pet store selling kittens too young...

[carole]

I went shopping at our local mall on sunday, visiting the local pet store as I usually do, I was horrified to see such young kittens up for sale, I have never seen them that young before, but then I donot visit it everyday, they were still wobbly on their feet.

Yes I did say something to the staff, and I made sure their was a good audience around as well, another lady and I had been discussing it and agreed they were too young.

Their response was the owner told them they were 6 wks old and had been eating away from their mother for about a week, we have to believe them what else can we do.

My answer to that it be a reponsible pet store and say NO, of course my other worry would be that the owners may dispose of them in another way, so it could be a catch 22 situation.

I decided to get a second opinion, the local cat shelter were present trying to adopt out their cats and kittens, they too agreed with me, be lucky if they were 4 weeks old.

This angers and upsets me, I have written a letter to the manager today, stating what I think, that it is cruel to do this, and portrays them out to be a non-caring business, just one out for money, which if the truth is told is probably the case anyhow.

Will be interesting to see if I get a response, not going to sit on my butt and let it slide by me, if voicing my opinion helps to stop them doing it in the future that is probably the best i can hope for.

Thanks for listening, I needed to get that off my chest.

[christa]

When we adopted Josie from a shelter, she was about 4 weeks. No older than 5 weeks, at the very most. Her momma was there at the shelter with her and everything.

I regret to this day that we didn't leave her there for a few more weeks. They were just so ready to give her to us . . . I didn't even think about it at the time.

When we got home, we realized that she hadn't been weened. (shelter people told us she'd been eating dry food for at least a week) and she's been sickly ever since. She's had a lot of gastro-intestinal problems & she has asthma . . . I think she may have missed out on some nurtition from her momma.

Makes me sad to think about it . . . but I guess I can't do anything about that now. She's fairly healthy now . . . but after a year of pretty high vet expenses . . . it's sad that people don't think about things more than that, especially when they're working around it all the time!

[davidpizzica]

Carole, that is WAY too young for a pet shop to be selling kittens. At Cat Sense, we wait for the kitten to be at least 8-10 weeks before we can adopt them out. You're right, Carole, the motivation behind this pet shop is greed. I'm also glad that you are taking a stand against this. They are not giving these poor kittens a good enough start in life. It's sad to think tha money is all they think about.

[davidpizzica]

P.S. Carole, if I could be in New Zealand right now, I'd be fighing along right beside you! That pet shop s really inhumane towards these poor kittens!

[Fox-Gal]

No! that is way to young to be selling kittens.

I might understand if for some reason they where abandoned by their mother and maybe some one brought them to the pet store. But even in that case, they should not be selling them. Care for them, the proper way, then when they are older, sell them.

If they are only 4 weeks old, they need special care and who can say, what kind of person is going to buy them, not knowing how to care for such young kittens.

So many pets stores are out for the $$$ over the needs of the pets. It makes me so angry when I see things like these. Pets first, $$$ later is how it should be.

[catnapper]

Grrr... I applaud you for writing the letter, but I have the feeling they won't answer you. They knew hwhat they were selling. Just look at 4 week old kittens and its obvious they are so young. At that age, they are nothing but fur balls with shirt looking legs and big bellies. How can they think they looked about 10 weeks? Thats way way too young to separate from the mom cat!

[carole]

David if you were here and all my lovely PT friends, I would be organising a peaceful protest outside their shop, of course if they do reply they will just say they are 6 weeks old, could I and the shelter lady be wrong, I really don't think so.

P.S I had saved the letter to my folder, but when I tryed to post it, it said it was an invalid type of attachment, any idea how to save it, so I can post it to on here I would like everyone's opinions on the letter.

The shelters here are way more responsible , they would never give a kitten up before it is weaned and ready to go, kim it was 6 wks old they were saying they were.. they cannot have been the runt of the litter because initally there were four of them, I only saw two, so I guess the other two were sold, shameful it is.

They can choose to ignore me, but when I get a bee in my bonnet as the saying goes, you won't get rid that easy of me, believe me, when I feel strongly about something, I will keep at it, it is the determined side of my personality.

:) :)

[moosmom]

I'd have scooped them up!! That's disgusting. I had that happen one time at a pet store in CT. I was so loud, commenting about how they looked sick, sneezing and ookey eyes, all the customers in the store gathered around the bin they were in. I made it known that I was pissed and they should get them to a vet ASAP. Don't know what the outcome was. I can only HOPE that they got the medical attention they needed!

[carole]

Donna as much as I would have loved to scoop them up, I cannot afford the 58 dollars each for them,and then what would I do with them, certainly I would have dearly loved to do that believe me.

I also made myself known, in front of many people in the store, luckily at the time it was pretty full, and the sales girl went red in the face when I said about them, I was polite , but got my point across, sadly don't know how much good it will do.

Another lady and I were chatting and looking at them both, and she agreed with me entirley, I have made it known in my letter I was not the only member of the public to think it shameful, even though I may be the only one to put pen to paper.

Wish me luck, and I will let you know if I do indeed get a response , I have signed it with my address, so they can do just that.

The lady who manages it is actually very nice, (well I think she is the manager) and approachable, so it will remain to be seen if she is annoyed by it as well, she may not have been there when the staff took the kittens , and hopefully will tell them off in no certain terms,and make sure it does not happen again, this is what I am hoping for anyhow, the kittens will be sold, there is not much i can do about that sadly.:(

[Laura's Babies]

I would have been upset too, if I had seen such small kittens up for adoption at a pet store and I thought they had to be vet checked, up to date and spayed/neutered before they could even be taken in the pet stores.. That is how it is here anyway..

But having worked at a shelter, we did have one little orangie that was brought in without a Mama... I called her "Wee Bit" because she was so small. She was placed with a Mama cat that was brought in without her kittens who accepted her. She was still at that spread legged stage when she stood up but she was eating like a hog, hard food too, when someone came in to adopt her and the shelter let her go. I was horrified that they let her go so young but I came to realize, in a kill shelter where there is no isolation of the animals that arrive, it is best to get them out of there as fast as possiable in order for them to have a chance of surviving another week.

If someone was so stupid as to take infants away from their Mamma and they could eat on their own.... My thinking is they are better off in the pet store rather than with that person. I would have offered (even insisted) to foster them until they were bigger if I had been there, since as some have said, not everybody knows how to take care of little babies. I would have taken them for at least 2 weeks and made sure they were healthy, eating and able to be on their own.

[carole]

Laura's Babies whilst your idea is great, it was not feasible for me to do so, they would not have released them to me for free, I would have had to pay for them and then find homes, I really cannot do that, and my house is not suitable to have young kittens, I have nowhere that I can isolate them from my cats, it is summer here and hot and I cannot keep the house shut up or we would all die.

I don't feel I would be the right person to foster them, as my knowledge is so limited on young kittens.

I could have acted on impulse, but I don't think that was in the best interest of the kittens,yes my heart was heavy when I left there, but I have to be practical about it all, I cannot take in every kitten that I come across as much as I would love to.:(