On the nondescript street of 9th between 3rd avenue and 2nd there exists a shop advertised as a wholesome sanctuary for the domestic animals living in the East Village. The outside of the shop is adorned with a mural of cats, dogs, and birds happily coexisting within a green background that primes passersby to think about the natural and unrefined.
Whiskers Holisitic Pet Care is, however, more than an eccentric pet store. Randi and Phil Klein, the owners of the shop, opened Whiskers in 1988 with the mission to educate pet owners about alternatives to mainstream pet care practices. Although primarily focused on canines and felines, the shop also provides resources and information about the care of other small animals, such as birds.
Holistic pet care stresses homeopathy and herbal solutions over processed and pharmaceutical options. Inside, the East Village shop’s inventory includes everything needed to care for the animal’s people consider their best friend: fresh and frozen raw food, collars made from soy, biodegradable beds, and collars made from soy. Rows of nutritional supplements and vitamins cover much of the wall. Words like “natural calmatives,” “slippery elm, and “cystitis mix” can be found all around the shop. The atmosphere mirrors that of the health food store for humans.
At checkout, cashiers will present new customers with a pamphlet attempting to educate them, including an article written by Klein on holistic pet food since that’s “where everything starts,” said Sarah Whit, an employee at Whiskers.
Neither Phil nor Randi are veterinarians, but their practices are often based off the consultation of people like Dr. Marty Goldstein, a well-known veterinary who has written “The Nature of Animal Healing,” a book dedicated to guiding pet owners natural ways to prevent and treat disease.
As for the customers who frequent this shop, many say cite the helpful staff and the results of the products for why they keep coming back. “It’s really an educational center that happens to sell things,” said Ruth Tabatchnick, who discovered the shop 5 months prior when she was looking to change the diet of her cat.
Although the shop is quirky, there’s more to that story. The business has been popular enough that over the years, that the shop annexed the much larger space next in 1998 and opened another store in Astoria in 2008.
“People are concerned about their own health and wellness and using natural products and remedies. People also love their pets, so the shop’s popularity makes a lot of sense,” said Whit.