No, your eyes are not deceiving you. The accompanying picture is indeed a showjumping rabbit, taking part in an agility test at the London Pet Show, which took place at the weekend.

A new way of tracking the movements of elusive felines is launched – much to the relief of Tom Cox

Scourge of the nation’s pavements is to be turned into electricity

On Friday, invitations went out to next week’s “VIP launch night of Bites and Bones” at the Bluebird restaurant in London. Held to celebrate a new dog-friendly menu, the event promises “doggie cocktails,  canapés and goodie bags”.

It seems the latest star of the BBC is a golden retriever called Miss Molly. If you caught the politics show This Week you would have noticed that the  10-month-old dog was given free rein of the studio and so decided to have a wander around the set. She even had a snooze in the lap of guest David Starkey and cuddled up to Terry Wogan.

As three-legged hound Haatchi wins the  people’s prize at Crufts, how do these celebrated cute canines compare to our hairy hero?

Do you love maps? Do you love cats? If so, check out the Zoological Society of London’s latest promotional wheeze, which combines the two. Catography, if you will. The idea is that in the run up to the opening of London Zoo’s new Tiger Territory area (a £3.6m enclosure where endangered  Sumatran tigers will be living) on the 22 March, cat fans can add the location and name of their moggy to an interactive map of the world.

A bid to crowd-fund an eaterie where people can enjoy tea and cuddles with cats is gathering momentum

Main image: cat lamp, £135, Liberty

School stress? Classmates being mean? Sometimes an animal can be a child's best friend.

All animal lovers will be aware of the plight of the greyhound. Although many owners of racing hounds take their responsibility towards the breed seriously, some are not so thoughtful, and will discard dogs once they are past racing age (typically about three to four). Their placid nature makes them ideal pets for a happy life in retirement.

Q. I have always pondered the idea of having a bird as a pet. The obvious choice would be a budgie, but they seem a bit boring. If you have a bird, which one would you recommend? Vicki from Harrow

The second ever Animal Art Fair opens at London’s Fulham Palace this weekend, bringing a vast collection of paintings and drawings of pets and wildlife under the same roof.

Friendly and full of character, hens make great family pets, and require surprisingly little space to roam free. More than half a million households in the UK keep chickens as pets, and that number is increasing every year as the lure of eating fresh produce grows stronger. And once you've tasted your own eggs, you'll find that un oeuf is never enough...