pets – Pain In The Bud

Beware Of Missing Pet Scams: If Someone Says They’ve Found Your Cat, Don’t Send Payment

People desperate to be reunited with their lost pets are easy prey for emotionally manipulative scammers. AI has made the scams even more convincing.

The internet is famous for its rules.

There’s Godwin’s law (The longer an online discussion stretches, the greater the chance of someone invoking Hitler and/or Nazis in anger), Poe’s law (extreme viewpoints and satire are indistinguishable online), and the infamous Rule 34 (“If it exists, there’s porn of it.”)

I propose a new law: if it exists, there are scammers out there trying to take advantage of it.

How else to explain the evil behind increasingly popular “found pet” scams?

The formula is simple. Someone loses their beloved cat or dog and does all the right things, including checking with their neighbors, calling local shelters and posting on sites like Facebook and NextDoor.

Missing cat poster featuring Buddy, a white and gray cat, last seen on Leahall Road in Stechford, Birmingham. — Stephanie Young of Burmingham, UK, was contacted by a woman who claimed she had Young’s cat, Buddy. (Great name!) When Young offered a cash reward upon meet-up but refused to send gift cards ahead of time, the woman said she would kill Buddy.

A scammer sees the post, whips up a photorealistic AI image or video of the lost kitty or pup, then contacts the panicked owner with the “good news” that their little pal has been found. Look, here’s proof! Little Fluffy’s stretched out in a sun puddle in my backyard right now!

People are usually so overjoyed and so eager to get their furry friend back that red flags may go unheeded, especially if they’re not fully aware of what AI can do these days.

They want to believe because they want their pet back, so maybe they don’t balk at sending a reward via Paypal or an Apple gift card. Or maybe they agree to send the reward after they meet up with the finder and get their cat or dog back.

In a new story about found pet scams, the BBC outlines what comes next, and it’s not pretty: the scammer demands payment up front and threatens to kill, sell or dump the missing animal unless the desperate pet owner complies.

That’s what happened to Sarah Robinson, a Northampton, UK, woman who was contacted by a man who claimed he had her missing cat, Cookie. Robinson was sure she would get her cat back when the man contacted her online and provided a photo of Cookie sitting by a window.

But when he demanded £40,000 (almost $54,000 USD) and Robinson refused, he told her he’d kill Cookie if she didn’t pay him. Even though her gut told her the whole thing was a scam, Robinson told the BBC she was “really, really worried” that she was wrong.

“It’s a very cruel thing to do,” she said. “It’s horrible, because you know it’s not real but you’re terrified it might be.”

Some scammers are crude and will heap abuse and threats on people who grow wary, but others are much more shrewd and know how to manipulate the fear and desperation of people who have lost companion animals they love.

That’s what happened to Bill Cosens, a Florida man who was contacted by a woman who said she’d found his missing beagle mix after the dog was hit by a car. The woman shared a photo of Cosens’ dog, Archer, on an operating table in an emergency veterinary clinic, which was generated using photos Cosens had shared online.

Now there was pressure and urgency. Archer needed surgery immediately, the scammer told Cosens, and the veterinarian was demanding an up-front payment of $2,800. If Cosens didn’t pay, the scammer told him, Archer would be euthanized.

It’s a much more sophisticated approach that relies on emotional manipulation and doesn’t give the victim time to think.

Infographic warning about lost pet scams, featuring a dog and cat, scam examples, red flags, and pet protection tips.

Indeed, another case detailed by the BBC involves a woman who had already retrieved her cat carrier and was ready to comply with a request for a reward when her daughters stepped in and told her it sounded like a scam.

There are ways people can protect themselves, like withholding certain information (unique markings, scars, specific information included on collar tags, etc) and asking the “finder” about those details. People should always take a beat, attempt to set their emotions aside, and look at the communications analytically. Alternately, they could ask someone less emotionally invested – a friend, colleague or acquaintance – to look at the communication with a critical eye.

In some cases scammers will send veterinary bills or diagnoses, or pretend to be veterinary staff. Always take a close look at the documents, keeping an eye out for telltale signs of a scam including misspellings, poor grasp of English (many scams originate from overseas), misuse of veterinary terms, and details that don’t match any real-life veterinary practices, such as incorrect addresses.

If the person on the other end asks you for a verification code, it means they’re trying to access your online accounts. End the conversation immediately.

Always ask to meet in a highly visible public space with others around, and don’t send any money unless you see your pet in person. If the person refuses to meet, demands gift cards or payment up front, always refuse. Those are clear signs of a scam.

If there aren’t overt red flags but something still feels wrong, ask for additional confirmation. If someone really has your pet, it should be trivial to FaceTime and show you proof.

It’s always best to err on the side of caution. Your heart will scream at you to take action because who among us wouldn’t leap at the chance to be reunited with animals who are our best friends and part of our lives for years? But if your mind and your gut are telling you something different, exercise extreme caution. Hope alone won’t reunite you with your missing pal, especially not through a heartless person who never had your cat or dog in the first place.

If you’ve encountered a scammer, report them to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov

Clocks Fall Back And My Cat Slaps Me In The Face

With a feline in the house, forgetting about seasonal time changes is impossible.

I don’t remember what I was dreaming about, just that my dream ended with a THWAP! against my cheek.

I turned away pointlessly and felt another slap against my chin, this time with an untrimmed claw scraping against the stubble.

“What the %&@$?” I mumbled, opening my eyes to find Bud sitting on my chest, his nose inches from mine, paw slightly raised to deliver another slap.

“No! No, Bud, don’t you…ow! You little turd!”

I sat up, forcing him to slide off my chest into my lap, and looked at him through groggy eyes.

“What was that for?” I asked him.

He meowed indignantly and I grasped like a blind man for my glasses and phone.

That’s when it hit me. Daylight Savings Time had ended overnight, the clocks had fallen back automatically because everything is networked these days, and from Bud’s perspective I had slept past our wake up time.

It was nearly Yums O’Clock, my feline overlord didn’t see any signs indicating I’d be rolling out of bed soon, so his solution was to slap me in the face to wake me up.

Naturally.

No hard feelings, either. Bud may be a weird cat, but he’s my weird cat and I love the little dude.

I’m writing about this not only because it’s funny, but also because feline timekeeping is shockingly accurate. Half the time I don’t even know what day it is, but my little pal knows when breakfast is due, down to the minute.

What other sort of impressive feats could felines accomplish if we can associate them with meal time in their minds?

Woman’s Ankles Mauled After She Falls Into Zoo’s Buddy Exhibit

Witnesses described the harrowing encounter as a woman fell into the silver-furred Buddy exhibit at the Bronx Zoo this week.

NEW YORK – Corey Anderson couldn’t watch as the woman tumbled into the zoo habitat.

The Manhattan man had taken his kids to the zoo and the little ones were pointing excitedly at the silver-furred Buddy exhibit when a woman climbed the barrier to get a better look, slipped and fell into the enclosure with the tiny apex predator.

“I grabbed my kids, shielded their eyes and had just turned away,” Anderson recalled with a shudder. “The sounds…it was horrific. It sounded like an enraged Elmo demolishing a plate of wings.”

Smartphone footage shot by other guests confirmed the grisly sequence. The woman landed awkwardly but was apparently unhurt as she stood and began to dust herself off, unaware of the intimidating shadow creeping up on her from behind.

“Absolute mayhem,” is the way Franz Muller described it. “Die mächtige katze! Das grauen! I have never seen ankles bleed as much as I have on this day!”

After initially shocking the uninvited guest with a swipe at her bare skin, the silver-furred Buddy proferred a single paw as if expecting something from the woman, “but when it became clear she was empty-handed, the Buddy flew into a rage and launched himself at her lower extremities,” Muller said.

Zookeepers arrived quickly amid the screams of shocked guests and held up a vacuum in warning, the footage shows. When the silver-furred Buddy hissed but showed no signs of retreating, one of the zookeepers flipped the power switch.

“The Buddy stopped, hackles raised, then bolted for the safety of his den,” said another witness, Eleni Xanthopoulou.

A scene featuring two men in period clothing sitting in a dimly lit bar, with a tabby cat prominently in the foreground. — The silver-furred Buddy with Lyle, center, and Sir Malcolm Murray, president of the zoo’s board of trustees.

The victim, a 32-year-old interior designer, was rushed to an emergency medical clinic, where she was treated for “multiple lacerations to the ankles, feet and lower legs,” police said.

Bronx Zoo Officials said the silver-furred Buddy would not be punished for the attack.

“He did nothing wrong,” head carnivore keeper Ferdinand Lyle said as he cradled the deadly cat. “He’s such a good boy. Who’s a good boy? You are, aren’t you? Yes, yes, a good boy!”

Buddy Becomes Aura Battle Phenomenon: ‘That Cat’s Got Serious Riz’

The silver tabby cat has burst onto the Looksmaxxing scene, cultivating powerful aura with his effortless style.

NEW YORK – Jeffrey “Raddog” Raddatz brought an unblemished record, a 9.7 jawline symmetry score and prestige as one of the greatest Looksmaxxers of all time to the aura battle.

His opponent? A relative unknown named Buddy the Cat with impressive canthal tilt and enviable hair silkiness stats who was nonetheless untested in the brutal world of aura battles, where only the most symmetrical Chads and Chadettes can take the heat.

The crowd, which had already been whipped into a frenzy by a packed undercard, broke into raucous applause when 19-year-old Raddatz mewed to display his high cheekbones, then peeled off his shirt to reveal abs rated 9.3 and 9.1 respectively by Looksmaxxer and Aurascore.

A dancer performing in a crowded public space, wearing sunglasses and a black outfit, while an audience watches attentively, holding phones to capture the moment. — Martin “El Capitan” Prado, 22, holds an aggregate 9.6729 Looksmaxxing score on AuraBattles.com and the Chadversity app. Known for his signature Riz Level Gain and highly rated hair, he’s considered one of the most formidable aura battlers in the western hemisphere.

“Siuuuu!” the Raddog taunted, imitating footballer Ronaldo’s signature celebration as he flexed chiseled pectoral muscles as he goaded his stoic opponent.

By the time Raddatz had finished his blistering attack the crowd was coursing with his zesty aura.

Buddy the Cat, however, had not moved a muscle. The 12-pound tabby remained in a nonchalant curl, eyes closed, his frame rising and falling in a gentle respiratory rhythm.

Onlookers exchanged confused glances at the lack of any response when Raddatz declared premature victory.

“This cat is cringe AF and has, like, no rizzitude,” he announced, just loud enough for the crowd to hear but not so loud as to appear desperate or cause any accidental damage to his own considerable aura.

Then he added a final taunt.

“What’d yah think about that, cat?”

Without so much as a twitch, Buddy answered with a thunderous fart that echoed off the nearby playground equipment and the glass-fronted buildings around the park, amplifying the flatulent sibilance to a powerful hum.

The crowd erupted in shock and disbelief.

“This cat just mogged my man without moving a muscle! Dayyyum!” said one onlooker who was streaming the battle to an audience of more than 3.2 million.

“An unconscious mogging!” another shouted. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Imagine the kind of aura you need to pull that off! This changes everything! It’s like historical and futuristical!”

Raddatz stumbled back in shock, a single tear heralding the imminent downpour as he realized his aura had been completely shattered.

Two men in sunglasses smiling and posing with raised fists, surrounded by a crowd in a lively setting. — Secretary of Aura Pete Hegseth, famous for his 9.5-rated jawline and widely admired silver mop, poses with teammate Zach Nunn during the 45-and-older doubles tournament at the National Aura Championship in June of 2025.

Mobile app interface showing a detailed face rating with scores for overall, masculinity, skin quality, jawline, and cheekbones. — A “looksmaxxing” app popular with Gen Z users instantly destroys their self esteem, then allows them to rebuild it using the magical powers of money and social media popularity.

Ethel Studebaker, who runs the “Explained for Seniors” page on Facebook, said terms like aura farming and aura battles may seem obtuse to adults, but they’re merely the latest spins on old concepts.

“Having ‘riz’ or ‘farming aura’ are just the latest terms for trying to look cool,” she explained. “In the 70s they would have been ‘far out’ or ‘groovy,’ in the 80s they would have been ‘gnarly’ and ‘bodacious,’ and in the 90s they’d be described as ‘fresh’ or ‘diggity diggity dope,'” she explained. “Although the battling itself simply by posing is a bit eccentric, and can be compared to the famous David Bowie-judged ‘Walk Off’ between male models in the movie Zoolander.”

Asked why generations Z and Alpha would prefer posing flamboyantly in “battles” rather than engage in time-honored methods like beating the crap out of each other, Studebaker was blunt: “Because they’re a bunch of good-for-nothing weaklings who stare at their phones 20 hours a day and can’t lift a box of Wheaties.”

A young man taking a mirror selfie while holding a hammer, shirtless and looking to the side. — Peters demonstrating his bone-smashing method for viewers on TikTok looking to emulate his legendary facial symmetry.

Braden Peters, the 20-year-old known as Clavicular, praised Buddy but said he would need considerably sharper facial symmetry to “hang with the top tier riz artists.”

“The road isn’t easy,” Clavicular noted. “Some of us have been at it for years doing it the hard way, spending tens of thousands on face creams and hammering our faces with chisels to achieve those elusive last few symmetry points. But the results speak for themselves.”