Ziay!

3cats

Do you think it is acceptable for people to profit from the sale of an animal? If so, why?

Elijah

My "pets" names are Gracie, Xaviera, Tesha, Felicia, Samantha, Vidalia, Tabitha, Patchouli, Juliet, Magnolia, Gabriella, Drusilla, Margarita, Leonardo, Hercules, Vladimir, and Xanadu. They are all Persians that I purchased from local breeders. I cherish each and every one of them.

After reading the post by Nobody, I do see how purchasing a cat or any animal could come at the cost of another animal, just because they are not a pedigree. With that being said, I will not longer purchase Persians. I will open my home to any breed of kitten or cat. My cats are all neutered and spayed.

Dreamer

Well, here's the thing. Animals cost money to breed and raise, therefore, it's natural that somewhere down the line, someone is going to want to reclaim some of the money from selling the animals. If a breeder breeds and raises a litter of kittens, for example, they have to sell the kittens for at least enough money to break even on food, worming, vaccinations, health care for mom, etc., and possibly a little extra for themselves. Now, if a pet shop buys that litter of kittens, they are now in debt for it, so they have to resell them for at least what they paid, and because they are there for profit as well, they have to raise the price a little higher too. Many pet owners truly love animals and want their pets to go to the best homes possible, but they can't put themselves in debt for it, pets have to cost something.

I worked for a petstore years ago and loathed everything about it. The owners bought farmed animals from disreputable sources, hiked the prices up sky-high to make triple the profits, sold shitty food for high prices, hired minimum wage high school kids to look after the animals, and so forth. The operation was eventually shut down.

That being said, I work for a different store now, and these people truly care about pets. Every cage is large and spotless, all the animals are handled constantly throughout the day, they research their breeders carefully before purchasing from them, they have vet tech on staff to see to the health of the animals, if a puppy gets dirty, it gets a full bath and brushing, not just wiped off. Each puppy comes with free training classes to make sure their new owner is raising them right. Their foods and supplies are high quality. I am not the least bit ashamed to admit that I work for this particular pet store, but at the same time, I do not deny that many pet stores are more like the first one I worked for.

I think it depends on each person. If it's someone who loves animals, who wants to help people find a pet that truly suits their lifestyle, and show them how to care for their pet the best way possible, then I don't see anything wrong with it. If it's just a middleman trying to sell off inferior animals for maximum profits without any concern for the animals well being, then no, that's not right. It's hard to judge the entire industry as good or bad.

skylarmandy

I think it is acceptable if they take care of the animals properly before it leaves their hand that they aren't selling sick animals and that they are healthy. Plus they are making future pet owners happy.