Photo courtesy of icanhas.cheezburger.com
In honor of National Cat Day on October 29th, a pair of start-up companies teamed up to offer their followers the opportunity to cuddle up with a kitten. The promotion, sponsored by Uber, the growing car rental start-up, and Cheezburger, the originator of LOLcats, was launched through the official Uber app.
By clicking on a special tab marked “Kittens!” (and paying a $20 fee), users living in New York City, San Francisco, and Seattle received a tabby kitten delivered in a black town car accompanied by its handlers and sweets. The user was then given 15-minutes to enjoy cupcakes and cuddle time with their new furry friend.
The handlers, representatives of the Seattle Humane Society, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NYC), and the San Francisco S.P.C.A., remained on-hand to talk to the user about adopting the homeless cats and to answer any questions. According to Uber, the promotion was intended to encourage people to adopt homeless kittens.
Although the companies’ intentions were genuine, there was some backlash from the public and some of the business’ followers. Several people expressed concern for the kittens’ physical and emotional well-being while others applauded the effort. In Seattle, the loudest complaints were from users who were unable to rent kittens because there was too much demand from other customers.
Let’s just hope the companies don’t launch a similar stunt on National Bosses Day. We spend too much time with them already, right?
