AIPetz news.
Real, researched stories for pet parents — health findings, industry shifts, pet tech, and adoption news.
AI Robot Pets Are Here: SwitchBot's KATA Friends Will Cost You $700 — Plus a Subscription
SwitchBot officially launched KATA Friends, a pair of AI-powered companion robots named Noa and Niko, in May 2026. At $699.99 each, they are the most accessible robot pets yet — but they come with a subscription model that raises questions about what you actually own.
Dogs and Humans Share the Same Aging Clocks, Study Finds
New research from the Dog Aging Project shows that the metabolic signals predicting early or late death in dogs closely mirror those found in multiple large human studies — suggesting our two species age by remarkably similar biological rules.
Pets Lift Your Mood — But May Not Ease Stress. And Dogs vs. Cats? It's Complicated.
A rigorous new study using real-time mood tracking found that interacting with pets reliably boosts positive emotions — but the stress-buffering effect many owners assume turns out to be more myth than fact. And when it comes to cats versus dogs, the picture gets surprisingly nuanced.
The Cat Economy Is Having a Moment — and Brands Are Finally Taking Notice
Cat ownership is rising while dog ownership dips. Spending on feline products is growing faster than canine categories. And industry analysts are calling 2026 a turning point for the long-underfunded cat market. Brands that ignored cats are rethinking that choice.
Big Dogs, Long Waits: Why Large Breeds Are Getting Left Behind in U.S. Shelters
A new Hill's Pet Nutrition report backed by survey data from 2,000 Americans finds that confidence gaps, rising costs, and housing restrictions are keeping large dogs in shelters far longer than their smaller counterparts.
New Study Finds Natural Supplement Eases Joint Pain in Dogs and Cats
A peer-reviewed clinical trial published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science found that a palmitoylethanolamide supplement significantly reduced joint pain and improved mobility in both dogs and cats over a six-week period.
Samsung Unveils AI Tool That Screens Your Pet for Health Issues Using a Smartphone Photo
At the VivaTech 2026 conference in Paris, Samsung revealed a partnership with pet-health startup Lifet to bring AI-powered photo screening for common dog and cat conditions directly to Galaxy devices via the SmartThings app.
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