Community Chat

[occasionalrain]

What do you think is out in the field with the vegetables while they're growing? All sorts of animals, mice for sure and farm cats meant to keep the mice population at bay, are in contact with them.

Do you think the vegetables are sanitized or even washed once they're harvested? They are not.

[Wannabeincali]

@gidgetgh

I am a huge animal lover. I bring my little ShihTzu, in her carry case which looks like a duffle bag/handbag, evvvvvverywhere I can sneak her in. Lol

But roaming free in a grocery store or farmer's market? No, I would not like that either, be it a cat, dog, bird, lizzard, bunny, etc...well, maybe a cutie pie bunny hopping around is ok, haha. Jk!!  Seriously though, allergies, hair fluffs flying about, dirty paws, potty accidents, etc etc, yeah, I do not want that around food that I may be buying, esp veggies and fruit with permeable skins. Yikes.

Now, in a petFOOD store, or pet product store, or at a vet's office? Yeah! Of course! I love seeing the owner's pets greeting customers. Our old vet had a gorgeous Cockatoo that sat perched next to the pay window.   But even in that setting, a dog owner may be allergic to cats, or vice versa. Heck, my mother in law, who loves dogs, is horribly afraid of birds! She would have had a heart attack if she saw that beautiful bird.

So no matter what, someone is going to be put off by something, somewhere. Lol

100% guaranteed!

That said, one would think that commonsense should prevail. SHOULD. But not always. 

Pets in a pet store? Good. 

Pets roaming in the open around a store selling food for human consumption? No bueno, imho.

However, as long as it is not a law in your area to not allow it, there is not much you can do other than voice your concern to the owner. But be prepared to just shop somewhere else, as the other poster said. 

[deepwaterdotter]

I have seen birds flying around in warehouse-type grocery retailers.  I still shop there for packaged groceries, but not loose, unwrapped food items.

[gidgetgh]

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@Nomorebirthdays wrote:

@gidgetgh@If it was a small family farm, those vegetables were probably grown in soil that had been spread with manure, rodents, foxes, raccoons, rabbits, all ran through the fields.

Take your vegetables home and wash them or shop elsewhere. People have done farming this way for centuries.

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@Nomorebirthdays- yes, I'm certainly aware of that. Maybe it's just the allergy issue with me. I don't know, but I think it's a combination of the allergy and the facts that cats tend to jump on stuff and it really don't want them walking on my food. 

Cute cat though. It's not a stray. It's the pet of one of the owners. 

[IamMrsG]

"The cat seems very friendly, but I, in no way, shape or form, am interested in having a cat wandering around with open bins of vegetables."

"I don't want to make this into a cat issue. . ."

"The bird seed store sometimes has a dog there and I'm ok with that, but a cat amongst the food, especially at the farmer's market is getting to be a deal breaker to me." 

Contrary to your protestation otherwise, it seems to be a cat issue.

[occasionalrain]

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@nana59 wrote:

Aren't there other ways to control rodents?

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Yes, poison but I would prefer organic germs to chemicals on my food.

[Nomorebirthdays]

@gidgetgh. Like I said shop elsewhere. If they do a good business, they should not have to change for one person. You know they have a cat so don't go there.

[birkin baby]

I would rather a cat be in there than kids. I wash veggies and fruit anyway. Seriously, kids touch everything. Have you ever noticed the shopping cart area where kids sit...talk about germs. I love kids,and cats. If you don't want to shop around a cat, odds are there there are way more places that are cat-free. 

[SXMGirl]

As a pet owner, I enjoy seeing pets in a store.  I do not want them in the salad bar or in the deli counter, but just wandering around and sitting in the windows is fine with me.  I wash whatever produce I bring home, and I would rather have cat hair (just like home) to wash off than some of the things that have been found in produce.

[Nomorebirthdays]

I understand the allergy issue.

Did you ever stop a think about the huge farms that have many men picking fruits and vegetables, they use job Johnny's, do you think they wash their hands?

Has anyone ever seen the critters that live on a wild animal that goes in those fields, I have. Just wash it.