Very frustrated with PetsMart

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Every time I go in there, I stop by and look at the cats before heading over to the food aisle. Every time, the water dishes are either 1/2 empty, or completely empty. Litter boxes are not clean, and tonight, one of the cats missed the litter box entirely. Just general neglect and it puts a strain my ability to keep my cool. Talking to the manager never does any good and just puts me at even greater risk of losing my temper. I'm thinking about taking my digital camera in there next time and then posting the pictures on a cat forum.
 
@Merkava_4:

The water dishes half empty is nothing to get upset about...
however if many of them are empty dishes, and if the filth in the litter boxes is excessive then you should contact PetSmart Corporate HQ
and inform them of the store and the conditions you have witnessed.

Anytime you are dealing with a large chain store you should just go right to corporate if things are that poorly run.
 
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PetSmart in our area is pretty darn awesome.
I would ask for the Stores Main Manager not the Department Manager, if you get no where with them then Head Office you should go.
 
Get in touch with corporate. Empty water dishes and messy litters are no good. I adopted a cat through the local humane society by way of Petsmart, and they were well cared for.
 
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
@Merkava_4:
Anytime you are dealing with a large chain store you should just go right to corporate if things are that poorly run.


Agreed. I never bother with the lower management. I always go right to the top.
 
I swear, if I ever open a business I'm going to put a huge "BITOG" sign right inside the door. Everyone who knows what it means will be invited to do business elsewhere.
 
At the Petsmart near me, the cat adoption is run by a local animal shelter, not by Petsmart. Petsmart just provides the space. The people in charge of caring for the cats are from the animal shelter, not Petsmart employees. The tags on the cages usually say the name of the shelter they're from. If the ones in the store aren't being taken care of, they probably have many more at their shelter receiving the same lack of care.
 
I adopted a cat a few years ago from Petsmart. Was a friendly playful cat so I didn't care about the gender, it was labeled a female cat that was "fixed". Turns out it was an unfixed male cat lol.
 
Empty food dishes means nothing. I feed my cats 2x/day with 1/2 the recommended daily serving each time. That way, they don't just eat themselves obese.

If the cages stay dirty, then thats an issue.

Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
@Merkava_4:

The water dishes half empty is nothing to get upset about...
however if many of them are empty dishes, and if the filth in the litter boxes is excessive then you should contact PetSmart Corporate HQ
and inform them of the store and the conditions you have witnessed.

Anytime you are dealing with a large chain store you should just go right to corporate if things are that poorly run.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Are these areas run by PetSmart, or are they done by volunteers for adoption?


The cats are brought over by the SPCA, but the employees at PetSmart are responsible for their care during the day. I was told by the employee working in the "Pet Care" department at PetSmart that they are only allowed to feed the cats and clean the cages twice a day: Once before opening and once after closing. During regular business hours, the cats are on their own.
 
How about sending those pictures to the A.S.P.C.A. and your local news stations there are strict laws when it comes to animal abuse. I am an animal lover and don't like seeing that either.

Expose them for their dirty deeds against innocent loving animals and adopt from a shelter, there are lots of dogs and cats that will give you unconditional Love at a shelter near you that need you more than you think. Please adopt !!
Do it for yourself see how much a little one can change you for the best. I have two adopted cats that get along good with my Dobermans
 
Originally Posted By: SlipperyPete
I swear, if I ever open a business I'm going to put a huge "BITOG" sign right inside the door. Everyone who knows what it means will be invited to do business elsewhere.


By all means please do. If you don't like educated, diligent,
and concerned customers I certainly would never want to patronize your business, ever.
 
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Originally Posted By: SlipperyPete
I swear, if I ever open a business I'm going to put a huge "BITOG" sign right inside the door. Everyone who knows what it means will be invited to do business elsewhere.


By all means please do. If you don't like educated, diligent,
and concerned customers I certainly would never want to patronize your business, ever.


I know thats what a lot on here like to think of themselves, but whiny, entitled, and pretentious would be a better description. You wouldn't be welcome in my business, ever.
 
Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
Around here the pet store cats are cared for by volunteers. If you don't like the care that they are getting then volunteer and do the work yourself.


That's how it is here too. My mom volunteered for several years through a group called Chicagoland Animal Rescue which had cats at one PetsMart; another area group is called Recycling Animals In Need which has cats in a couple other stores. Other groups are in other stores.

Generally, the PetsMart employees had just minimal interaction with the cats; if there was a serious mess they would clean it up but otherwise the care was 100% the responsibility of the volunteers. Most volunteers worked in pairs and one would come in the morning and the other in the evening to minimize the time messes would be there. However, some cats were notoriously active and would spill the water, knock over food, etc, so it could be an uphill battle to keep their cages cleaned properly.
 
Originally Posted By: SlipperyPete
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Originally Posted By: SlipperyPete
I swear, if I ever open a business I'm going to put a huge "BITOG" sign right inside the door. Everyone who knows what it means will be invited to do business elsewhere.


By all means please do. If you don't like educated, diligent,
and concerned customers I certainly would never want to patronize your business, ever.


I know thats what a lot on here like to think of themselves, but whiny, entitled, and pretentious would be a better description. You wouldn't be welcome in my business, ever.


Considering that you obviously approve of neglecting animals, I would never go there. I do not support people that evil.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Are these areas run by PetSmart, or are they done by volunteers for adoption?


The cats are brought over by the SPCA, but the employees at PetSmart are responsible for their care during the day. I was told by the employee working in the "Pet Care" department at PetSmart that they are only allowed to feed the cats and clean the cages twice a day: Once before opening and once after closing. During regular business hours, the cats are on their own.


Merkava_4;

I am as big an animal lover as there is and I support anyone who goes out of their way to help animals who can not help themselves. What I am about to say is not an attack on you just FYI.

With that said, if the cages are cleaned, and the cats are fed and watered 2X's a day, in the AM & PM when the store is closed, I don't really see the issue here? I am confused as it sounds to me like the cats are being cared for on a schedule?
confused2.gif


1/2 full water dishes is not neglect and empty dishes if it is just for a few hours is not either as long as the cats get fresh clean water 2X's everyday. I mean my dg can go out and empty or almost empty the water dish in one drinking. If I don't immediately refill it am I neglecting her? I mean she just drank a whole dish of water so she should be good for a while right? Wouldn't that apply to cats too? As to the condition of the litter boxes, are they so full it looks like a mine field in Iraq and the cats have no place to go or is it just got a pile or two that were done that day? If it is just the daily business then there is nothing wrong with waiting until the store closes to clean them. Most people don't clean every pile in their own home as it was done so I wouldn't hold a store to a standard I wouldn't do myself.

I am having trouble reconciling your concern with what info you have posted about the scheduled care of the cats in question. Unless that store is not caring for them in the morning and evening, while the store is closed, I think you might be overreacting( with good intentions - this is not a slam on you as said ^^^ ).

I would suggest you try going to the store 1st thing in the morning and see if the cats are fed and watered and have clean LB's when they 1st open. If so then it sounds to me like they are in fact cared for properly. If you are going there in the late afternoon or early evening then you are getting there at the tail end( no pun intended )of the cat's day and thus shortly before the PM feeding, watering, and cleaning of the [censored]. In other words it would look worse late in the day but scheduled care is coming shortly.

I haven't seen the conditions you have so I don't know how bad they really are. Can only go by your comments and info given. The 1/2 full water dishes in at least some cages shows me they are being watered( some animals just drink more than others ). I have cared for dogs at a kennel and owned dogs and drinking amounts varies by animal just as it does humans. As to the litter boxes. Again, is it days and/or weeks worth of waste or just a days worth? I wouldn't expect employees to clean them each time a cat went.

More info would be nice and regardless of how it turns out I applaud you for caring.
 
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