Last year Americans spent over 55 billion dollars on their pets. To put that in some sort of perspective, that’s more than most countries in the world spend on their military. In New Orleans, Zeus Place is one of a number of 21st Century pet boarding and day care facilities where pets are treated somewhere between kindergarten kids and rest home residents, with activities, walks, naps and even their own apartment. Michelle Ingram, founder and owner of Zeus’ Place, sits down with Peter Ricchiuti to talk cats, dogs, daycare, webcams and pet apartments named for vacation spots where the pet s human owners have gone after dropping their pets off for days of fun, pampering video surveillance. In the US and specially in New Orleans, we keep spending money on our pets even after they’re dead. Heaven’s Pets is a post life pet care business a joint venture with Stewart Enterprises, the largest provider of funeral and cemetery services in the United States. Based at Lake Lawn Cemetery in Metairie, Heaven’s Pets will arrange a funeral for a departed pet, or they’ll simply cremate your pet and give you the ashes in an urn. The President of Heaven’s Pets is Patrick McCausland who came from a background of human health and fitness, working for many years with Mackie Shilstone s GNC stores before moving into pet after care. Patrick and Heaven s Pets are blazing a new path for pet after care. In partnership with Stewart Enterprises they re poised to move nationwide. Michelle would like to see her business expand too but for now she s happy feeding pigeons to entertain cats.