Pet owners in general will do just about anything for their animal companions, and quite often view their pets as children. I know I do. I've never had children, at least not human children, but I have always had pets, usually cats, ever since I was 5 years old. Each and every one of them has been one of my "babies."
Times have certainly changed though, and it's probably an ever-growing reflection of how pet owners just love to spoil and pamper their "children." Gone are the days, when most people simply bought their pet food in supermarkets. The idea of giving an extra treat for their pets was simply a case of getting some kind of special snack, or buying a special type of squeaky toy for their pooch or a catnip mouse for their cat. While people will still go to their local pet shop to perhaps get the more expensive gourmet styled foods, exotic shampoos, colorful collars, and toys galore, there is an ever-growing market out there where one can go to the extreme. One can now truly pamper their pet, whether shopping on-line or by going to the larger chained pet stores for items and it can absolutely boggle the mind. For instance two of the largest pet store chains are Petco, with over 850 stores nationwide, and Petsmart which boasts of having over 900 stores, and both store chains are a far cry from being similar to that small local neighborhood pet shop, and are quite often as large as your average department store.
The pet world in general has boomed into a multi-million dollar industry, and whether ordering on-line or going to these larger pet shops, the pet owner can be amazed at what is available to them. Both on-line and in these larger pet stores, there is an overwhelming variety of every imaginable pet food, both dry food and moist, from the more popular brands that are usually sold in supermarkets, to the gourmet or "organic" kinds, such as Newman's Own Organics, a premium pet food company started by none other than veteran actor, Paul Newman.
Yet the dazzling variety of pet food isn't the only thing available to the pet owner at such specialty pet stores, and this is particularly true for the on-line shopper. No longer content with buying their cat or dog a nice little pillow bed for them to lay in which would cost only a few dollars, the pet owner can actually buy pet beds designed to look like either miniature sofas or actual human-type beds that cost from the $100.00 to the almost $500.00 price range. When you think of it, this is as much as their human counterparts.
Then there are the clothes one can buy for their pet, which is usually more common for dogs, but there is a growing line of clothing designed for cats as well. Here again the idea of "pet clothes" is no longer just limited to a simple little coat to keep that pooch of yours warm during the winter months while taking him for his walk. Besides a large selection of clothing for pets, one can even choose shoes for them as well. Also, there are now fashion wardrobes on holiday themes. Yes, believe it or not, one can now costume their pet for Halloween and they can be dressed up as a pirate, witch, ladybug, or even a cowboy. And speaking of wardrobes, did you know that you can actually buy a wardrobe cabinet to store all those pet clothes? One of the leading on-line stores, PetEdge has several available from $90.00 to $189.00
Dogs aren't the only ones that can be pampered. Cats have their own array of specialty items as well. Thank goodness my two cats are perfectly content with a simple cardboard box to play in, but for the cat owner who wants to go all out and have a special play area for their cat, there are the numerous cat condos for sale. One on-line shop, Seventh Heaven Cat Furniture, for instance has no less than seventeen pages of kitty condos, houses and gyms, ranging from about fifty dollars to about four hundred dollars.
For those cat owners who wish to conceal their cat's litter pan, there are kitty cabinets that not only hide the litter pan, but look like artistic pieces of furniture and can blend in with one's decor of their home. Probably one of the best on-line sites for these cabinets is Ace Cat Furniture, which sells kitty cabinets that range from the very simple in furniture design and are about $225.00, to true masterpieces and can cost almost $700.00.
Not to be outdone by what is available to the pet owner for on-line shopping, has also been the emergence of the ultimate pet boutiques that are usually found in all the major cities and larger suburban areas. SpockElvis, (http://spockelvis.com/store/index.html), a store located in Great Neck, Long Island in New York, is but one example of the type of exquisite pet store that the pet owner can shop in person or on-line as well, and to my mind a pet owner's dream come true.
I've only briefly described what is available to the pet owner, and for the most part I have only mentioned items sold for dogs and cats. However, many of these same pet shops will often have specialty items for sale for all other types of pets as well, from fish to ferrets. Whatever kind of pet you do have, these stores are truly everything a pet owner could desire in pampering their beloved pet.
Sources Cited:
http://spockelvis.com/store/index.html
http://www.petco.com/
http://www.petedge.com
http://www.7thheavencatfurniture.com
http://www.acecatfurniture.com/litter_cabinet.html
Pet Beds
http://www.sleepypets.com
UPDATE FROM ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Some of the sources may not be valid anymore, but one can still do a general search for items described~July 3, 2014
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