Is Buying A Puppy Or Kitten At A Pet Store A Good Idea?

0 Comments | Rating: 0 | |

Most people, when they decide to adopt a new puppy or kitten, look to the local pet store to find the newest addition to their family. After all, it is a convenient location to find not only the pet in question, but also all the supplies and food that will also be needed. It also brings back all sorts of warm, fond memories of childhoods spent wandering the pet store, looking at and petting all the animals. Sadly, it does not quite matter how well meaning the owners of the pet store in question may be, there are significant problems when it comes to adopting a puppy or kitten at a pet store.

Whether the pet store of your choice is a small, local store that caters to a small community or a glittering pet emporium containing every pet, food, and accessory you can think of, it is still a retail store. And as a retail store, for it to be successful and remain in business, it has to have a rapid turnover of merchandise instead of allowing it to stay on the shelves. In the case of a pet store, the merchandise that must be sold quickly takes the form of all the adorable puppies and kittens that are waiting to be adopted. Even if the staff cares deeply for the animals in the store, and they do, more often than not, the pets must still be presented in a way to get people to buy them.

The puppies and kittens are displayed in such a manner as to make the customer feel sorry for them and want to adopt them right there on the spot. It is for this reason that in most pet stores, the puppies and kittens are held in small bins or cages. These settings cause the people to feel sorry for them and want to take the animal home and set it free to run around and play.

That aside, there are also health problems associated with keeping a lot of animals in a small, enclosed area. Diseases are easily transmitted between animals that are held in such a manner. Most of the time, an individual animal will be quarantined at the first sign of sickness, but by then, all the others have been exposed to the disease and are likely to also become ill.

It can be difficult to find quality sources of new born kittens when you are shopping for a new pet, but by keeping a few things in mind, the task is not nearly so difficult as it may be. If you are looking for a specific breed, the best thing to do is to seek out a reputable breeder. Otherwise, there are many animal shelters and rescue societies that are trying to find good homes for animals.