Kitten sellers taking the piss!!?

[Jamandbreadd]

I am thinking about getting a cat after the lockdown eases, my cat is really in need of the company I think. Had a quick scan of gumtree London (where I got my cat 2 years ago, from a family home where their moggy had kittens). To be honest I was at the prices of cars. I haven’t been in the market for a cat for 2 years but I remember I paid £50 for a litter trained moggy kitten. Now every similar kitten on gumtree appears to be upwards of £200 each, and £400+ is equally as common! Am I missing something? They are either from private homes or I guess breeders, and it seems incredible to charge that much per kitten. A litter of 4 will net some of these people over £1000!
I’m a good pet owner- have good insurance for my cat, she has a de flea and de worm subscription from the vet, enough food and lots of attention. We don’t have a garden so were turned down by our local cat rescue when we contacted them.
I just don’t believe that people should profiteer from kittens like this. It’s mad.. and has definitely got worse since I got my cat 2 years ago.
£200-£400 for a moggy kitten?!? AIBU?!

Wow so...

You've been told by a shelter that you aren't suitable to offer a cat a suitable home for a very valid reason, you have no outside space other than a balcony.

Despite them having vastly more experience with cats than you, you haven't considered for a second they might be right and go straight to Gumtree to buy a cat from someone who either won't check or won't care where you live.

You think your cat needs company, I would put money on it the last thing your current cat, who has no outside space and nowhere to escape from any new comer does NOT want a 'friend'.

Then you think you can bitch and moan about the prices people want to charge for cats - you've no idea the money they have, or have not, spent in raising their kittens!

And where is it you'll be taking the new kitten (or the old cat) when it turns out they wont live in harmony and instead fight or piss and shit everywhere?

Yeah, that rescue you ignored in the first place, or back on Gumtree.

If you wanted to make this work, you'd be looking for rescues that rehome cats who CANNOT go outside at all who NEED indoor, flat type homes, perhaps due to illness or disability.

You'd be asking how to settle in a new cat, and for details of cat behaviourists to try to ensure this works as smoothly as possible, and you'd have the rescues back up there in case the newbie didn't settle despite your best efforts.

@viques I’m in London and my indoor cat is from CH, cats do well as indoor cats, the ones who don’t tend to have owners who fail to play with/keep them appropriately entertained.

Adopt one from a shelter

Thats what my DD3 did, a lovely little soul he is too, was black and unwanted but now has a very good home:)

Lucky cat!

Please dont do any of this. Cats are solitary creatures and really dont like a new cat being introduced. You are asking for trouble and it doesnt sound like the flat is suitable, as you have been told by the rescue. Secondly dont EVER buy an animal from these sources as others have said

Honestly it isn’t at all about money. Yes I can afford to pay £200+, I pay every month towards my pet insurance, food, I got her neutered myself etc. It isn’t that. It’s more that how can people profiteer like this from kittens? It’s completely unethical, they’ll sell it to whoever will pay that and their poor cat will presumably have another litter that’s like the price of a holiday each year!
Yes I already stated a couple of times I got turned down by a rescue.
Previously in my life I have always had 2 (unrelated) cats.. I actually thought it was better for them so they can play etc especially if owners are out at work full time. Didn’t realise this was a no.
I also thoguht Gumtree is like an online notice board a bit like you used to get in local supermarkets.. I sold my baby buggy on there when dd grew out of it and as mentioned got my lovely cat off there a couple of years back when we couldn’t rescue.

If they endedup hating one another, your home environment would be hellish because it’s not like you’d have a garden for one of them to skulk off to. They’d both be stuck together in the flat.
You don’t know that your cat is lonely and you don’t know how they’ll react having a new cat within the environment. Yes some cats are fine with it but an awful lot of cats are not.

I got 3 cats 11 4 and 22 weeks and all get on great and not related at all. The 22 week old and 4 year old are so close and play with each other. All are spayed vaccinated etc

Can’t believe some of the replies on here.

She's said twice that she's been turned down by a rescue

and the only logical response is to then turn to kitten peddlers on the internet. Obviously. Super responsible and ethical.

I can pretty much guarantee your cat doesn't want or need the company of another cat. Very few cats become "friends" unless they are from the same litter and raised and kept together. They may learn to tolerate each other but usually that's all. Introducing a new cat or kitten is VERY stressful for your existing cat. Be prepared for some odd behaviour from your cat if your don't manage that well. Make sure you have at least 3 litter trays in different places, lots of places for each cat to hide away or go high up to get away from each other. If you get a kitten be aware you are getting it for yourself, not for your cat!

It’s more that how can people profiteer like this from kittens? It’s completely unethical, they’ll sell it to whoever will pay that
@Jamandbreadd

You have answered your own question. Because they are greedy, squalid, unethical people who don't give a toss about the welfare of either the kittens. Or the mother cat. There is a very simple way to discourage this. Do not buy animals from Gumtree.

I have rescue cats and went on gumtree etc to look for a kitten the other day and some of the prices are ridiculous profiteering - especially for "popular" colours like ginger or white

I refuse to pay £200 when my rescue kittens were £20 each! And if you pay that for them it just makes them want to keep getting their cats pregnant with litters. If they were only getting £20 they'd definitely be spaying their cats

The most hilarious ones are where they label them as "half" pedigree of some sort - when it's blatantly just a big standard tabby cat! 🤣

I'd register with a few local rescues - there can be waiting lists but if you're not choosy in colour you'll soon get one. Don't go for the big rescues - look for the much smaller ones who are less likely to refuse you on the basis of living in an apartment

Also the FIV positive cats are a good choice as they shouldn't be let out anyway and also tend to be overlooked x

I don't trust Gumtree. You're better off talking to the RSPCA or your local cat home/shelter.

Whether your cat needs company depends very much on the individual cat, and your circumstances. In general indoor only cats do prefer some company if their slaves are out for very long periods of time e.g. everyone working full time with long commutes, but some are quite happy on their own.

Since lockdown started people are discovering just how much time their cats spend asleep - apparently the average is 15-16 hours a day, so company isn't as critical as you may think.

Do consider looking further afield for rescues that may have indoor only cats, though these would likely be adults and you can never be sure that any 2 cats would get along anyway - you would be in a world of pain if either cat took a dislike to the other!

It’s completely unethical, they’ll sell it to whoever will pay that and their poor cat will presumably have another litter that’s like the price of a holiday each year!

When you buy a kitten from gumtree, pets4homes etc that is what you’re funding, it also makes you just as bad as the person putting their unneutered (and likely not vaccinated) cat of physical injury and infection.

I don’t think we can consider an FIV cat as we have another cat. However I did notice there was a gorgeous FIV positive cat at my rescue when we last visited before lockdown (dd likes seeing the cats and dogs) and they were quite clear on her info that she had to have access to an enclosed garden and cat flap.

some shelters are far too strict

Could have something to do with the fact that they know because it happens regularly that a cat in the wrong home will end up back on their doorstep/ kicked out onto the street/dumped in a taped up box/passed on to a friend of a friend with a nasty dog etc etc before you can say home check . Taking on any animal is a responsibility and commitment, not a whim, and should be taken seriously. If there is a reason why you are unsuitable then adopt a stone.

@Jamandbreadd

That's unusual as they usually say they have to be kept in but surely if they are happy for that cat to go out and about and potentially come into contact with other cats then they might place a FIV cat in a household with other cats?

We used to have two cats, but we got them at the same time as kittens from the Cat Protection League. I will never know if they were from the same litter or different litters but they were born at the same time and kept together. They used to curl up together and play fight together, but were very aggressive towards any other cats in the neighbourhood.

OP I'm sure you love your cat but you are coming across as not particularly well informed which doesn't scream conscientious pet owner.

@ivfgottostaypositive surely FIV positive cats aren't a good choice if like the OP you already have one cat and they would be living in a flat together?

I googled it and it says it's most likely passed through deep bite wounds as a result of aggressive cats fighting (usually unneutured male ones) so if it's neutered and so calmed down and isn't fighting for food and territory on the streets the risk of transmission to another house cat should be low?

Generally cats are not social with other cats, unless from the same litter. It can be really difficult to socialise them and can cause a lot of stress (which in turn can cause serious, possibly fatal, UTIs). They are very territorial and need their own space, so unless your flat is pretty big it can be hard to give them the space they need.

My cats are from the same litter and they tolerate each other. That said, they still eat at separate sides of the room and have their own litter trays.

I have had cats from different litters before and they did take to each other, but they had a lot of outdoor space too and it still took months to get them comfortable.

If you cat is bored, just buy it some toys to keep it entertained. Much easier and more sensible.

People get hysterical over the thought of people buying animals off gumtree. The reality is it’s literally no different from buying from any other place. It’s a place to advertise animals, whether it’s gumtree, pet 4 homes, a breeders or a private website, they are all just advertising privately bred animals, and common sense should be taken when buying from any site. As it is two large and very well known rescues by me are currently getting investigated for animal cruelty, and for illegally selling dogs handed to them by dog wardens.
Op would you consider adopting a disabled cat? There are plenty of rescues trying to rehome cats that can’t go outside. There’s loads of disabled cat rescues online. Some of the cats are blind or deaf. Both of these still make good pets. There’s a lot of cats with FIV, though some of these may need medication.

jam and bread

I don't believe any shelter would state that a FIV cat could be allowed outside. Did you challenge them? Had someone labelled the pen with the wrong details?