Can someone help me understand why pet stores are bad?

It depends where they source their cats.
If the store features cats from the Humane Society, of course go for it. In those cases, you don't buy the animal from the store, you arrange to adopt it through the sponsored Humane Society.
If the store is selling purebreds in particular or other cats not from a Humane Society, they may be coming from kitten mills or unethical breeders. They become a commodity. You need to rotate your stock, and they won't hang on to those that don't sell for very long. You need young, fresh, cute animals. What do you think happens to those animals that don't sell? Do they live in that store box forever? And where do they get their "new" animals? Purchasing in this manner only reinforces this system, as every animal sold makes room for another mill or unethically bred animal.
You'll know if the store sells them directly instead of having you fill out the paperwork for adoption from the Humane Society.
http://www.spca.com/?p=3917&lang=en
https://www.petfinder.com/pet-adopti...s-and-kittens/
IMHO there is no need to buy a purebred cat or any cat for that matter from a breeder or wherever when there are plenty of beautiful cats that need a home from your local Shelter.

You can google what is a kitten mill to get an idea of what goes on in these horrible places, but the short story is: cats kept in tiny, filthy cages with minimal nutrition, no love, no vet care. Bred repeatedly until they can no longer reproduce and then killed by the cheapest method available. No regard for inherited diseases. Kittens shipped off to pet stores as early as possible so mom can be bred again. Kitten gets sick while at mill or pet store? They let it die (or kill it before it can share its germs) -- it's easier to breed new ones than nurse a sick one back to health. Kitten mills are heartless cruelty in the name of profit, and it's where pet stores get their stock. (unless, as noted, they are adoptable animals from a humane organization!)

Another advantage of adopting an adult animal is you can get a better sense of its personality, whether you are adopting from a rescue or shelter. Kittens' personalities are still kind of unformed (though true behavior experts might have some insight). What seems like cute kitten silliness may turn out to be behavior issues due to lack of early socialization, etc. Anecdotal, but I know a couple people who adopted cute little kittens that turned out to be crazy shy (in one case) and borderline feral (in the other). You could spot that a mile away in an adult. Same holds true for dogs.

You can also check Craigslist or your local paper for people giving away kittens or cats.

Definitely post pics when you adopt your new furry friend.

So not all pet stores are bad, like was mentioned, Pet smart supports rescues and has an adoption center.

As for pet stores that sell dogs/cats, they further the puppy mill and kitty mill industry which are bad for animals. Since their animals tend to come from very dirty, crowded conditions, the animals have more diseases. Distemper is a big one but there are other diseases that pet store animals can have. Since a lot of inbreeding goes on with puppy/kitty mills, the animals also tend to have more genetic issues.

In general, we put millions of cats and dogs to sleep each year due to overbreeding. I personally would never support any breeder, puppy/kitty mill or backyard breeder. And although I shop at Petsmart, I would never shop at a pet store that sells dogs or cats. (again adoption centers at pet smart are run by local rescues)

Definitely go for a shelter! There are so many lovely cats there who desperately need homes. In particular, think about the cats who have lower chances of adoption. Bonded pairs are harder to get adopted. Black cats have a 50% lower chance of finding a home. Older cats have a hard time as well. My friend's mother read up on this before going to the shelter, and picked out a possible cat on the website before going along. He's an older gent, aged ten, a long-haired black kitty. Well, she went along to the shelter, and it was love at first sight. The pair of them absolutely adore each other, he's totally devoted and follows her around like a dog. He also gets on well with my friend, which is good, but his true love is my friend's mother.

As for me, the young lady currently attempting to climb my headboard came into my life when I met my partner in summer 2013. He had adopted her, together with his ex, when she was a kitten, five years ago now. She is also a black kitty, short-haired, and was found in a skip. Then she was adopted by an old lady who swiftly brought her back to the shelter because she was too much for her to handle. Well, yes, kittens are a lot of work! She must have been terrified in the shelter, they called her Hissy and she's still scared of other cats. Anyway, she is the loveliest little cat imaginable and quite stole my heart away, shortly after I fell for my partner, of course. She's very lively now, as all adult cats should be, and needs a fair bit of playtime. Actually, when my health and the weather permit, we put her harness on and take her to a local park for a good walk. *pause to go pouncing around the flat with her* She's also really affectionate, friendly with other people, and is a bright cat, so we've trained her to do things like climb the carpet tiles we put on the side of the wardrobe, run along the top of the bookcase, jump over the door to another bookcase, fetch a treat and jump down.

I've only looked after kittens briefly, but yes, they are adorable and a huge amount of work. They do not understand about human sleeping hours. The middle of the night is a fantastic time to go romping about the place, knock some thing over, or to drag a toy into the bedroom and insist the human plays with you (by jumping on your face, if need be)! They do not understand how sharp their teeth and claws are! Curtain climbing is the Best Thing Ever! Also they may be less understanding about how to behave around small children, since children don't really understand how to behave around cats. Shelters will know which cats are used to being around children.

Grown up cats are still playful and utterly adorable, my heart melts every time our girlie does a little stretch, but they are a lot more manageable.

One definite thing: it's not a good idea to get cats if you are going to be out all day. They need human interaction. The problems you hear about, where cats are biting people and scratching up the place and so forth, are often due to insufficient time with humans, especially structured playtime and proper scratching surfaces. (And sometimes they're due to the opposite, people who don't respect cats' need for personal space, try to cradle them like a baby and go for their bellies when they don't want it, that sort of thing.) Our cat was rather lonely when I first started dating my partner, because he'd be out and work in the day and then over at mine in the evening or overnight. He'd spend at least some time at home with her, but it wasn't nearly enough, and after a while she would rugby tackle him when he was leaving, dashing up and flinging her little paws around his ankles. Now that my partner and I live together between our two flats, the cat has me at home with her all day (I can't work due to disability), and is so much happier.

In terms of getting two, excellent idea. If you have more than one cat, the rule is one litter box per cat plus one over. Yes, really. Two cats means three litter boxes. We don't have the space for three litter boxes, it's a small flat, plus the girlie doesn't like other cats, so that's why we don't have another one, tempted as we've sometimes been. The other problem is that cats are not terribly social animals, and don't have all that high a chance of liking another cat you bring home. If you adopt them together as kittens, your chances rise a fair bit, but it's still not guaranteed. (Friend A has two cats who are siblings and still get on; Friend B's cats were OK as kittens, but as adults one of them bullied the life out of his sister. When the brother died, the sister came out of her shell and is practically a new cat, suddenly much more confident and cuddly.) If you adopt them as adults (over the age of two) and they're a bonded pair, then you know they are happy together. Another reason to look at pairs of cats at a shelter! They are less work in terms of playing, as a pair of cats who get on will play with each other and need less input from the humans.

Cat trees are expensive from some places but very cheap from others. Try Amazon. Mine cost £24 and she adores it. There's a good scratching post, there's a den to hide in, she likes to eat from one of the platforms, and it's a perfect sunbathing spot. Best of all, she gets onto the den at the bottom, gets upside down while hanging onto the scratching post, and pole dances! Also you can make cat shelves: just put up some shelves, look up the appropriate size and distance and so forth, and staple carpet tiles onto them. Cats like to be high up, and they're good for playing on as well as snoozing on.

You definitely need a good few designated scratching surfaces, and you may need to move them to the cat's preferred position. In my flat, we have the cat tree, a run of carpet tiles up the side of the wardrobe (this started when we had leftovers from making the cat shelves. She ignored them when they were on the side of the desk, but once there was carpet on the side of the wardrobe, she started climbing it as well as scratching it, which is why we added more), and a horizontal scratching pad we made from cutting cardboard boxes into strips. My partner's flat has a cat tree, another cardboard pad, and an old wicker chair that was in one of his plays. The furniture remains unscratched. Which is good, because in his old flat they didn't have anything except the chair, and she would wake them up by scratching the base of the bed, which she pretty much wrecked over time. We've learned that she prefers to be fed four times a day, that way she's not starving hungry at 6 am and is generally less naggy at other mealtimes.

I learned loads from watching My Cat From HelI and recommend that as a good way of learning about how to speak cat, what they need, what to avoid doing. Cats are less intuitive to deal with than dogs, and if you get it wrong it can snowball pretty fast. When I first met the cat who now bosses me around with a single flick of her ears, I tried to play with her as if she were a dog, and she put me straight pretty quickly! But now I am her favourite human and I love her to bits. And if you think that kittens are more appealing due to cuteness, well, yes, they are pretty cute, but adult cats are unutterably adorable and daft and lots of lovely things too. I honestly don't know how they manage to maintain such a high level of cuteness. Mine can melt your heart at 100 paces with a single chirrup. It must be quite exhausting, that's why they sleep so much.

Palestrina - I have volunteered at our local shelter for ten years and wanted to share a few tidbits.

A good shelter will let you have one on one play time with any kitty that tickles your fancy. Cats are waayyyy different out of the cage. You need to have one on one time with several before you decide. Too many people base their decisions on looks rather than temperament. Some cats will crawl right up on your lap and want to be loved. Many will want to be petted and interested in you but may not be lap kitties. Some will be loners and only "want" you when its time to be fed. Being able to sit on the ground and play with one will make your decision easier!

Not all kittens are hyper. Again, take time to play with them. Ive had two kittens who were snugglers and very docile. Dont get me wrong, they love to play but never woke me up to do so! It is easier to tell the temperament of an older cat but you can with a kitten, too. Dont just hold them but let them down, sit on the floor, and see if they want to be with you.

Make sure you take your little one with you and let her get on the floor with the cat/kitten you like. Just because they are ok with an adult doesnt mean they will be ok with a little one. Some shelters have enough traffic and youngsters visit so they get a feel if animals are comfortable with little ones. Some dont.

Shelters are better places to adopt animals bc they do healthchecks, update their shots, do temperament checks, and spay/neuter them before adopting them out. Pet stores who showcase rescue animals are great bc they do help the shelters. Pet stores that sell kitty mill cats are often selling sick and inbred cats that require a lot of vet care. Ask the pet store where they got a cat you may be interested in.

Good luck! Owning a cat......errr.....you being owned by a cat is a wonderful thing! Your little one is sooo lucky you are giving her this opportunity!

I second not using a pet store. Find someone who is selling kittens, or giving them away. Often you can find that online or in the paper. A shelter is a great option, but harder to find a kitten if that's what you want.

If you do decide to get a cat rather than a kitten, I can tell you that it can turn out great. I adopted a 2yo cat (her owner was going to take her to a shelter), and she is the BEST cat with the best temperment I've ever seen.

As for training them to stay off counters, for many cats you can't really. They're not like dogs and don't care as much about pleasing you. But if you keep any food or interesting items off the counter, and they have plenty of other places to jump and climb, they won't be interested in the counters (I speak from experience).

I don't know any shelter that doesn't have kittens, especially in spring. Our shelter is brimming with them. When we went to look at cats at our shelter, it was fall and they still had kittens (My cat was 9 months old which is still slightly kittenish but they had some true kittens, only a couple months old)

That's why I adopted an older cat. He's been the best cat ever for the last 7 years...I know I will probably only have a few good years left with him, that's the only hard part about adopting older is less time. Since someone mentioned black cats are least desired I will keep that in mind the next time. I love black cats, I also prefer males. They seem to be more lovey than the females.

I'm not trying to talk OP out of a kitten. I love kittens. I think they're the cutest things ever but I just don't want to deal with all the training and clawing furniture. Crazy little things.

Thanks to all the advice here we've decided not to get a kitten after all. We will be getting a full grown cat. So out next step is to visit a couple of friends with furries just to get my son used to seeing a cat at first because he has expressed a fear in getting a cat. Then we'll visit out local shelter.

I have worked for a veterinarian for 10 years. Pet stores are the most God awful place to get a pet! They come from mill breeders, that are only doing it for the money.

Yeah, we get them, with all of these records, they have been wormed, vaccinated, yada, yada, starting at 4-5 weeks old. Seriously, they come to us, for the "check up", with 4-5 wormings, a series of 3 vaccinations, in 2 weeks. And then they toss in the "Albon" treatment! Great, you have Giardia!

We have done the 48 hour follow up, required, by the pet store. These pets, despite the records say, they have been wormed 4 or 5 times, had 3 or 4 parvo, kennel cough, for kitties, plueck rhino combo vaccinations, are sick as ****.

All are loaded with round worms. Puppies, have kennel cough, kitties all are suffering from feline distemper.

The breeders do NOT practice proper sanitation, and any vaccination and or worming done before 6 weeks old, is of no use what so ever.

Shelters are a better option, sometimes. "Deep sigh" Depends on the shelter. The problem with that, is many small shelters, are run by people that mean well, but have no idea what they are doing. The "big" shelters, like the ASPCA, are so unethical, it would make you hurl.

From my point of view, working in the veterinary profession. Before I pick out a pet, consult with a veterinarian, and have them tell you, what owning a pet, is really all about.

A pet is a wonderful thing, that adds so much to our lives, and you cannot ever replace that, but it comes with a lot of other stuff.

Educate your self, first! You won't regret it, and you will have a new member of the family!

Ok don't know what most of those words mean but I'm a little freaked out now.

Ok, I'm a little freaked out now.

Most pet-store animals come from "mills" that are cruel to the animals, often breeding them too often, too many times. In other words, the animals are just a "product" to them to make money. This is why in Pennsylvania, the former governor tried to close down puppy mills (I don't know if he was successful).

I'm not sure what the previous poster means about the ASPCA being unethical. I've never heard anything about that. I will say that I would never buy an animal. I would only get one from a good shelter (and there ARE good shelters----my local one is great). Those poor animals need a loving home, too, and you'll be saving their life (or, in the case of no-kill shelters, you'll be vastly improving their life).