cats

A shelter cat named Squeak from the Abandoned Animal Rescue in Tomball, TX has seen a huge increase in sales for his “pawmade” hammocks after an appearance on hit television show Shark Tank, even though he didn’t receive an investment.

“I think the TV appearance was huge for publicity,” said shelter volunteer Taryn Wilder. “I was shocked none of the sharks invested. It’s a super high quality product, but I guess they were concerned it couldn’t scale well.”

According to his Etsy page, Squeak makes every hammock to order using locally sourced and recycled materials. Since his appearance, though, he’s had trouble keeping up with orders.

“He sort of fell into this,” said Wilder. “He made the first one for himself, then some other cats wanted one and it just grew from there.”

Wilder expects that Squeak will enlist the help of others at the animal shelter to meet demand.

“There’s a pug named Mirabelle who makes these awesome tote bags. But she’s had trouble selling them. I bet Squeak could put her to work, though.”

Via Feverpig.

Most people roll their eyes when a friend has “an idea for an app.” But when Darby, a local cat and serial entrepreneur, started sharing details for his on-demand, distributed laundry service, investors’ ear perked up.

“You simply sign up for an account, and the next time you need your laundry done, you just open the app, select the size of the load and your deadline, and one of our Laundry Agents will arrive at your location within 30 minutes,” says Eugene Carmichael, chief marketing officer for GoSuds, which launched last week. “They’ll have the load washed, dried, folded, and delivered back to you. And if you’ve already entered your payment info, there’s no hassle there.”

Those Laundry Agents are not full time employees of GoSuds, but free agents, much like Uber drivers. And Darby views that business model as the future of distributed work, according to sources close to the now-CEO.

“I was eager to back Darby. He has a successful, if modest business track record,” says Richard Delancy, an early-stage investor who has bought in to GoSuds for an undisclosed amount. “His companies have always been profitable, but this one could really get big, and fast. We’re expecting a strong return. I think it will significantly disrupt the laundry establishment.”

via William2487

Via anyagrapes.

A local cat name Flaubert was fired from his job as a bellhop at a midtown Marriott hotel this week for napping while at work. This was his third offense, according to termination papers obtained by The Fluffington Post.

“He was not the best employee,” said a co-worker who spoke to The FluffPo on the condition of anonymity. “It was all peaks and valleys with him. One second he’d be running around like crazy, this huge bundle of energy, the next second he’d be passed out in the corner.”

Guests at the hotel also complained that the cat was repeatedly found getting into their suitcases uninvited.

The SEIU does not have any plans to appeal the hotel’s decision. Flaubert could not be reached for comment.

Via TheLoudestMeows.