Pets

One down, 8 to go for this cat after it jumped out of an apartment that was intentionally set on fire ... and it escaped with not a second to spare.

The cat's harrowing escape -- fully captured on camera -- went down this weekend in Harlem ... as it was clinging to the ledge as the flames intensified right behind it.

Cops were waiting on the ground trying to catch it, but the cat was hesitating until the flames became too intense. With the back half of its body smoking, the cat finally made the leap and managed to land on its feet, of course.

It was quickly corralled, so paramedics could take a closer look.

Cops say the fire was started by a man wanted on domestic violence charges -- he barricaded himself in an apartment on the second floor and set it on fire.

Chilling in the yard with your dog is different, and dangerous, in Alaska -- where an aggressive moose can show up and charge at man's best friend!!!

Brody is the pooch in this video, and you can hear his owner was shocked to see the giant moose suddenly nose-to-nose with Brody ... and frantically tried to back away. Make no mistake, the moose seemed pissed about something.

Check out the clip ... the moose even charged at Brody, which only made the owner yell even harder for the dog to get the hell back. The owner's repeatedly yelling at Brody to get inside.

Dogs in Alaska appear to be too brave for their own good, but Brody and his owner did manage to retreat inside their garage without catching a face full of moose.

One vulture figured out an easy way to take a quick break while up thousands of feet in the air ... and it's all thanks to a couple of paragliders.

The incredible video was shot late last month above Algodonales, Spain and while it might appear to be an incredible encounter with nature ... there's actually a method behind it. The technique is called parahawking and it's practiced by paragliding instructor Scott Mason.

Parahawking includes a trained bird of prey to guide paragliders through thermal columns in the air. Participants don't just get to be up close and personal with the animals ... but the aerial trips also last longer and feel more "bird-like."

Sergey Kovalev pled guilty Friday in a criminal case stemming from an alleged violent incident with a woman and dog in 2018 ... and the boxing star will now have to spend the next 3 years on probation, TMZ Sports has learned.

Kovalev was accused of punching a woman in Big Bear, Calif. back in June '18 ... after the alleged victim claimed she turned down his sexual advances.

The woman, Jamie Frontz, said the two had met at a boxing gym-opening party ... and began kissing at her rental cabin shortly after.

But, she says when she pulled away from the fighter after feeling like he was too aggressive ... he became violent.

Frontz says Kovalev kicked her dog ... and then later socked her in the face.

In an interview with TMZ Sports about the incident, Frontz claimed the punch caused a broken nose, a concussion and facial lacerations.

Kovalev was eventually arrested and hit with a felony assault charge ... and faced YEARS behind bars.

But, according to court docs, Kovalev cut a deal with prosecutors Friday ... and got the felony charge dropped.

In exchange, 37-year-old Sergey pled guilty to misdemeanor fighting/noise/offensive words ... and was sentenced to 3 years probation.

Kovalev was also ordered to serve a 2-day jail sentence ... but he received credit for time served and won't spend any more time behind bars.

Court docs also show Kovalev must attend/complete an anger management program, as well as pay $220 in court fees.

We've reached out to the boxer's attorney for comment ... but, so far, no word back yet.

Not even a high-ankle sprain could kill this adorable moment for Christian McCaffrey ...

Here's video of the injured NFL superstar getting some much-needed TLC from Olivia Culpo's dog ... and it's probably the cutest thing you'll see all day!!

Culpo and her pup, Oliver Sprinkles, have been away from the running back for a few days ... as the 24-year-old has been rehabbing an injured ankle.

But, Culpo and her man finally reunited Monday ... and the reaction OC's dog had in seeing McCaffrey again will melt your heart!!

Check out the video ... Culpo came through the door with doggo in hand, and as they got to McCaffrey in the living room -- it was a full-on face-lick sesh!!

It should be noted ... McCaffrey had some sort of wrap on his ankle and didn't seem to put too much pressure on it to get to the dog -- so, breathe easy, Carolina fans.

As for Culpo ... she seemed to love every minute of the McCaffrey-Oliver reunion -- writing, "Someone's excited to see their dad!!!!"

Lasagna, the fat cat that was abandoned last weekend, has a new home, and Stouffer's has some delicious gifts for the new owners!!!

The 29 pound -- that's right -- was dumped at a Philadelphia animal shelter in a dog crate. The shelter posted the humongous feline's pic, hoping someone would find it in their heart to adopt Lasagna. They posted they're looking for "someone who can help her lose the #quarantine15 and become a healthy and happy cat."

Stoffer's sweetened the pot, saying, "We hope she finds a home!" ... adding, "To the family who adopts Lasagna: we will send you a bunch of lasagna!"

The post did the trick. Thousands of folks liked the photo and it only took a day but Lasagna now has a place to call home with the Hammer family in New Jersey. Suggestion ... if Stoffer's comes through, don't feed the cat.

Terrifying moment for Lindsey Vonn ... her beloved dogs decided to chase after a porcupine in Utah ... and ended up with dozens of quills in their faces.

"So... my boys got into some trouble over the weekend," Vonn said Tuesday. "They ran out of the house and chased after a porcupine... as boys do"

The images are tough to look at, but the Olympic skier says Bear and Leo were able to get treatment quickly ... and are doing much better now.

"Incredibly thankful that they are ok," Vonn said. "I also greatly appreciate my family and friends for helping them make it home safe and the love and care that they got from White Pine Vet 🙏🏻 You guys are the best!"

Vonn is known for her love of 4-legged friends -- she also has a third dog, Lucy, and recently took care of several foster pups before they were adopted.

The "Full House" cast joined a band and dropped a new music video ... all to celebrate dogs!!!

Bob Saget, John Stamos, Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, Andrea Barber and Dave Coulier joined forces to help "Full House" creator Jeff Franklin celebrate National Dog Week with a music video pushing for animal awareness.

The group -- dubbed The Full Dog-House -- performed "Gotta Love a Golden" ... an original song written by Franklin himself and a tribute to his favorite breed, golden retrievers. The music video aims to raise awareness and fight animal homelessness around the U.S. of A.

Check out the music video ... which features the puppies Woody and Lola living the dream (shout out to Comet and Cosmo in "Fuller House!!!"). Of course, Stamos is playing the congas, as he tends to do, while the rest of the TV fam showed off their singing pipes.

Franklin's original song is available for purchase ... with proceeds going to PetSmart Charities to celebrate National Dog Week. Fans can also hit up the popular pet store and make a contribution there.

The creator says, "As the proud owner of two awesome golden retrievers, I know firsthand how important the consistent comfort and unconditional love that a pet can provide." He added, "Creating forever homes for our pets continues to be one of my life missions."

Awesomeness all around!!!

HOW ADORABLE IS THIS?!?!?

An animal shelter in Texas was so grateful for the Dallas Stars' epic run to the Stanley Cup Finals this month ... it named four puppies after the team!!!

Meet Jamie, Benn, Kivi and Dallas ... four cute little pups who will forever be tied to the hockey team thanks to the heroics of the real-life Jamie Benn and Joel Kiviranta.

TMZ Sports has learned the shelter -- Operation Kindness in North Texas -- just made the names official ... and is now putting the dogs up for adoption.

Check out some pics of the doggos (plus a bonus shot of Dobby!) ... THEY'RE SO LITTLE!!!!!!!!!

As for the real-life Stars ... we're sure they're flattered by the naming -- but they've still got some work left to do in the playoffs to finish everything off.

A monkey stole a man's smartphone in Malaysia, and when the guy finally got it back he discovered a ton of monkey selfies!!!

The long-tailed macaque swiped the phone from the man's home in Johor, and it could've started a personal Instagram ... because the camera is now filled with hilarious selfies, including upside-down snaps, slow-motion videos, time-lapses and portraits.

It's pretty funny ... the mischievous monkey might have been pretty hungry, some of the images look like he's trying to eat the phone!

The man says he awoke from a nap and his phone was gone from its case, and the device was MIA for 2 days before finally hearing it ringing in his backyard, which is on the edge of a jungle.

Finding a message in a bottle on the beach is one thing, but this guy found a brain washed ashore ... wrapped in foil!!!

The gross discovery happened on the shores of Lake Michigan Tuesday morning in Wisconsin when a beachcomber out for his daily stroll came across a square package of aluminum foil, held together by a pink rubber band.

Jimmy Senda says curiosity got the best of him, so he opened the package to discover the gruesome contents.

At first, Jimmy says his own brain didn't even register what he just found ... and then after a few moments he realized he wasn't holding a chicken breast -- as he initially thought -- but rather someone or something's noodle.

Jimmy called the police to investigate, and the Racine County Medical Examiner tells TMZ ... the brain is NOT human. Their early take is appears to be from a cat.

Wild bears are still VERY dangerous ... don't be fooled by recent cute videos of the furry beasts, because they still have an appetite for human flesh!!!

Here's the deal ... hikers in North Carolina's Great Smoky Mountains National Park came upon a grizzly scene this weekend when they discovered a black bear chowing down on human remains.

The hikers say they were passing by what they thought was an abandoned campsite around 7 PM Friday when they found human body parts scattered around the area, with a bear scavenging on the remains. Yikes!

Park officials say rangers arrived at campsite 82 shortly after midnight and found a dead adult man ... and a bear, presumably the same one the hikers spotted, was "actively scavenging on the remains."

The bear is dead now too ... park rangers euthanized the wild animal, but officials say they haven't determined if the bear actually killed the man, or just stumbled upon his remains.

It's a stark contrast to the black bear in Massachusetts, which gently woke up a man sleeping in his back yard. Despite plenty of images of bears getting cozy with humans lately ... the danger of wild animals is still very real.

Bears are losing their mojo during the pandemic -- looking way less vicious and way more cuddly ... as this guy would tell you after one nudged him away in his backyard!!

Matt Bete was chilling out and catching some Zzz's Saturday in his Greenfield, MA home when a black bear got into his backyard. A Ring camera captured the scene as the bear milled around the pool, slowly creeping toward Matt dozing in his chair.

The bear took a quick sniff of Rip Van Winkle, before at his feet before the bear gently pawing at Matt's foot to wake him up. As he sat up, that seemed to scare the bear ... which took off running.

It seems bears have gotten super ballsy during this pandemic. Remember, the bear eating cookies out of a camper's mouth.

Or the one that put his balls on the line to sniff a woman's hair.

This is a swan after Dr. Fauci's heart ... a bird that clearly understands how to curb the spread of COVID -- or it was just a one-in-a-million crazy goof that landed with a message.

Check this out ... a woman is at some sort of animal park in France -- she has a mask around her neck but not covering her face -- and she approaches a swan.

All's well until the swan snaps at her face. Now get this ... the bird doesn't break the skin -- rather, it latches onto the mask, pulls it back and it snaps right onto her face. It became the perfect covering!!!

The woman falls backward ... probably at once feeling lucky she didn't get bit and super impressed by the bawdy bird.

The video has swept across France ... This clip is captioned, “You’ve been told: wear your mask!”

A woman battling Leukemia says her 2 French bulldogs -- one of which was her emotional support animal -- are dead after they were placed in an Emirates flight's cargo hold.

The passenger's name is Hannah and we're told she was flying from Dubai to Washington, DC for a cancer treatment -- but upon landing at Dulles International Airport she got the devastating news her comfort dog Panda, and Panda's companion Beluga, had died.

The incident went down on August 21 aboard Flight EK 231. We're told Hannah paid $2,600 to ship her pooches when she was told she couldn't bring them into the cabin because they weighed more than 8 pounds.

That means the dogs should be transported below the cabin in a hold designed for live animals ... separate from the luggage. Apparently, Panda and Beluga ended up in the luggage hold, and a necropsy shows they died from oxygen deprivation. Panda was also bloody, for some reason.

Hannah's attorney, Evan Oshan, tells TMZ ... the family wants justice for the dogs. He says, "Dogs are not luggage they are living breathing family members and in this case, provided tremendous emotional support for a cancer patient."

We're told Hannah had a doctor's letter from June 2018 classifying Panda as an emotional support animal -- and therefore, Panda should have been allowed in the cabin with Hannah ... Oshan believes.

He adds, "Emirates charged for the dogs' passage even though medical documentation was provided by this cancer patient. This is wrong!"

Oshan says other animals aboard the flight, presumably placed in the proper cargo hold, all survived the journey unscathed.

Two pit bulls allegedly belonging to NFL wide receiver Demaryius Thomas attacked a woman and her pet dog this week causing major injuries ... and now officials have launched an investigation.

Jennifer Savage told WSB-TV in Atlanta she was hanging out on her front lawn with her own dog Thursday when out of nowhere, 2 pits went after her pooch.

"I look up, not even paying attention, and I see two pit bulls charging at me, showing their teeth and growing at me," Savage said.

The woman says she tumbled down a hill trying to protect her dog from the pit bulls -- but couldn't stop the animals from taking "huge chunks" out of her dog.

Savage says she suffered bite wounds to her arms and legs -- and needed stitches.

Her dog, Berkley, was so badly injured he needed emergency surgery.

"They shaved his entire body and there's punctures and tubes all in him," she told WSB-TV.

The news outlet says a police report identifies Thomas as the owner of the 2 pit bulls.

We're out to law enforcement but haven't heard back.

Savage told WSB-TV she's obviously very upset and wants to pursue charges against Thomas over the incident.

We reached out to DT's rep for comment but haven't heard back.

Thomas was a star WR for the Denver Broncos, Patriots, Texans and NY Jets -- but he's currently a free agent.