Bad news for Fido and Fluffy in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabian religious officials have outlawed the sale of dogs and cats to men, on the grounds that pets can be used to pick up women. Othman al-Othman, head of the kingdom's commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, said the ban was necessitated by the "rising phenomenon of men using cats and dogs to make passes at women." Men caught with pets will have their animals confiscated on the spot, said al-Othman, "and the man will be forced to sign a document pledging not to repeat the act."