Uber delivers kittens to offices on National Cat Day

Uber has teamed up with a number of animal shelters to deliver kittens to offices around the US on national cat day.

To counter any fears of animal cruelty, Uber said each cat that will be delivered is available for adoption, so users can decide to keep them if they get along.

All of the kittens are transported in safe carriers, and locations are prescreened to make sure that they are safe environments for the animals.

A $30 (£20) ‘snuggle fee’ will go to supporting the participating shelters.

Customers will be able to have kittens delivered to their home and enjoy playing or cuddling with them during a 15-minute window.
Uber spokeswoman Arathi Mehrotra said: “You get a few [kittens]. You get a bunch of them. I can pretty much guarantee demand will be extremely high.”

Uber Canada spokesman Susie Heath said a similar initiative with puppies had been successful.

“We’ve just found it has been very successful,” she said. “People enjoy spending time with the animals and, eventually, quite a few of them get adopted, as well.”

Uber launched a kitten delivery service in Australia in February but the service has been criticised by animal welfare charities.

However, Peta UK director Mimi Bekhechi warned of the dangers of adopting a kitten on the back of 15 minutes of ‘cuddle time’.

“A kitten isn’t for 15 minutes but for life so hopefully these interludes will lead to a real home for a real cat for the rest of his or her life,” she said. “Peta urges careful screening of all adopters, just as should occur with the adoption of a human child.”

The service went down well on social media, with several offices posting their time with kittens on Twitter and Facebook.