Cat-Ching

There was a cover story a few weeks ago in BusinessWeek about how Americans spend billions a year on their pets, this includes items like a $1,200 Hermès collar and leash, $500 Chanel pearls or Neuticles which is a patented testicular implant that sells for up to $919 a pair.

"Americans now spend $41 billion a year on their pets—more than the gross domestic product of all but 64 countries in the world"

I'd spend any amount on health care for my pets and spending money on something like The Mr. Lee CatCam is perfectly understandable but an Isaac Mizrahi doggy trench coat?

I thought this Letter to the Editor was a perfect response

"As a volunteer for a no-kill animal shelter in St. Louis, I wish that even a small portion of the $41 billion spent on pets was donated to animal welfare groups working tirelessly to end the abuse and neglect that animals endure. Millions of animals are euthanized yearly because of pet overpopulation. Shelters do not have enough room, and there are not enough homes to go around. The money could support groups that offer free and low-cost spay and neuter programs so that someday, perhaps, there would be no more homeless pets." (Connie Davies St. Louis)