Woman Visits PetSmart, Horrified by What She Sees on Cat for Sale

A mom from California was left horrified after going into her local PetSmart store and seeing the state of one of the rescue cats up for adoption.

When Daisy Napoles, 28, visited the PetSmart store in Modesto, California, on August 19, she wasn’t prepared for the devastating sight she would be confronted with. As she wandered around the store, she spotted a white cat named Buddy asleep in one of the kennels. But what instantly drew her attention was the infestation of fleas crawling around the feline’s fur.

Napoles told Newsweek that it was “very saddening” to see Buddy in such bad shape, and it was evident that he needed help.

The poster outside his kennel highlighted that Buddy arrived at the store on June 21, has been neutered, vaccinated, and is only a few months old. His adoption fee was listed as $130, and he is described as being “extremely friendly and independent,” as well as an “all round good guy.”

Napoles said: “My heart was breaking seeing him sleep through his discomfort in a tiny glass box. He was very obviously full of fleas—anyone could have seen it. I’m not sure how it got to that point, and nothing had been done.”

In a statement given to Newsweek, a spokesperson for PetSmart said that safety and well-being of pets is their “top priority.” They highlighted that PetSmart adoption centers are managed by local animal-welfare organizations, and it is the adoption partners who provide medical care.

The statement from PetSmart reads: “As soon as we were made aware of the concerns regarding Buddy, we immediately notified the local partner to take action. Buddy was promptly removed from the adoption center by the partner to receive veterinary care and all other animals in the facility were checked. To protect the health of all pets, the adoption center was thoroughly cleaned and sanitized.”

At the time, Napoles said she didn’t speak to any staff in the store as she was with her toddler and they all seemed busy anyway. It still seemed like something that needed to be addressed however, so she posted a video of Buddy on TikTok (@life.ofadaisy) showing that he was “full of fleas.” The video went viral with over 782,000 views and almost 50,000 likes at the time of writing.

Napoles said she certainly wasn’t expecting the video to generate so much attention, but she hopes that it will make people aware and ensure there are better care systems for animals in stores.

“I hope pet stores can do a better job at collaborating with shelters and have a bit more organization when it comes to animal care,” Napoles added. “Something could have been done by a PetSmart employee, a rescue volunteer, or a passerby. This is a lesson learned for everyone.

“The response online has been overwhelming. A lot of people hating on pet stores; others hating on the shelter. Some were understanding and knew that it takes a lot of work to take care for so many animals, and our shelters are so full and in need of volunteers and funds,” Napoles said.

She is no stranger to the challenges of caring for animals in need, as she is currently fostering five 1-week-old kittens whose mom passed away.

By sharing the video of Buddy, Napoles said she hopes to inspire more people to step up in any way possible. Rather than getting angry about the situation on social media, she urges people to consider fostering, adopting, or even donating to their local shelter.

There are so many animals, just like Buddy, in need of a loving forever home, she added.

“It doesn’t have to be your life’s mission, but if you see a tiny life in need, do you help it? I hope people can start spreading more kindness and feel more empathy toward our tiny cats and dogs that give us so much unconditional love,” Napoles said.

Social-media users have been left devastated for poor Buddy, leading to more than 1,400 comments on the viral TikTok video so far.

One comment reads: “that’s horrifying, thank you for doing something.”

Another TikTok user wrote: “That poor baby needs help.”

A third person added: “My outside cats get treated way better then this! Makes me so upset!”

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