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Instacat – the kitten delivery service
- echeese 11y agoToo bad it's fake. I'd pay a lot of money for Maru to be my cat.
- hitekker 11y agoFor a joke site, this is pretty well-designed! I was wondering if you used a ThemeForest design or some other pre-packaged landing page, but, nope completely unique. On a side note (and perhaps also a shameless plug) maybe I should consider renaming the browser extension I showed to HN the other day: http://instacats.co/ http://instacats.co/.
- anigbrowl 11y agoI don't know about this - it's going to be disorienting for some cats to get switched around between so many different environments. What will the firm do about a cat that starts acting out - running away, clawing, or more commonly, spraying to make territorial markings? Cats prize stability and even a cat that hasn't been in the habit can suddenly take up such behaviors. Source: many years of experience of up to 10 cats at once. I wouldn't mind if this service also offered to pick up excess cats (I have too many due to a neighbor abandoning hers on me) but I would feel guilty about not setting them up with a more permanent environment.
- placeybordeaux 11y agoIt's not real. Source: The footer.
- anigbrowl 11y agoI just saw that but I'm going to leave it up in case someone tries to set up Uber for cats. There would be some demand, as you can see from the success of cat cafes - in fact it would be interesting to see how many signups this would get if it were filled out a little bit and disclaimer removed.
- bryondowd 11y agoNot to mention, what happens to these kittens when they grow up? Are they put down? Maybe ground up and fed to the next batch of cuteness to be shipped out? So many questions! Note: I took the parent as being tongue-in-cheek. I apologize if I misinterpreted.
- breischl 11y agoI think once they become too problematic, you turn them into Bonsai Kittens. Still cute, but they really can't be a problem anymore! http://bonsaikitten.com/bkintro.php http://bonsaikitten.com/bkintro.php
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- md224 11y agoI wish this was real.
- sciurus 11y agoFrom the footer: "This isn't a real product. Just something I built on a plane to make Brandon laugh."
- giggles_giggles 11y agoIt should be pretty obvious it's a joke. The logo is the same as the Instacart logo, just modified slightly to have cat ears ;)
- Nadya 11y agoI'm not aware of Instacart, so that wouldn't have been a tell-tale sign for me. Although I assumed it was a joke product to begin with - the footer was some welcomed assurance.
- ceejayoz 11y ago> It should be pretty obvious it's a joke. Uber has delivered kittens before, so we need a bit of a Poe's Law for startup concepts. "Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is utterly impossible to parody a startup idea in such a way that someone won't mistake for the genuine article."
- shepardrtc 11y agoI know many people who would not only subscribe to this service but actually attempt to create it, or even drive for it. So I did not for a minute think it was a joke... But I'm glad it is.
- fennecfoxen 11y agoAdditionally, the team is all internet-famous cats (not just people who have a cat picture instead of a profile picture.) The UX guy: https://www.facebook.com/blindcathoneybee https://www.facebook.com/blindcathoneybee
- mucker 11y agoThank God.
- 11y ago
- fimbaz 11y agoNot funny. Do want.
- venomsnake 11y agoIt is not worse than some products that got real money behind them. If it got you even for a second - we are in 1999 mode again.
- fredkbloggs 11y agoThis idea is significantly less dumb than many that have been funded (people like cute furry animals, so they're ahead of advertising-supported iOS app #213742 already). It's been 1999 for a while now. We're just waiting for the Fed to raise interest rates like they did from June 1999 through May 2000, with the killer blow being that last 50bp jump. Until then, you are cleared to party on.
- venomsnake 11y agoI honestly had the idea once of a rent a rabbit cafe. My problem with the idea was protecting the animals from abuse.
- fredkbloggs 11y agoIt's a sad world in which people assume others will abuse animals. Ever hear the phrase "hurt me with that problem"? The state exists to put a stop to that kind of crap. Your job is to make money. Don't get caught up in things that aren't your problem.
- trhway 11y ago>We're just waiting for the Fed to raise interest rates like they did from June 1999 through May 2000 doing it before elections changes the party in the White House, like in 2000 and 2008. So the question is what movie... err... president Fed would find more entertaining - Bush 3, Even More Dumber or Clinton 2, I'm Back, Baby.
- fredkbloggs 11y agoWith an election cycle lasting a full 3 years, it's always "before elections". The Fed is immune to lawsuits and the FOMC members cannot be removed from office no matter what. They have been given that independence for a reason, much like the Supreme Court justices (not that it's a good reason, but it's still a reason). If they aren't willing to use it, they shouldn't have it. It's long past time to normalize rates, and doing so will put paid to the VC mania just as it did 15 years ago. So be it.
- whymsicalburito 11y agoHow could they not say "Sign up meow"??
- gregdrm 11y agoWell it does say "Request Invite Meow"...
- synaesthesisx 11y agoDidn't these guys just close a $30 mil funding round (putting them at ~ $1.2b valuation now?)
- HenryTheHorse 11y ago"Kittens-as-a-service. Now with 9x availability"
- sorenbs 11y agoAm I crazy to think this could actually work as a real business? The other day I was telling a friend how I love the idea of having and walking a dog - once in a while. Unfortunately my life doesn't allow me to have a dog in the traditional full comitment way. But maybe there could be a way to get that dog-owner experience the few days or weeks each month you would have the time. It's obviously super important that the animals are treated well, so that is probably difficult to do without making it too expensive to be viable.
- yellowapple 11y agoIf there's an animal shelter in your area, they tend to be in demand for volunteers; based on what I've heard from family and friends who've volunteered for the local SPCA shelter, for example, it sounds like it's right up your alley.
- magic_beans 11y agoThey need a cool mobile app.. But also, from their website: "Volunteers must be able to commit to a minimum of eight hours per month for a minimum of six months. Due to the extensive training requirements, we are not able to accept short-term volunteers." Not exactly "occasional dog owner", though I suppose 8 hours/month isn't a huge commitment.
- illegalsmile 11y agoDo you not have friends with dogs? Seems like at least half of my friends have dogs and they always say if I ever want to take them out for a walk or run to go for it.
- istvan__ 11y agoAn absolute must! I wish there was something for real.
- opcvx 11y agoWho here would pay ~15$ to rent a healthy cat for an hour or two? Seems like an interesting idea. Guaranteed no toxoplasmosis! On a second thought, getting a cat is really not a problem, but this would provide entertainment without the responsibility.
- Nadya 11y agoIt's like a Cat Cafe that comes to you. But without the coffee and food.
- shortstuffsushi 11y agoThat's the second tier of the pricing.
- jankassens 11y agoeverkitten.com was a similar fake service. Subscription to have a jung kitten. https://web.archive.org/web/20140218072828/http://everkitten.com/ https://web.archive.org/web/20140218072828/http://everkitten...
- qume 11y agoMy cat stood on the power button for too long on my keyboard today and killed my work-in-progress. I think renting might be better than owning as I could be without a kitty when working.
- LastZactionHero 11y agoThe second feature page allows you to rent your own cat out- could be a purfect solution. Have a cat of your own? Want to make some money off him or her on the weekends? Well Pimp your Puss by signing up for our Kitty Consignment program, or sign up to be a driver through our Kitty Conveyor program.
- jeffbarr 11y agoMaybe your cat needs a power button...
- yellowapple 11y agoRelevant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9TmmF79Rw0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9TmmF79Rw0
- therealmarv 11y agoHow was it designed and made? It is well designed at first view.
- georgeglue1 11y agoIs just this a subtle ad? The twitter/facebook on the bottom direct to a website-maker company.
- gregdrm 11y agoIt was not intended to be... just a joke :) Any backlinks don't hurt though...
- ndeme2 11y agoI am currently in the middle of a lawsuit with the Instacat service. Instead of delivering the cat I had selected, I received a hamster in a cat outfit which bit my child. The cat outfit was also poor quality. My child's wound became infected and then my husband divorced me. I am only 3 years old.
- gregdrm 11y agoWe apologize for the mixup ndeme2. There was some confusion in our A/B test team (we were experimenting with alternative small mammal rentals). Please email support and we'll provide you a free week of deliveries.
- ebiester 11y agoI think I'd start with dogs, really. Trained therapy dogs that come with a trainer for a couple hours to businesses and individuals.
- rshlo 11y ago$1B valuation in 3..2..1..
- MichaelCrawford 11y agos/dilvery/deliver/
- gregdrm 11y agoText editor on a plane with a dyslexic writer... not a good combination. And the scotch... that probably didn't help either. Fixed! Thanks :)
- MichaelCrawford 11y agoAre you familiar with the Bonsai Kittens?
- bjwbell 11y agoThis would make a great episode plot in HBO's Silicon Valley.
- steanne 11y agoActually, Uber does this, though not all the time. http://newsroom.uber.com/austin/2014/10/uberkittens-is-back/ http://newsroom.uber.com/austin/2014/10/uberkittens-is-back/
- kra34 11y agoIt's currently the #1 Product Hunt startup of the day