Most of us have the next couple of days off from work, which is fine since most of us have jobs where the well-being of a domesticated animal is not at stake. But one PetSmart volunteer says Corporate HQ has decreed that employees can’t come in on Christmas to check on the cats in the stores, which he believes is putting these animals at risk.

The reader says his PetSmart has an arrangement with the local animal shelter that allows the shelter to place its rescued kittehs at the store so as to improve their chances of being adopted.

“Volunteers come twice a day to feed, clean their litter, and play with them,” he explains. “During holidays, when PetSmart is closed, a store employee would come in to feed the fish and a volunteer would also come in for the cats.”

However, he says that PetSmart HQ has decided that no one is to come in between the store closing on Tuesday night and its re-opening on Thursday morning.

Some cat owners have no problem leaving their feline friends alone at home for a day or two, provided there is ample food, water and clean litter. Of course, one could argue that there is a big difference between leaving a cat alone in a house or an apartment, where it’s free to roam about and entertain itself, as opposed to being stuck in a small pet store cage.

We’ve reached out to PetSmart to see what the company’s policy is regarding care of in-store pets on Christmas and the company sent the following statement in reply:

Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of the pets in our care. As with previous years, PetSmart associates make sure that each pet has enough food and water to last 24 hours at closing of the night before a holiday in which the store is closed. If a pet requires attention that cannot wait 24 hours, an associate will come into the store to care for the pet.

We still want to get readers’ opinions on the matter:

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