Why are kittens so expensive now?

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(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?

You're talking about a little life and a creature that will depend on you for its entire happiness and wellbeing, for up to 20 years. £200 is cheap.

Keep trying the rescues. We were happy to take a pair of kittens. Had a few frustrating experiences of kittens being reserved before I got there with cats protection, found small local rescue to be better but then it's just a case of waiting for them to get kittens in, maybe follow one on Facebook that's good at putting pics up and ask them to let you know when some are next available (and keep watching for yourself in case they forget). I would resent paying similar to rescue price (or more) for a moggy to be honest! I was tempted by a pedigree but so expensive (I had sought out a breeder I felt seemed very caring and responsible, but ultimately I didn't want to spend £750 per cat so that was the end of that!). Some rescues aren't as strict about proximity to main roads (the one I used wasn't but my cats are almost entirely indoor anyway because they arent that bothered and I don't want them to be run over).

We got our cats from the Cat protection League. They just wanted a small donation.

I was recently reading the website of one of them where they specified that the new owner should be ' a single lady, working part - time or preferably not working at all' .

Heavens. How sad so few Barbara Pym characters are in the cat rescuing market nowadays.

I have one rescue cat - got him aged 4, he has a heart condition and no one else wanted him, and he cost £50. We then got 2 kittens last year from Gumtree - cost £75 for the two and they came from a little smallholding not that far away. We’ve had them chipped, spayed and wormed - they’re brother and sister so I had them at the vet on the Monday (got them on a Sat) asking how soon they should be spayed! They all go outside but spend most of the day inside curled up on beds or humans.

Cat protection league are the worst. You can't be old or young. You can't work. You can't have children. You can't live near a road, or near a field, or near a railway. You can't let them out. And on and on it goes. No-one I know has ever managed to get a cat from our local branch. It's a shame, because we all now have lovely, indulged cats, all of whom were bought or found through friends.

They must have changed their rules Baaaahhhhh. We both worked full time, but lived in a quiet cul de sac. The cats were let outside after they had had all their jabs. It is cruel to keep a cat inside all the time.

Admittedly, we got our cats in 1985 from them. It was a bit like adopting a child, and they did a welfare check after we had had them for 6 months. I was quite pleased that they did this because they clearly are concerned about the cats' welfare

I agree with it,I'm from an impoverished area and still had to pay £80 for a black /white kitten last year.The tabby siblings were going for £150.I don't begrudge it as to me it means a better chance that litter went to decent homes.

Ours cats were absolutely the best money we’ve ever spent. We paid £60 each for them and now pay £13 per month to insure them so please remember you’ll have that cost too.

Go to any farming area / vets and ask. I'm in rural France but they're free here. I've never paid for a cat and always get them from the vets and in return they stérilise them.

If you know of any farmers or can contact them , they’ll give you kittens for free . If you’re in NI I can get you a couple ( best to take them in pairs )

It is the wrong time of year wait a couple of months. My kitten cost £75 from Cats Protection.

One does not simply “pick” a cat.

The cat picks you .

Well that’s what happened with us anyway. We went to a cat rescue to look at a 3 year old cat. Unfortunately we decided the cat wasn’t really going to be suitable for us (she was very timid, could scratch & bite and we had a 4 year old at the time).

We turned around to go home & saw a 3 month old kitten scratching at her cage to get out. DD was fascinated by her - so we went to say hello. Yes reader, we went back 7 days later to collect the kitten & her twin sister.

DD & kitten 1 are still very much inseparable 3 years later .

Millennials can’t afford children so they’re getting plants or cats.

I got a kitten about 6 weeks ago and she cost £80 plus all her vacs flea and worm treatment and will get spayed soon to.

You can't let them out

Well that's just rubbish, look at the individual cats and most will say "Access to outside - Yes"
Some cats are to be kept in for their own health or safety
Some cannot live with young children
Some cannot live with other cats.

My DH and I work, son at University , DD at 6th form.
When they first arrived .my DC were in some of the days so they had company , but they had each other.

My cats weren't advertised as No children but we were a household that suited them.

£50 from a moggie in the next village who got pregnant by a tom.

But we looked at lids and all the other moggies were £250 or more.

Silly really

Please DON'T buy from Facebook, Gumtree etc.

People who do this seem to convince themselves that they're somehow "saving the poor animals", but actually they're just paying the backstreet breeders to carry on breeding....

And please get your kitten/kittens/cat/cats chipped as soon as you get it/them, and neutered as soon as your vet will do it.

If you’re on a local community group on Facebook it might be worth asking there if anyone knows of any litters of kittens locally? I think that’s how my MIL found hers.

We recently paid £100 each for our black kittens from a local rescue. The last two were £50 each about 15 years ago.

Try gumtree or pets4home I have 4 cats and my 3 oldest come from gumtree and pets4home only my youngest cat is a rescue cat.

Don’t buy off Scumtree etc. People shouldn’t be flogging kittens online.

The OP doesn’t have to get a rescue if they don’t want to people...

Buying off people who would rather exploit their pets for cash than get them neutered is not ok.

I've just looked on Pets4Homes and there are quite a few in my area between £20-45.