Kitten deposit

[Elmiaa]

Just looking for some advice about a kitten I recently put a deposit down for. (Huge regret)
So after a good few months of wanting a kitten, I finally started looking after making sure I had everything ready for one first. I found one I fell in love with from seeing the photo, so I messaged the kitten seller and asked if she was still available and she said yes sent more photos and advertised that the kittens were 10 weeks old. The kittens were £90 so she said a £45 deposit would need to be put down to reserve the kitten (I put £90 deposit down as I wanted her sister aswell so she’d have more company) after putting this deposit down, the seller claimed that this kitten was only 6 weeks old and her sister was 8 weeks old and wouldn’t be ready for another 4 weeks which I found odd as the ad stated they were 10 weeks old. I shrugged it off until looking further in to this sellers ads to find out the she was selling me two different cats from two different litters, one was 11 weeks and the other was 8 months !! She refused to give me their date of births and refused to give me a collection date and to make things worse she didn’t offer for me to go and see the kittens.
i asked for my deposit back as it seemed to good to be true, and she keeps saying you should pay me for my time and effort. Which I find unfair considering she refuses to give me accurate information about these kittens or even offered me to go and see the kittens. Do you think it’s fair for me to have my deposit back?

£90 for a kitten!?

I'm not particularly involved in the cat world, but am in the dog world...and no-one breeding (and doing it properly and getting vet checks done or testing done etc, or even feeding the animals properly) can possibly be selling a live animal for that little. That was your first mistake. Things that sound too good to be true, are. I'd expect to pay high hundreds for a well-bred kitten...

But, regardless, you've been scammed and you won't get that money back.

Adopt don’t shop! Of course you can’t trust random strangers selling kittens on the internet, I’d write the money off and go find a reputable adoption charity. Those poor kittens were probably riddled with all sorts and their poor mum just used to breed.

There are so many kittens desperate for loving homes in the rescues. Adopt don’t shop. Please.

This sounds like some horrible breeder in it for the cash.

OP there are so many kittens in shelters that need to be adopted in pairs. Adopt two of those, or, get a couple or slightly older ones. Kittens only stay tiny for about 3-4 months of their life, by the time they’re 6-8 months old they look like grown up cats.

You have given money to someone you’ve never met for a kitten that may or may not exist.
We took in two rescue kittens. By far a better way to do things. The only people breeding and charging money for cats should be decent pedigree breeders.

You haven’t physically seen the kittens? I agree with pp you’ve been scammed- contact your bank. Report the scammer/site.
If it’s a rag doll breed etc they can go for hundreds or over a thousand for some breeds of cat.

There are plenty of kittens available for rehoming from unwanted/unplanned/dumped litters. Get your name down, they’ll snap up your application if you want two.