Kool Dog Kafe, which specializes in gourmet dog treats, has an incredible selection of canine-friendly cookies to get your pet for the holidays. And if you're an animal lover, you know that you like to give your favorite pet a little something special when everyone else in the family is getting their own gifts. From Hanukkah puppies (wearing little blue yarmulkes) and blue and white dreidels, to personalized red, green and white Christmas stockings, there are a lot of options to choose from. There is a complete holiday dinner, which includes 2 drumsticks, 1 baked potato, 2 crescent rolls, 2 doggie bones, 1 veggie leaf, and 3 cranberry churro bite cookies, if you want something more substantial, and even a set of snowflakes, for nondenominational dogs. The healthy cookies taste as good as they look and have a shelf life of 6-8 weeks. Dogs probably don't get the concept of these gift giving holidays, but they're going to be grateful to receive these cookies all the same.

It's a common scene in the movies. The family leaves the kitchen or dining room unguarded, distracted by some meaningful event, such as a proposal, death, natural disaster or mental breakdown - whatever constitutes "meaningful" in the movies these days - and returns to find most of dinner missing and Fido licking his chops on the floor.

Unless you have a big dog with quick reflexes, it's more likely that your pup or your cat will snag a bite or two of food than a whole meal. And just about everyone who has owned an animal has caught them red-pawed at one time or another. Now, that's not my kitten in the picture and I probably would have shooed him away before thinking to snap a photo, but that is an extremely cute shot that brings up the question of what "people foods" do your pets tend to go for when they have the chance?

Personally, I've had a cat that would go for macaroni and cheese if I wasn't looking and neighbor whose dog would watch for unguarded egg dishes (making brunch a tricky meal to enjoy).

I'll be keeping a closer eye out the next time I make waffles, just in case.

[image via cute overload]

In the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, a group of approximately 40 demonstrators gathered to protest the sale of cat meat at the Fangji Cat Meatball restaurant. Protestors initially demanded that any live cats on the premises be freed or turned over to them, but the shop owner had already removed them from the premises. Instead, a search of the kitchen revealed cat meat and a whole, skinned cat in the fridge, which reduced some of the protestors to tears. The restaurant was chosen as the site of the protest because workers at the restaurant had been seen killing cats in the street, something which concerned parents said was traumatic for children attending school nearby.

The owner of the shop defended the sale and consumption of cats - which are, along with dogs, considered to be traditional, comforting fare in the province - but said that he would close his shop.

Perhaps due to outside influences and the increasing popularity of having dogs and cats as pets, the animal rights movement is gaining momentum in China. An increasing perception of these animals as companions and not food could eventually put a stop to the practice all together.

A local beauty queen, who participated in the protest, even urged people to "stop eating cats and dogs and become civilised."

Sticking to more traditional dog foods, avoiding the fattening gourmet products, is probably the best way to keep your dog trim and happy, but getting Fido out for a few extra walks isn't going to hurt anything, either. We don't want our pets to be denied some of the simple pleasures in life, so keeping a treat or two on hand as a reward is a great idea. The Paw-resian Bistro carries a wide variety of edible and inedible treats for your pooch, from cookies to clothes. The most intriguing offering is a play on the classic French madeline, redesigned to be a healthy snack for man's best friend. The Sunny Carrot Madeline dog treat is shaped just like a real madeline, but lacks the butter and sugar they usually have. Instead, it is full of flour, oats, wheat germ and carrots. Perhaps it isn't gourmet by our standards, but I'm guessing that Fido will love it all the same.

MSN has posted a list of the top 10 cities for foodies, as determined by a travel site. The cities chosen are all over the globe, picked for a combination of unique dishes, celebrity chefs and all-around good cuisine. Barcelona, Brussels, Lyon and Rome were lauded for their long standing traditions, while Las Vegas and New York were included for having just about everything. While San Francisco did get a nod for its non-Asian cuisine, it seems to have been selected mainly on the availability of good Chinese food. Asian flavors are what put Tokyo, Vancouver and Hanoi on the list, too.

It appears that the definition of a foodie as someone who is willing (and possibly desperate) to eat anything has been put into play with this list, as along with Asian flair, Hanoi was picked for "unusual delicacies like dog or snake," including "fried snake skin, snake spring rolls, snake soup, and minced snake dumpling." Weird meats are all well and good, but to plan a whole trip around them seems a bit extreme.

Nevertheless, their list includes: