Do They Drug Them

I went back to the pet store where I saw the cats I posted about in Looking at Cats. The same talking cat was there and the big old yellow tom. There were two other cats. None of them would even move. The talker did roll over on his back and just stare at me, but he wouldn't get up or talk to me.
There was a dog promo of some kind going on there. I am wondering if they drugged all these cats to keep them quiet while they were busy elsewhere.
Has anyone ever worked in a pet store and know if that is a possibility. I am praying that someone will want that big old yellow cat. He needs a home.

I think they might just be depressed. Day after day in the cages gets old.

I hope the orange guy gets a home......you seem to care a lot about him...maybe you might like to give him a home. He may be the lap you have been searching for.

Just a thought......

Farleyv

We are not ready to do that. In fact I am not sure I ever will. I am trying to give these two I have lots of attention. When Mattie first came here, she wanted in my lap all the time, but Speedboat wouldn't give it up. I am hoping she will get interested in that again. If I ever get catless, I might try to foster for PAWS maybe, just a thought.
Still my heart goes out to that big old Tom. He doesn't appear to be a cat that someone would be looking for.

Oh thats too bad. Why do people always seem to want younger cats. You are brave to even go to that section of the pet store. It rips my heart out if I do.

If I was a wealthy woman, I would have a huge place with cat runs and trees and all sorts of interactive things for them to do. Then I would go get all the older or ill ones and give them a forever home with me.

I attribute my feelings to a long line of animal lovers, my great grandmother kept the farm animals in the house! My mom who hand fed wild turkeys from her back door and now me and my youngest daughter (she is 36).

Mattie, btw, is my grand daughters name.

I agree that the kitties are probably just depressed, poor things. When I went to PetSmart ont he weekend, they had 2 beautiful kitties up for adoption, a sweet tortie and a very handsome black and white boy. Both were sleeping and wanted nothing to do with me at first, but I went back a few minutes later and they were both up and eating.

I think a lot of people need to understand that although kittens are cute, they are a LOT of work. With adult cats, they're more settled. Where I foster I have no problems rehoming the kittens, but always have a hard time finding people to adopt the adults, and it breaks my heart everytime.

I think they are depressed as well. I know I get down after being in the house all the time, I am sure being in that cage breaks their hearts. They deserve a home just as much as the next fuzzy kitten in line. I would take him if I could.

Please understand that when I touched these cats through the cage, they never moved. That is why I thought they were drugged.

I don't know about other shelters, but we only put "the best of the best" into the Petco cages here. Many times they are cats who flourish on activity, and they get used to the commotion fast. And to them - they're probably used to being in a cage.

I debated about posting because I don't like to get into the mechanics of what happens behind the scene at pet stores. But, since you asked if there were current or former pet store employees on this site, I figured it was only right for me to jump in. As almost as of you know, I worked at a major pet supplies retailer. In fact, I only left my job last week. I didn't want to bypass this post because I think that their practices are bad -- in fact, I was pleasantly surprised when I worked there and found that they truly did care for the animals they sold. Therefore, I can say, without a doubt, that at our store, no cats were ever drugged. In fact, everything that the store does has been decided upon by corporate. There is a process for everything and getting cats in to be housed in the adoption center is no different.

The general process begins by the store working out a deal with a rescue organization or shelter to bring their cats in for a period of 10-14 days to be shown in the adoption center. In order for those cats to be allowed into the adoption center, we must have their health records and the cats must be up-to-date on their vaccinations and, where possible, spayed or neutered. They cannot have sutures and they cannot be known to be ill in any way, shape, or form. Occasionally, cats with medical issues that were known, but not hazardous to others (ie. nerve damage, amputations) were allowed in, but it was under the direction of the managers of the store. The cats were then under our care with direction from their rescue or shelter agency. If they were to become ill or something proved to be off, the foster or agency would be asked to remove the cat. Food and litter would all be provided by the store unless the agency wanted something different from what we provided. The cats were handled every day (usually 2-3 times daily) and visual health checks were done multiple times per day. Each shelter or organization had a process for adoptions and we were to adhere to that -- the cats were merely shown at our store, they were not our cats.

As far as how the cats react to being in a new and unfamiliar environment, each cat is different. Never was a cat harmed or drugged. Some cats showed well and people shopping in the store were instantly attracted to them. Others, however, did not acclimate to new situations as easily and were thus very depressed, anxious, or fearful. Some agencies that show their cats at the store are only made up of foster homes and so showing their cats in the pet store was the only means to get their faces out there other than the internet. We had a number of cats who hid the entire time they were at our store. However, those same cats were active and affectionate once we forged relationships with them or they were outside of their cages. Every cat reacts differently to new situations and some shrank while others shone. I suppose, in that sense, it isn't much different than cats being shown at shelters.

That being said, I can only speak about my experiences. If you have a question or concern, please share it with someone. Talk to a manager, ask a sales associate for more information about the cat, even call the agency the cat is from -- in most cases you'll find that that particular cat is just shy or fearful. Maybe he or she is coming down with someone or perhaps they just came in and are just getting used to the sights, smells, and sounds of a new environment. I know that, where I worked, we all came to know the cats in our care. And, we all truly cared about them. There is always the possibility that someone is going on with the cats you saw that is harmful, but it's far more likely that there is a simple answer.

I'll send vibes that those babies are able to find loving, forever homes in no time.

If you had seen them before and they were more perky, I would say it is just a down time, they may be a little unsure of all of the commotion if there was a lot going on.

That being said, it wouldnt be the first pet store to use something to calm down / perk up an animal in its store.

Gosh, I would love to have that old fellow. With my recent health issues, and so much going on, I just can't take on another cat right now. All I can do is pray that he finds some nice family or elderly person to live out his days happily with.

Depending on what time of day you visited, it may have just been their normal sleeping time. I know that my cats sleep almost all afternoon when I'm home and there's not much that will get them moving, except the vacuum cleaner!