Urgent new kitten advice please

[Nenemum]

Posting here for traffic.

About to go and see a potential new pet kitten. Can anyone give me advice on what to look for seeing a kitten in situ please things like the kitten’s general condition, whether it’s important to see it with its mother or not, if it’s mewling too much or not enough whether that’s important, what to listen out for in the seller’s sales pitch (I don’t know if they’re a breeder or not yet, this is someone my mother has found locally), what a good price is, what vaccinations to ask if it’s had done yet and so on.

Thankyou

I'd want to see the vaccination certificate of the mother to be sure that they are up to date especially if the kitten is young I would be asking about flea/worm treatments and I'd want to see the mum with the litter. I'm sure there will be better advice to follow.

Should I not buy if there has been no flea worm vaccs?

www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice/pregnancy-and-kitten-care/buying-a-kitten

Rescue is better and cheaper; the kittens will be health checked by a vet first. My youngest cat was from the RSPCA as a kitten, he was vaccinated neutered microchipped dewormed and deflead and his adoption fee was £95. A very nice lady from our local branch popped round and did a quick homesick, it was very straightforward.

Even if I'd got him for free, the veterinary treatment he'd had would have cost me at least £95, so he was far cheaper than buying a kitten.

I'd also recommend getting two if possible - then they have a playmate, whereas our single kitten needed a lot of playtime with us and it took him longer to learn not to play rough (we have an older cat but she avoided him til he calmed down a bit!).

If you do decide to buy from a private home, you should absolutely see the kitten with mum and siblings - it's a massive red flag if they aren't there. Ask how many litters mum has had - one could be an accident, more than that is just letting your poor cat get pregnant again and again (cats can get pregnant again immediately). The kittens should be 9 weeks before leaving mum, have clean eyes and noses, be using a litter tray and have clean bottoms - dirty bums could be diarrhoea, runny eyes/nose could be cat flu or other conditions.

They'll only be a breeder if its an actual breed rather than a regular moggie. If it's a specific breed you need to research the health tests that should be done for that breed and see the actual results of those tests ie HCM testing for Ragdolls.

@Nenemum

Should I not buy if there has been no flea worm vaccs?

This is the most basic level of care. Kittens may not have been vaccinated (first is usually given at 9 weeks) but mum absolute should be. Severe flea or worm infestations can kill young kittens so this definitely should have been done at least once.

Kittens aren't usually vaccinated.

OP, with respect, you need to have done far more research than you have. If you’re not even sure whether you need to see the kittens with their mother you need to wait until you really know what you’re doing. A rogue breeder can easily convince you to take a kitten that’s unwell because you won’t know what you’re supposed to be looking for.

Please don’t rush into this just because your mum has found someone selling kittens. This is a pet you could have for 20 years - you need to get it right for the kitten and for you.

@gunnersgold

Kittens aren't usually vaccinated.

But mum should be - otherwise she could passed serious illnesses such as Feline Leukaemia Virus on to the nursing kittens.

My advice would be not to buy in haste. Kittens are often sold unscrupulously. If it's too young to be fully weaned you can end up with a poorly animal. The health of the Mum is really important.
It's not unusual for a kitten from a private sale not to be vaccinated or wormed, unless it's a pedigree and these tend to be kept longer - usually 12/13 weeks and will have been vet checked and had their first vaccinations.
If it's a pedigree or pedigree cross that doesn't have its family history and initial vet checks I would walk away.
Don't buy a kitten that's too young - absolute minimum is 8 weeks, don't buy one that you don't see Mum too, I'd be wary if they have the father too unless you have done some more checks on the breeder. It might be possible for a hobby breeder or someone who shows cats to keep a stud, but be really thorough about their papers and handover.
If the kitten seems listless or has crusty eyes/nose then walk away.

Kitten bought. Check out the massive red flag list below though !

No cat mum present or other kittens.
Seller’s house filthy, she’s a crazy cat lady clearly.
Seller said the cat mum wasn’t there.
Seller was virtually shoving kitten into our arms and kept saying she wants him to go today, take him, take him, despite my insisting I only came to look and ask questions before even considering purchase.
She asked £20, not a red flag, but that’s pretty cheap considering :

She hasn’t flea’d, wormed, registered or vaccinated him yet.

He weighs just under 500g which the pet shop we went to after said makes him around 6 weeks old, not 12 weeks as the kitten seller said. I’m still unsure about this though.

I later learnt you’re not supposed to flea kittens until they’re at least a kilogram weight. According to a couple of sources, then contradicted by another source ! So you can see why I also came here for real people’s expert advice!

My mother came with us and she has decades of cat experience, and despite all the above making me not want to have the kitten, she just took it to her house now, so I’m assuming she just wanted to get it away from there.

We’ve been to see him and he’s healthy looking, bouncy, confident and curious. Litter trained already. We plan to collect him once he’s been de-flea’d by hand (insert a spewy emoji) and the vets are open so we can get him straight there for a thorough checkover.

It feels like more of a rescue than a purchase, but either way, he’s in for a more comfortable and cleaner environment than where he’s come from, plus the kids are over the moon.

@Warmduscher that’s a fair comment. Came here for advice to avoid a bad purchase as opinions from real people (‘experts’) might help serve me better than the conflicting advice I was getting on all the rescue websites, big brand websites and so on.

We keep fish which are a far more involved and specialised pet hobby than cats so I’m not taking this lightly.

Thanks for the advice everyone, it was a bit lastminute. I had already done my research but as I said, the websites of various big name rescue centres, charities and brands were contradicting eachother, so somebody was ‘wrong’, hence preferring advice from real people online.

Came here for advice to avoid a bad purchase

But decided to ignore all the advice and buy a kitten who's way too young to be away from his mum from an unscrupulous seller.
Brilliant

Fair enough. Doesn't sound like it was in an ideal set up and the low price doesn't shout kitten farming - more general ineptitude.
Let's hope kitten is in good health, although the flea issue really needs sorting - sounds like you're on it though. Teeny kittens can go downhill fast with flea infestation. I have found myself bathing and picking fleas off a tiny kitten my friend had similarly rescued from a crummy start.

@WaltzingBetty the kitten was removed from a filthy house and probably an unscrupulous seller, into a loving new home where it will be cared for properly.

Or do you recommend we should have left it there I;that filth and grime?

Thanks @Beamur we are going to be on the flea issue immediately.

[quote Nenemum]@WaltzingBetty the kitten was removed from a filthy house and probably an unscrupulous seller, into a loving new home where it will be cared for properly.

Or do you recommend we should have left it there I;that filth and grime?[/quote]
The seller will know know that no matter how little care she gives to either the mother or subsequent litters of kittens, there will always be someone happy to trade with her, encouraging her to keep doing it.

I can’t believe you compared it to buying a rescue.

[quote Nenemum]@WaltzingBetty the kitten was removed from a filthy house and probably an unscrupulous seller, into a loving new home where it will be cared for properly.

Or do you recommend we should have left it there I;that filth and grime?[/quote]
I would have done exactly the same (and have done in the past). Sounds like kitten has a better chance with you than if it was left there.

@Warmduscher she’s a crazy cat lady, not a breeder or seller. She has too many cats and kittens because she doesn’t spey them for some reason - that’s her mental issue that only she knows about, not me. I’m sure she’ll continue to take in strays and rescues or whatever and let her cats keep dropping sprogs forever, that’s her prerogative. I can always give you her address by PM if you want to drop her a letter yourself and sort out her problem? I’m a fish person, I know nothing about cats, so for all I know apart from their unclean environment her pets may well be just fine.

Removing this kitten from that unhealthy environment is important.
No money has changed hands, she asked £20 but none has been taken, she shoved the kitten into our arms and just said take it away. He’ll have a happier life with us, that’s all that matters now.

She doesn’t have to be a breeder to keep reducing kittens that people like you are happy to take, leaving space for new ones.

I’m not sure why you think a stranger on the internet should do what you should have done the moment you saw the poor conditions the kittens were being kept in? Surely you’re the one who should be reporting her to the RSPCA as you’ve seen the conditions and know the person’s details?

Please, please report her to the RSPCA. They may be able to support her to get the other cats neutered or persuade her to relinquish some if she has too many to cope.

I'd advise that you get some good pet insurance ASAP. There's usually a 14 day period before it covers illness but the sooner you get it, the sooner you are covered.

I’m a fish person, I know nothing about cats, so for all I know apart from their unclean environment her pets may well be just fine.

Did you not think to ask your mum about this, seeing as she came with you, and has “decades of cat experience”?

[quote Nenemum]@WaltzingBetty the kitten was removed from a filthy house and probably an unscrupulous seller, into a loving new home where it will be cared for properly.

Or do you recommend we should have left it there I;that filth and grime?[/quote]
No I recommend that you should have done what you claimed and avoided an unscrupulous purchase by asking fir a LOT more information up front.

Instead you've financially incentivised her to keep churning out poorly bred kittens and quite possibly set yourself up for vets bills and heartache.

I know nothing about cats, so for all I know apart from their unclean environment her pets may well be just fine.

Oh great! You sound perfectly placed to 'rescue' this kitten.

You really did your research eh?

You've bought yourself a problem. If the kitten is six weeks old mum should have been there. People on mumsnet often say 9 weeks is the right age to take kittens home. It isn't. That's puppies. Kittens should be 12 weeks before they leave mum. You've taken her from one unhealthy environment into another. She needs her mum to grow heathily. Google advice on how to care for a six week old kitten. Good luck.
Absolutely report to the RSPCA. The cats and kittens left behind are at risk.

You've also broken the law

You need to get that kitten vet checked. Also I would report to the RSPCA.