Taking your pet shopping can be a fun adventure for everyone involved. Once you’ve properly prepared your cat to come shopping with you and ensured that they will enjoy the experience, not becoming stressed out by it, you can start researching the best cat-friendly stores to visit.
Below, we give you some of our top choices for cat-friendly stores to take your furry feline friend to as you shop together and enjoy your day out.
Is Pet-Friendly Cat-Friendly?
Many stores will advertise themselves as pet-friendly, though most of the time, that does mean ‘dog friendly,’ not ‘dog and cat-friendly.’ It’s important to inquire directly with stores about their pet policy, and whether or not it applies to well-behaved cats that love to travel with their owner.
Stores sometimes do have differing policies depending on their location, management, and other state rules, which is why it’s important to be flexible as you start to bring your cat shopping with you.
Top Cat-Friendly Stores in the USA
The following cat-friendly stores are great choices for bringing your feline along when you don’t want them to feel left out of a shopping trip.
Petco
Petco is a popular pet supply store, and virtually every location of Petco will allow both dogs and cats inside. Make sure your cat is ready for the different sights and sounds in this store, and ensure they are properly controlled with a leash and harness or a travel carrier. Let your cat walk around in the store and pick out their new favorite toy or treat for an extra fun shopping trip.
PetSmart
Another popular pet store, PetSmart allows both cats and dogs inside its store. Many cats love accompanying their owners into PetSmart to choose new toys, harnesses, or food, and you can expect your pet to be welcomed in a store like this.
Barnes & Noble
In general, cats can accompany their owners into a Barnes & Noble bookstore, but they must be properly controlled via a leash or carrier. It’s important to note that not every location of Barnes & Noble accepts pets, so you must follow store and local policies as they pertain to shopping with your feline.
Home Depot & Lowe’s
These hardware supply stores are well-known for their animal-friendly policies, and while dogs are typically accepted into the stores, cats may also be able to accompany their owner shopping. Make sure your cat is ok with the loud noises that can occur in these stores, and place them in your cart on a harness and leash or within their travel carrier.
Tractor Supply Co.
A dedicated outdoor and animal supply store, Tractor Supply Co. is a great option for a bring-your-pet-shopping day. With great staff and incredible products, this store has everything you could need for your animals or for a farm. The store does accept dogs, and cats are generally accepted as long as they are contained and well-behaved.
The Apple Store
The ever-popular Apple store allows pets inside, including both dogs and cats. The store requires that animals visiting stores with their owners be under control via a leash or contained in a cat-adventure backpack, and they should be well-behaved. Apple stores that are located in other venues, such as a mall, may not allow pets, so be sure to check with the shopping center’s policies before bringing your cat shopping for a new iPad with you.
Macy’s
Macy’s is another department store that accepts both dogs and cats that want to accompany their owners inside. Local stores or stores located inside malls might have different policies on cats, however, so make sure that you understand what the cat-friendly policies at your local Macy’s are ahead of time.
Taking Your Adventure Cat With You
When it comes to taking your cat shopping with you, there are plenty of cat-friendly stores that you might be able to visit together.
Make sure you keep an eye on your pet and ensure that they are low-stress and enjoying themselves while you shop together, and always double-check about the cat friendliness of a store before entering to ensure your shopping trip with your adventure cat goes as smoothly as possible.