Hey, your cat’s name is written on the ceiling!

OK, we know you’re not that gullible, but every year clever pranksters trick us with April Fool’s jokes that are so elaborate and so convincing that by the time we realize that the joke was on us, we feel, well, totally foolish. And totally fooled. This year, companies like Google and Forbes completely got us us with their animal-inspired pranks.

Here are five of the best April Fool’s Day jokes featuring our furry friends.

Kangaroo Street View

Kangaroo Google Street View

Google Maps Street View is an excellent way to know exactly what a location will look like when you arrive at a destination. But suppose you’re traveling in the Australian Outback? It’s a huge expanse of rugged terrain that can’t easily be maneuvered by the Google Street View cars. Google Australia, came up with the obvious solution: Why not strap cameras to the heads of kangaroos?

The Google Street Roo team, consisting of over a thousand Big Red Kangaroos, wears 360-degree head cameras powered by solar panels stitched into the back pockets of custom-made “roo jackets.” These roo jackets were designed with the marsupial’s pouch in mind and Google Australia writes on their blog that the jackets are “completely accessible for the joey at all times.”

And no need to worry about how Street View will look with all that bouncing — Google Australia came up with software to smooth out the jumpiness.     

While the idea is totally wacky, our friend’s down under had us a little fooled!

Warby Barker Eyewear for Dogs

Up until April 1, the selection of available eyewear for dogs was abysmal. The affordable and fashionable eyewear company Warby Parker sought to change this furry fashion faux-paw by creating a hipster-inspired eyewear collection for dogs, which can be found at the Warby Barker website — because “there's nothing we loathe more than seeing a cute dog in heinous glasses.”

Made out of chew-resistant acetate, there’s no need to worry that Fifi’s hip new shades will just end up in her toy box.

And what about your dapper dandy pooch who is just too hip and well-bred for spectacles? Warby Barker offers a dogocle, a monocle for dogs.  

Try to buy a pair of these stylish shades and you’ll see what happens.

Claim Your Pets as Dependents on Your Tax Return

Finally, a reason not to hate the IRS: According to Forbes, Congress will allow family pets to count as personal exemptions when you file your taxes.  Section 151 of the tax code states that as long as your pet resides with you for at least half a year and does not provide half its support, then you can claim your four-legged(s) as a dependent.  So as long as you don’t have an Uggie or a prized show cat, you likely can get some serious cash back just for owning pets.

Not all animals qualify, though, no matter how much you may love them. Dairy cows and exotic animals don’t count. But if you have 100 goldfish can you claim them? The bill does not specify.

Forbes, you had us going.

Print Live Kodak Kittens

Kittens on demand! Kodak LIVEPrint’s joke of inventing a new technology that would allow little kitties to pop out of a Kodak Print Kiosks didn’t have a fooled for a second but the thought of Siamese, Persian and Himalayan kittens magically appearing from a printer is insanely adorable. We also praise Kodak’s suggestion at the end of their joke to go out and adopt a kitten from your local shelter.

Laika’s Expecting!

Laika the Husky, sister to Mishka, announced to her family that she’s pregnant by presenting them with a positive pregnancy test while they were eating dinner. Of course, this sent them into a frenzy of shopping for the new arrival(s). But Laika's quite the prankster — she was totally kidding. Good one, Laika!

Laika wasn’t the only one to prank her family. Her sister Mishka did the classic shaving cream gag to her owner. Her dad’s napping on the couch so she grabs some shaving cream, sprays it in his hand and tickles his face. Then wham! Shaving cream. In. The. Face.

Then there’s the other silly sister, Moki. She can’t quite figure out what April Fool’s is all about.


Tell us were you totally fooled? Did your pets help you play any April Fool’s jokes?