Psh. Everyone knows by now that the gateway theory is utterly debunked. Some people start with cats, some people start with dogs, not everyone ends up using both, and some quit the pet trap altogether - for example, if their new partner does not like the smell of cat piss.

The only reason cats look like a gateway pet is because the same dealers sell both cats and dogs - and everything up to venomous tarantulas and constrictor snakes. And you bet they make a better profit off the more dangerous pets, because you need more equipment to use them on a day-to-day basis.

The feds let it happen because eventually all retail chains get a chunk of the sales. Food, enclosures, electronicals, silicone sealants, plastic containers, special furniture, all bought with hard-earned cash that could have chosen otherwise.

Pets are the real matrix.