We recently went looking for a new cat (our beloved Mimi having died last year) so we trotted off to a high-end PetSmart which I swear to God reminded me of that crazy, over-the-top boutique in Old Dog, New Tricks, the very fun Spanish show we were watching on Netflix a bit back.
A cat rescue group called Furrables if I’m not mistaken had an amazing collection of wonderful cats for $195 each or two for $300 I think. That’s not unreasonable considering how well-cared for they were and that they all were fixed and had their shots, but it would be a bit pricey for a minimum wage person especially paying Silicon Valley rents.
A pet still might be reachable, but the rep from the nonprofit led us to a 5-lb bag of cat food for $31 and urged us never to buy any canned food which did not have 3 meats as its first three ingredients. (Honestly, when I find tuna on sale at Food Maxx for 89 cents, it’s MUCH cheaper) I managed to put one of the merely $17 bags of cat litter into my cart before she could urge me to get the super high-end stuff. I imagined how ashamed and pressured I would have felt years ago when I was a struggling single and that was way before today’s rents. I’m outraged that cat litter costs $12!
It breaks my heart that loving people who might have to feed their dog or cat scraps but would provide so much love and attention are priced out of what can be a very important joy in life: having a pet.
It also breaks my heart that pet products are so effing expensive! We already know that private equity has bought up most of the veterinarians. Why? Inflation-proof. People will go into debt for their beloved pets and that means you can charge whatever the market will bear. And, (thank you, AI) private equity owns the bougie pet food and yes, private equity firms do own companies that produce cat food. One notable example is MPM, which focuses on premium natural cat food brands.
Private Equity FirmCompany NameBrands Owned3i GroupMPMApplaws, Reveal, EncoreClearlake CapitalWellness Pet CompanyWellness®, WHIMZEES®, Old Mother Hubbard®, Holistic Select®, Sojos®, Eagle Pack®”
Since there are only six major pet food companies (kind of like the book publishing business only more competition!) you see very little price variation among comparable products.
The Humane Society struggles along. Adoption nonprofits and private individuals scoop up the best animals and re-sell them while the Humane Society is left to deal with animals it can neither euthanize nor place.
It used to be that if you bought a pet that was 6 years old or older, and you were 60 or older, you could get your pet for $6. Yay
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