Business & Tech

Local Feed Store is a One Stop Shop for Murrieta Pets

Ranging from hay for horses to fish for aquariums, local feed and pet supply store Kahoots has supplied Murrieta pet owners for more than 10 years.

Locals who are looking for top-notch food for their pets at a reasonable price can find it at Kahoots. The feed and pet supply store caters to everything from horses to reptiles–-even tarantulas, for the brave at heart.

Manager Charles Howard has been with the store since its inception more than 10 years ago when it was mostly a warehouse where locals came to buy feed and supplies for livestock and horses. About two years ago, Kahoots underwent a complete remodel, which included expanding their pet supplies and adding fish, reptiles and exotic birds.

“Today our customers are about equal--half equine owners and the other half is made up of small pet owners; dogs, cats, chickens, fish and reptiles,” Howard said. “Today we are a one stop shop for all pet needs."

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Jackie Newbury, a Murrieta resident of 21 years, says she prefers to buy her pet food and supplies at Kahoots rather than traditional pet store chains. Newbury has two dogs, four rabbits and fish at home.

“The people here really help you and are very knowledgeable. It's very down home here," Newbury said.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Howard grew up in rural Rainbow, and said it was a natural transition into managing the local Murrieta pet shop. 

“As a kid we had all kinds of farm animals--chickens, goats, ducks, geese, cows, horses, cats, dogs and even peacocks. When I was in kindergarten, the whole class visited our place back in the day,” Howard said.

His parents then moved to Murrieta, where they have remained. Howard's wife, Kari, grew up in Murrieta and Howard was in the first graduating class of Temecula Valley High School.

According to Howard, Kahoots owners Mike Bittinger and Ethan Tunnel went into "cahoots" with each other selling hay on a corner in Moorpark nearly 20 years ago. Thus, the store was named. From there the two expanded their business, which now includes more than 17 stores across Southern California, including one in Temecula and one in Fallbrook.

Today, Kahoots in Murrieta sells more than 600 bales of hay in less than 10 days and more than 80 live baby chicks every two weeks.

“We are out of them today, because we just can’t keep them in stock. Some buy the chicks for pets and others buy them for eggs,” Howard said. The chicks can be purchased as young as three days old and will be laying eggs within four to six months, he said.

Although the store was out of baby chicks, they did have a supply of baby turkeys--also called chicks and about the same size.

“This breed of turkey only lives about a year and they are raised to eat. These little turkeys will be 25-30 pounds by Thanksgiving,” Howard said.

When Patch stopped by, Murrieta residents Natalie Webb and Adrian Fuller were buying food and supplies for a new four-month-old puppy.

“We come here because they have a better variety, better prices and everything is just way better made," Fuller said.

“Our own brand of all-stage dog food, Kahoots Premium, contains no soy, corn or wheat," Howard said. “Wheat is the No. 1 product that many dogs are allergic to. Corn is just filler and very hard for them to digest, and soy can upset their digestive system. Along with corn being the No. 1 ingredient in most mainstream pet food, they also use other things which are just ‘road kill’ in disguise."

Howard and his family live on a few acres in Hemet, just outside wine country and have two dogs, a cat, a white Arabian horse, two water frogs and a Betta. All of the employees at Kahoots are animal lovers and each one is in charge of their department of expertise.

Employee Trevor Musia heads up the reptile and fish department and said most of the customers who purchase snakes are young men in their 20s.

"But every once in a while someone you would never suspect buys one of the snakes or tarantulas,” Musia said.

While holding one of their more colorful snakes, Musia explained how to tell the difference from a harmless milk snake and a poisonous coral snake.

“If the red touches the black it’s okay but if the red touches the yellow it’s not okay--it’s poisonous,” Musia said.

Since its humble beginnings, Kahoots has attempted to meet the needs of animal lovers and pet owners alike. Food and supplies for animals ranging from large to small can be found in their inventory. Items for sale include a generous wall of pet toys, leashes, dog and cat beds, horse bridals, salt licks and mounds and mounds of hay outside.

Another popular service offered at this family pet supply are vaccinations for dogs, cats and horses. Customers who choose to vaccinate their own animals can purchase the vaccines; others can bring their cats and dogs in for vaccination clinics. They also offer anesthesia-free teeth cleaning for dogs and cats.

Everyone is welcome to join in the fun from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 21, when the local pet store hosts their annual Kahoots Jamboree with plenty of free food, a bluegrass band and lots of  activities for the kids. Plenty of free product samples and prizes will be raffled off.

Kahoots is located in Historic Downtown Murrieta at 41711 Ivy Street. Contact Kahoots by calling 951 461-6993, or visit their website at KahootsPet.com.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here