A pet store is a celebration of dogs' existence and an explosion of options. About cats a pet store seems to say 'Here we couldn't think of anything else.' Cats are the Hanukkah of the animal world in this way. They are feted quietly and happily by a minority but there's only so much hoopla applicable to them.
I took Spanish in high school and I didn't do too well in it. My Spanish teacher told me not to go on with Spanish anymore so I was discouraged a little bit.