security camera I use it for a lot of reasons. My home is …

Why do vets charge more to scan an animal than a private hospital would to scan a human? | Pets

Why do vets charge more to scan an animal than a private hospital would to scan a human? | Pets

Published by Sam Flores

Why does my vet charge more than a private hospital for humans? I’ve been quoted £1,500 for an MRI scan for my dog. When I looked at how much it would cost for a person to have the same type of scan privately, it was about £700. The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. As technology improves, the treatments and diagnostics available for pets are getting closer to what is on offer for human patients. While we used to rely on a vet to assess what was going on inside an animal, they can now recommend hi-tech scans to see exactly what’s happening. But progress costs money. The insurance company NimbleFins says the typical cost of an MRI for a dog was £3,789 in 2025 in the UK, for a cat it was £3,161 and for a rabbit, it was about £2,500. Meanwhile, thanks to the NHS, many of us humans in the UK pay nothing for MRIs. At private hospitals, insurance broker …