Why are kittens so expensive now?

[Paintdiagram]

(Before I get flamed I have gone down the rescue route to no avail).

For the last couple of months I’ve been looking online to buy a kitten. Even for a black moggie it’s minimum £150 with some being £200 and that’s before fleeing/vets etc etc.

I swear a couple of years ago you could pick them up to next to nothing. One of my neighbours used to have a sign in the window with ‘free to a good home’.

The only reason I can think is because it’s not quite kitten season yet therefore they’re not in high demand?

to stop people from just getting a kitten they then realise they are unable to look after

Charging for them makes you think twice before getting one!

They're living animals with life expectancies of up to 20 years - they should be expensive. They shouldn't be something you can spring a tenner on on a whim.

Kittens are best rehomed in pairs.
Get a rescue. Don’t line the pockets of someone who would rather flog kittens than get their cat spayed.

We got our lovely natured; toilet trained adult black moggy through an ad on Facebook. Absolutely free.

The prices are high because its demand and supply. When I was growing up the area was full of stray/ un-spayed cats having litters, so there was a high supply and little demand, therefore they were free to a good home. Nowadays, people tend to be far more responsible as pet owners and spaying/neutering is pretty common place.
Indeed, I have been genuinely shocked when a friend had a cat that fell pregnant twice, because they hadn't bothered to spay her. I couldn't get my mind round the idea of someone having a pet and just throwing them outside in the full knowledge that female cats fall pregnant with little more than a wink required.
Anyway, I digress... The (usually) responsible owners who DO spay their cats has led to less supply, so people can charge as they please. And the fact that folk will pay £150-£200 for a mog will sadly only encourage poor cats to be subjected to multiple litters as its a tidy profit for uncaring owners.

Like others have said, it's not kitten season - you get litters when cats spend more time outside - and due to all the storms most haven't whether they'd find a home privately or via a rescue.

Please consider getting a pair too. The rescue is right, kittens home in pairs become much more stable and less destructive cats. They learn about playing limits from each other - including that biting/scratching hurts - so you're less likely to be bitten/scratched/hurt with a pair - and they keep each other company too!

With cats (and now a dog) we've always adopted from the older animals pen. Everyone wants a kitten, but even a mature cat can give you four or more years of companionship.

Cats Protection usually have a Last Chance Saloon pen for the older cats. The ones that if they aren't re-homed soon won't be there much longer. We've had lovely cats from there.

*Kittens are best rehomed in pairs.
Get a rescue. Don’t line the pockets of someone who would rather flog kittens than get their cat spayed. angry *

This.....

Kittens or adult cats are £80 from the rescue I support, I have no idea how many kittens they have atm but 6 were born just 3 nights ago and as its approaching kitten season they'll be inundated, if £80 is too expensive then I probably wouldn't get a cat at all

Indoor cats seems to be a new thing. Cats really should be allowed to roam their territory outside, otherwise they go a bit bonkers.

It's to prevent them being used as dog bait. The wives etc of the men who do the dog fights search online to puck them up cheap, even taking their children with them.

Rabbits are more expensive for this reason as well.

Rescues also look out for cheap/free animals to take, so they don't end up as bait.

A pair would be nice. Would be more likely to hang around home and the garden together. Bought mine as a 2 year old from the rescue centre. Best cat ever. Toilet trained and perfect. He died last year at 14. We have a puppy now. He cost alot more than a kitten!

I always thought people were desperate to give them away. I've had colleagues/neighbours wheedling me to take one off their hands in the past - but I hate cats.

The charity I foster with charges £90 per kitten. They go to their new homes vaccinated, wormed and fleaed. It barely covers costs as we keep them until they are 9 weeks old. Some go as singles but most go in pairs. If you can wait until the summer there will be kittens everywhere.

Hopefully more are being spayed so they are not producing loads of unwanted kittens. I am looking for a puppy currently and there are loads of the poor little things on various websites, many will be brought in from terrible conditions like Ireland etc. I will only get one from a proper breeder. It should be more difficult and expensive to get hold of all pets, that have been responsibly produced

It's not the kitten season yet, actually. But maybe sterilisation campaigns are finally paying off.

Not everyone has to have a rescue

The last cat I bought was £60 and that was 4 years ago.

I only paid that much because she is crossbred between two pedigree breeds. She’s still a moggy but I know what moggy she is.

Usually I see them advertised between free and £40

I would wait a couple of months for kitten season. You could get lucky then

I have given up trying to get kittens (or cats) from rescues too. They are either run by complete loons, with unacceptable rules, or want to offload older cats with issues. When told you don't want an older cat or an indoor cat, or a cat with an issue, they get grumpy and decide you aren't worthy. My last two cats have therefore come from friends/contacts, but I still had to pay £100 for a standard cat.

Single kittens are fine if they are old enough, you can't get really young ones anyway anymore, they are usually 12 weeks old, and therefore well aware of life etiquette from their mum and siblings. Cats are solitary creatures, and by nature prefer to be alone.

@ChewChewIsMySpiritAnimal no. But people with moggies should get them spayed rather than bringing unwanted litters into the world.
If you want a pedigree kitten then that’s different.

If you are anywhere near Essex/Kent look up "bow lodge babies cat rescue." They do kitten cuddle days where you can take some donations and have some cuddles with kittens who need a home. That's how we ended up with our two. I think we pay about £150 for both of them fully vaccinated.

many will be brought in from terrible conditions like Ireland etc

We paid £40 for our beautiful black cat at 3 months. We saw the litter on gumtree. We considered a rescue but my thought is people always encourage rescuing but what about other kittens who need homes? As it happens where we bought her the couple had absolutely no clue, tied string around her neck and fed them corned beef which gave them the runs and not flead or wormed . If we could have had all 4 we would. Within 2 days the runs had gone. She was vet registered and proper flea and worm treatments were begun. I regularly see kittens for sale for under 50 pounds.

@Deadringer
"many will be brought in from terrible conditions like Ireland etc"

That was puppies. A lot of money is being made from puppy farms.

The No more tears rescue breeding dogs. They have to be housed with other dogs, because they aren't used to giving affection from humans and get stressed when alone with them, because of how they have been treated.

They are all pedigree breeds.

@Paintdiagram Try Cats Protection League.

You can get young cat/kittens from there, and they only request/require about £60. They are inoculated too.