There’s hope for chunky cats
You’ve heard of fat cats, but these are not the rich kind. A clinical trial for overweight felines is testing a new implant that delivers GLP-1 medications − the same drugs used by humans in products like Ozempic and Wegovy − to help cats battle diabetes, kidney disease and, of course, obesity, according to OKAVA Pharmaceuticals, the company running the trial. The device, which is early in its testing and is not yet available to pet owners, is inserted under the skin and can deliver GLP-1 doses for six months. The researchers call the study, the first of its kind, “ManagEment of OverWeight cats,” or MEOW-1.
Student debt rescue is no more
Bad news for student loan borrowers who were still hoping for a lifeline: The Trump administration has officially ended former President Joe Biden’s debt forgiveness plan. The program, known as SAVE, will accept no new borrowers and will deny any pending applications under a proposed legal agreement. The SAVE plan, part of Biden's sweeping push to deliver nearly $200 billion in student loan relief, had green-lighted more than $5 billion in loan discharges to nearly half a million borrowers and brought many monthly payments down to $0. The administration says SAVE borrowers will now have a “limited time” to select a new repayment plan.
Wienermobile driver’s seat up for grabs
If you have ever longed to drive the Wienermobile, you might want to get your buns in gear. Applications to captain Oscar Meyer’s signature road ambassador are now open for recent college grads to join the brand’s Hotdogger Program, created to mentor future leaders who “embody innovation, creativity and community spirit,” Kraft Heinz Co. says. Twelve Hotdoggers will be picked to pilot the 27-foot dog on wheels cross-country for a year. It’s a real gig: Hotdoggers get a base salary of $35,600, hotel expenses and a weekly meals and travel allowance, plus health benefits and 18 days of paid vacation.
Martha’s final wish: Make me recyclable
Martha Stewart, practical and environmentally conscious till the end, has revealed her last wish: to be composted. “When one of my horses dies, we dig a giant hole really deep in one of my fields,” the lifestyle maven, 84, said on the podcast “50+ & Unfiltered.” “We have a pet cemetery, and the horse is wrapped in a clean white linen sheet and very carefully dropped down into this giant, lovely grave. ... I want to go there.” Asked whether that was legal or safe, she responded: “Why not? ... These coffin things and all that stuff? No way.”
The Fighting Irish are fighting mad
This doesn’t look like the Notre Dame we saw in “Rudy.” The team’s decision to reject a bowl invitation and end their season after being denied a College Football Playoff slot didn’t go over well with many fans and sports pundits, who accused the Fighting Irish, essentially, of taking their ball and going home. Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua defended the decision, saying the 10-2 team was unjustly snubbed because of politics and bias; ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, not mincing words, called Notre Dame “sniveling crybabies” and “the laughing stock of college football.” − Compiled and written by Robert Abitbol
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fat cats, the Wienermobile and the Griping Irish: The week in review
Reporting by Robert Abitbol, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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