MINOOKA – The benefits of feeding pets a food made from natural ingredients with little to no filler are clear, according to Megan Kurzweil.

That’s one reason Kurzweil, owner and manager of Forepaws, a new pet supply store in Minooka, said she wanted to open the store. Another reason is the Minooka area has an untapped market when it comes to meeting a demand for pet needs and services, she said.

Kurzweil, who has been working with pets professionally for 15 years, including 10 years as a veterinary technician, said she realized the retail and sales area of the pet industry is her cup of tea.

The Forepaws staff is doing its part now to make sure pet health is its utmost priority.

“We feature a lot of affordable, natural pet food brands,” Kurzweil said. “We don’t have any of what is referred to as grocery store brands, which are often full of filler.”

Corn is a primary filler in both dog and cat foods, she said. Besides a four-pawed family member ending up with allergies that make them itch like crazy, filler tends to be unhealthy overall.

“Cats and dogs don’t process corn effectively,” Kurzweil said. “Not only are they sometimes allergic to it, it makes for fat animals.”

That’s why a natural diet is important, she said. Kurzweil researches all of the products in her store to verify they have a pet’s best interest in mind.

“We focus mainly on American-made and natural products and offer options for all pet types: dogs, cats, small animal, reptile, bird and fish,” she said.

The store chooses American-made products because foods from China or other foreign areas have become nerve-wracking to the industry, Kurzweil said, with varied results for consumers.

Forepaws has a couple grand opening events coming up.

On Dec. 5, Forepaws is doing a free event for children under 14. Staff will help kids make and take a pet-themed ornament home for the holidays.

Forepaws also plans to do its first adoption event Dec. 12 with Safe Haven Animal Rescue, and start low-cost vaccine clinics in February.

Although Forepaws does not sell live animals in store, it does foster small animals for adoption and plans to do many community events.

Forepaws is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, at 829 S. Ridge Road in Minooka.