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Why would anyone want to turn away cute fluffy meowing cats? Hmm… *remembers neighbor’s cats in heat yowling under window at 1 a.m.* OK, you might want to occasionally have a back yard free of cute fluffy meowing incredibly loud cats.

But you can’t just throw a boot at them. You might hit and hurt them. You might miss and have the cat concert continue. And either way, you’d have to go out and get your boot back… If you’re out of brilliant ideas, check out the Mega-Sonic Scatter-Cat Repeller. It’s probably the best solution you can find: the noise will drive the cats (or dogs, or squirrels) away, but you (or the neighbors) won’t hear anything.

And if you have a hidden urge to be a sniper, that’s one more wish fulfilled: the repeller is equipped with laser sighting. Of course, you’ll look like a very silly sniper targeting cats with a green megaphone.

How much under $29.99?
A little: ~$29.50 on Selections.com.

Via OhGizmo!

You being eco-conscious is apparently not enough anymore. Your pets have to be too. And, since Fido doesn’t actually care how his ball was manufactured, why not pay some attention to that? Since, I assume, your Fido still relies on you do to his shopping.

The RecycleBall is made from rubbery scraps left over from the manufacture of other chew toys - and, as an interesting tidbit, it appears the manufacture of the product recently moved in the USA. Rare thing indeed.

There’s not much to say about the RecycleBall since it’s just a dog toy after all, but pet-owners who want to save a planet might want to give it a go.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $12 on Branch.com.

Via cribcandy

From my experience with cats, they have clear opinions about what life should be like: get petted (when you choose, not that pesky owner), get fed, get enough sleep. And most cats do not need to be coaxed into eating.

So… What’s the point of the Chatter Bowl Talking Pet Feeder? Actually, it might not be completely useless. How it works: you record a 10 second message and, the next time the cat (or dog) gets close to the bowl, it is played back.

In most cases, it would be pointless. I doubt a cat has trouble eating just because the bowl doesn’t talk to it. However, it might be useful for animals suffering from separation anxiety. If your pet doesn’t just gobble everything up the moment you feed it, you could leave more food in the bowl, so it can hear your voice all day, while you’re at work.

I still say it’s too expensive, but then again I’ve never had this type of pet trouble, so who knows?

How much under $29.99?
A little: $24.99 on SmartHome.com.

Via Gadgets Weblog

For some, cooking is an art. For others (*cough*me*cough*), cooking is throwing the frozen fries into a pan. For yet others, cooking is something that happens to other people. Maybe you have a mom, a girlfriend or a boyfriend who doesn’t mind making food for you too. Then again, maybe they do mind.

The latter would probably enjoy this: an I Only Cook for the Cat apron. When cooking for the cat probably means opening a can, this is a life anyone would want (this, plus money to eat out).

Or, another idea: maybe you’re cat owners and you want to remember your significant other or relative who has which responsabilities. You - feeding the cat, him/her - cooking, cleaning, shopping, working. And, anyway, you can never go wrong with a drawing of a cute cat.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $17.06 on MookieGifts.

This is… weird and maybe a bit disturbing. I’d never thought of burying an insect, but it looks like lots people actually do this.

So, if you, your kid or someone you know feels inclined to bury their pet beetle or grasshopper, you could give them this… let’s call it nice… gift. It’s a Dead Bug Funeral Kit! Yay? They’ll probably enjoy a nice funeral for their definitely-not-furry friend.

Each kit includes a 32-page Illustrated Buggy Book of Eulogies with a ribbon bookmark, a casket, a grave marker, a white clay flower, a burial scroll and a pouch of grass seed.

What’s a book of eulogies you ask? Well, it’s a hand-made booklet with 15 eulogies and 15 buggy illustrations for 15 insects (ant, bee, beetle, butterfly, caterpillar, cockroach, cricket, doodlebug, fly, grasshopper, ladybug, lightning bug, praying mantis, spider or stickbug). The burial scroll gives instructions for conducting burial ceremonies.

I, for one, hope to never have a kid with a passion for insects. I don’t want any type of bug anywhere near me. Although I’m sure seeing mum scream when she sees your new praying mantis would be pretty fun…

How much under $29.99?
A lot: $16 from davidbarringer.com.

Via BoingBoing

Oh, the useless things people keep inventing…

Today we have the Pet Shower Curtain which is… a piece of plastic with two gloves in it. Apparently useful if you want to wash your dog without having to clean up afterwards if it’s not happy with the procedure, or if it got into a “stinky mess”, as it’s phrased on the reseller website.

Ok, I can see how this could be marginally useful. Maybe if you have a big dog and you just cleaned the bathroom… But it looks pretty difficult to maneuver - what if the dog starts moving around? What if it doesn’t like water and it struggles? It could be difficult to keep it in place through the curtain.

It looks like something out of a movie with dangerous virii attacking mankind. Or aliens. Or something. Also, it costs more money than I’d pay for a shower curtain with two holes in it.

How much under $29.99?
A little: $24.95 on solutions.com.

Via bookofjoe

The internet is full of stupid. Ok, the world is full of stupid, but it seems to float to the surface easier on the web.

Apparently a former product of the year of a dog magazine, the Pet Chime is a doorbell for your dog (or cat). In theory, the pet steps on the paw-shaped transmitter, you get alerted by either a normal dorbell sound or a bark and you open the door, avoiding messy “accidents”.

Very nice in theory, but how long does it take to train your dog to do that? Wouldn’t it be easier to train him to come bark at you when he wants to go out? It could be more useful for letting your dog back in, but still, it just seems pointless to me. You could do much better things with that money (and it’s not even that cheap!).

How much under $29.99?
A little: $24.99 at ComfortHouse.

Via Book of Joe