DENVER, Colorado: "We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to make the world’s first bionic dog." (With apologies to the Six Million Dollar Man)

LOS ANGELES, California: When you mention animal charities many people's eyes start to glaze over. But what you add PlayBoy bunnies? Oh, and the chance to party at the Playboy Mansion? Bow wow wow to that!

LONDON, England: Gold medals aren't just for Olympic athletes. They're also given to four-legged heroes - in this case, bomb-sniffing dogs fighting the war against terrorism.

VICTORIA, British Columbia: "The doctor will see you now," the receptionist says, looking up from the clipboard she was so intently staring at a few seconds earlier. A nurse comes over to usher you towards the door behind the receptionist's desk. You enter the room and sit yourself down on the comfortable couch.

How would you react if you realized that, here to oversee your therapy for the day, is a horse?

ROTORUA, New Zealand: Have cats replaced dogs as man's best friend?

The light-hearted debate over who is man's truest best friend - felines or canines - has raged for time eternal. While dogs are said to be loyal and heroic, cats, with their independent nature, are said to be more aloof and self-centered.

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania: When you use the words 'Nora' and 'music' in a sentence, it's a safe bet you'd be referring to singer/songwriter Norah Jones and not a humble pussycat.

But that's about to change. Make way for the latest 'Nora' music sensation sweeping the world - Nora, the piano-playing cat!

VIENNA, Austria: Scientists have been amazed by dogs displaying near-human levels of sophisticated awareness during controlled experiments.

JERUSALEM, Israel: A man got more than he bargained for when he cuddled his pet cat one night in bed - only to discover it was in fact a leopard.

Authorities have warned the number of leopards approaching and even attacking humans is on the increase, especially in countries such as India.

HENDERSONVILLE, North Carolina: A cat has emerged just a little worse for wear after spending 35 days locked in a shipping container without food or water.

'China' the cat was apparently locked in the container just before it left Shanghai on April 3, according to the BBC.

MADABA, Jordan: A cat nursing four kittens has stunned observers by adopting seven baby birds into its litter.

The feline, from Madaba (a city lying just south of Amman in Jordan), accepted the seven chicken chicks into its own family after the baby avians lost their own mother hen a month ago, according to news.com.au.