Mafia Wars: Animals are your mob family's new secret weapon

When you think of animals in most Facebook games, it conjures up images of cuddly, big-eyed creatures that you have to feed every few hours. Mafia Wars will soon erase that image from your mind, by introducing a series of teeth-baring animals that will soon become an invaluable part of your mob family's arsenal.

Starting next week, animals will become a full-fledged part of your weapons cache, so while fighting and robbing, each mobster will be armed with one weapon, armor, vehicle and animal.

You'll be able to find this new form of weapon several ways. This week, Mafia Wars is hosting an 'Animals Gone Wild' week, and animals can be looted from jobs, fighting and robbing. Vicious Crates, which cost reward points, are now available in the Marketplace, and those contain an assortment of animals "that can't be found anywhere else." Animals will be featured as sales items in the Marketplace as well, in addition to a limited edition African Lion and Pit Bull (this week only). And, if you already have collected a menagerie of furry friends, they will also go weaponized starting next week. This new development brings a whole new meaning to the phrase, "Kitty has claws." ROAR!