This from The Chronicle of Higher Education today (subscriber site):

A jet-black cat with short hair received an M.B.A. from an online university a few months ago, on the basis of its several semesters of course work and an impressive 3.5 grade-point average. Now the cat’s owner — Kathryn H. Silcox, of the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office — has organized a civil lawsuit against the university, alleging both consumer fraud and illegal e-mail marketing.

Colby the cat, who just turned 6 years old, contributed to the investigation by applying for a $299 bachelor’s degree from Trinity Southern University, based in Plano, Tex.

Ms. Silcox, a deputy attorney general, helped Colby with his self-evaluation, for which the cat listed working in retail-sales, being an Eagle Scout, and completing three courses at a community college.

A few days after submitting his application, Colby heard back from the university. His life experience was sufficient for not only a bachelor’s degree but also an M.B.A. (for an additional $100).

“We were very proud of him,” said Ms. Silcox, who agreed to pay $99 more for a copy of Colby’s transcript. When she received the diploma and transcript a few weeks later, she was pleased to discover that her cat had taken four semesters’ worth of business classes, including management accounting, organizational behavior, and total quality management.

I wonder if PETA will get involved to defend a cat’s right to an education …