Pet shop staff need better training GRRRRRRR

I decided to buy Buddy a play tunnel today and went to my local well known High Street Chain store. Explained the breed and what I wanted and left with an XL Cat Tunnel. Got it home and after some unhelpful paw help it was assembled and I immediately thought "that's XL?" Well Buddy dived in and promptly got stuck in the tunnel. Eventually coaxed him to crawl out. Packed it back up and took off back to store. I explained that my cat had got stuck and showed them pics on phone of head out one end tail out the other. I was "advised" that my cat was obviously fatally over weight to the extent that the sales assistant decided he should call the RSPCA. I very calmy explained that Buddy was a coonie and therefore very large. The spotty little oik then decided that a Maine Coon does not excist and there is no way that it is normal to have a nearly 2 stone cat who is tip of nose to end of tail over 5 feet long. (I plan to take Buddy for a walk on his harness and Halti on Sunday if he still works there, I have to use Halti for no other reason than he sees the Sams on them!). Thankfully a very lovely trainee took over and I left with a small dog tunnel, we had to remove the squeeky cat but. Budz really loves the tunnel now and hasn't stopped playing in it.

Someone else may have half starved a large cat, not just coonie but Bengal etc if they had taken the shops assistance:rofl: advice and that worries me.

Anyone else had similar experiences?

I've had quite a few experiences in that "well know pet superstore" The best one that springs to mind is the day i took Jools in for his annual jabs (we use companion care vets which is in the store. I was sat there with Jools in his cat box and another customer come in and sat down with a jack russel puppy. She looked at the cat box and thoughtfully said "oh i'll keep my dog over here so he doesn't scare your cat"

Well I couldn't resist and decided Jools would like to come out of his box for a cuddle..... her face was a picture when I pulled out this monster that could have carried her dog off in it's mouth. "oh i'll put him back in his carrier, i don't want to scare your dog", followed by a swift elbow in the ribs from my wife :)

Oh you are evil Mick, but I like your style!!!!

Poor Buddy but I would not like your chances of putting him on a diet, if he is anything like Hector you would not get a moments peace till you had fed him!!!!
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But hang on they sell RC Maine Coon..........someone needs some product training I think lol

Ok catslave tell me exactly where & when & I will turn up with Shimba & Merlyn as well & we can all sit by the RC Maine Coon food & see if the assistant cottons on,
don't think we will hold our breath though.....
I must be luckier at my well known store because when we wanted to get a "cat flap" & were discussing wether the "small dog" would be big enough we soon had input from three assistants trying to decide if that would be big enough when they were fully grown or if we needed to go up yet another size,we did decide small dog would be fine in the end, Welly,Pansy & Bruce are all ok at diving in & out but both Merly & Shimba get half way through & then have to shimmey wriggle the rest through.
A good tip for cheap play tunnel,other than boxes of course,go to car boot sales,we picked up a super childs one hardly used dead cheap,because it is quite big they are only allowed to have it outside though but does provide lots of entertainment for them & us especially when Welly does his most favourite thing & jumps on top of it,one cat splattered mid way through again...!

Well Buddy enjoyed his shopping trip today. My friend who has an evil sense of humour and had read this thread came with me. Buddy was perfectly behaved (for once) and enjoyed all the fuss and attention he was getting. That was until I pointed the little oik from the other day out to Mel. I honestly did not know that she had Buddy's favourite treat, cheese, in her pockets. She decided this would be a good time to tease Buddy with it and he obliged by having a nice stretch standing on his back paws, front ones walking none to delicately up this now shaking lads body. The store manager found the whole thing funny and gave Buddy some new toys to apologise. She insisted that the young lad helped us out to the van with them. I didn't notice her and Mel had been whispering until we were just about to open the van and the Manager says to the lad "so you've seen the 3 month old kitten, do you want to meet his Dad?" Just as Mel started pulling her giant dog cage (takes 3 Sams) out the back of the van. I didn't know it was possible to go that white!!

Mel has admitted that she got all her ideas off here and that if ever she decides to get a cat. ........

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Originally Posted by catslave

Mel has admitted that she got all her ideas off here and that if ever she decides to get a cat. ........

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If she does get a cat she could be one dangerous lady,wouldn't want to upset her.....
Would like to know who on here has given her such ideas though....!

I think it was candes tale that sealed it.

Just tell me you got it on video!!!!!!

Tell your friend I really really like her sense of humour.

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Originally Posted by Helen & John

Just tell me you got it on video!!!!!!

Tell your friend I really really like her sense of humour.

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Yep got the big stretch on the camcorder, will post it asap. And done x

I'm trying honest but as I use Android keep getting the annoying "Upload Disabled" message ggrrrrr. Got a vid od Budz playing tonight so will try to go the youtube / fb / hopefully cross posted to here.

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Originally Posted by catslave

I'm trying honest but as I use Android keep getting the annoying "Upload Disabled" message ggrrrrr. Got a vid od Budz playing tonight so will try to go the youtube / fb / hopefully cross posted to here.

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Who's FB yours or Buddys??

Will put it on Buddys and tag Hector and Roxy so you can cross post it if you don't mind please Helen x

Candes I measured him tip of nose to end of tail so no giant, probs bit small for an adult coonie. He's about 3 foot nose to base of tale. Sorry for confusion

3' from nose to tail base is a very nice size for a Coonie..imho :)

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Originally Posted by catslave

Will put it on Buddys and tag Hector and Roxy so you can cross post it if you don't mind please Helen x

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I will try lol xx