Petco and PetSmart, two of the top pet retailers in the United States, have announced they will stop selling dog and cat treats made in China.

San Diego-based Petco was the first national pet retail outlet to announce a ban on Chinese treats May 21, saying in a press release that by the end of this year it would stop supplying China-made dog and cat snacks to its more than 1,300 store locations throughout the country, including the smaller specialty stores Unleashed by Petco, and online at Petco.com.

"We know some pet parents are wary of dog and cat treats made in China, especially Chicken Jerky products, and we've heard their concerns," Petco CEO Jim Meyers said in the news release. "As a leader in the industry and the trusted partner for our pet parents, we're eager to make this transition and to expand our assortment of safe and healthy treats, the majority of which are made right here in the U.S. Very simply, we feel this decision is in the best interest of the pets we all love and, ultimately, for our business."

Likewise, rival pet store operator PetSmart has also moved to take dog and cat treats made in China off the shelves in its own 1,300-plus locations, according to a report by the Associated Press.

PetSmart spokeswoman Michelle Friedman was quoted saying in the ABC story a "vast majority" of treats sold in its stores are not made in China. She said some customers like the treats that are made in China and the company is looking to replace them with something similar.

When she was asked why the products couldn't be taken off the shelves sooner, Friedman asserted the retailer doesn't "want to leave pet parents high and dry."

The Petco announcement noted that since 2007, and as recently as earlier this month, "the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has periodically cautioned consumers about a potential link between reported illnesses in dogs and the consumption of jerky products made in China. However, the FDA has been unable to identify a direct link between the reported illnesses and the China-made treats, and has not recommended a recall of jerky products."

The AP story notes that over the last seven years, the USDA has, in fact, received reports of more than 4,800 pet illnesses and more than 1,000 dog deaths after the consumption of Chinese-made chicken, duck or sweet potato jerky treats.

"We've been following the FDA warnings and related customer concerns closely, and we've been actively reducing our China-made assortment and expanding our American-made offerings for several years now," said Petco's Myers. "We know the FDA hasn't yet identified a direct cause for the reported illnesses, but we decided the uncertainty of the situation outweighs the lack of actual proof. It has taken some time and careful thought to get to this point, but we're proud to make the change and we believe our customers will be pleased with it as well."