I certainly don't know many kitties that would turn down some fresh fish as a treat . . . and I can't be the only one with the iconic cartoon image of a cat lapping milk in my head. However, a recent post on Dolittler (my go-to site for a behind-the-scenes vet perspective) got me thinking: Are there really vegan pets out there?Seems that converting pets – especially cats – to a vegetarian or even the veggies only diet (with no milk or egg proteins for vegans) is a risky choice but one that some still consider. Dr. Patty Khuly writes:

Cats' bodies (specifically, their gastrointestinal tracts) are not ideally suited to digesting non-meat foods. Though they may seem to do well on these diets once they’ve acclimated to them, the long-term effects of feeding feline diets that lack animal proteins have not been established.

Now it's one thing if you have a pet that would choose the vegetarian option in the wild (goats, rabbits, chickens, etc.) but it doesn't seem fair to impose personal beliefs that could endanger your animals' health in the process? What's your take?

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Even if you don't exactly consider your pet to be your "child", experts say many people are as dedicated to their animals as parents are to children . . . and will sacrifice themselves before trimming back on four-legged friends. It's expected that Americans will spend $43.4 billion this year on their pets – although that's down from the original prediction, pet pampering doesn't show many signs of slowing down. Morningstar analyst R.J. Hottovy says:

It's definitely more resilient than most categories tied to discretionary spending. It's one of the last categories (people) cut out of their budget.

I couldn't agree more as my weekend trip to Petco found me picking up a bag of gourmet treats for my lil guy in addition to a 20-lb. bag of dog food – while I'm not willing to downgrade my pups' food, I am trying to buy in bulk to save some money. Is the analyst's statement true for you, too?

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Little Patterson Tate really likes his privacy. He'll even go so far as to hide under the furniture to take a nap, just to get away from the paparazzi. No pictures, please!

Congrats to Patterson Tate and Happsmjc for being chosen as our Pet Pic of the Day! Don't forget to send in your favorite snapshots to our Pet Pics group for a chance to see your furry loved ones on the pages of PetSugar!

If you missed out on entering the Worldwide Fido Awards over the Summer, have no fear – there is a new contest hitting the airwaves, and this time it's on the Today Show.

The Best in Show Contest will pit one "adorable trick" against another to win a three-night grand prize trip to Denver, and a photo shoot in US Weekly.

To enter, all you have to do is submit a video of your pet's best and most amazing trick online, or mail it in postmarked by November 6 to the Today Show. You and your pet could be seen on TV by millions! Will one of our own make it into the finals? I'm keeping my fingers crossed – PetSugar pets seem to be on a roll!

Election Day is nearly here and, not only does Natalie want you to go out and vote, but she even has another suggestion regarding the "most important decision of our generation." Now I'm already on board with her advice to help the global economic crisis so I'm not surprised I agree with this tip, too. Think you know what it is? Watch her latest video with Rashida Jones and see if you guessed right.