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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Is £100 a lot for a grey kitten

91 replies

BlackHillsofDakota · 04/04/2015 16:18

Looking to get a new kitten and would love a grey one. Ive seen some advertised but they are £100 each. This seems expensive to me for a non pedigree kitten. Is it because he is grey?

OP posts:
cupcakesandapples · 04/04/2015 16:50

Seems a bit pricey to me- we got ours from rspca and it was a £70 donation but she was already neutered, wormed etc

thecatneuterer · 04/04/2015 17:36

Grey (aka blue) is the latest fashionable colour. In our rescue black and black and white kittens and cats stay with us for months and months as no one wants them. Grey, ginger, white, tabby fly out of the door, even if they're not as friendly as the blacks.

Why are you paying for a kitten at all? Why not rescue? Is colour really that important? You're not buying an accessory, you're taking on a pet.

If I sound pissed off it's because I am. In my house I'm fostering two lovely black kittens (now young cats). I've had them for five months as no one wants them. I've also just taken on two black and whites and another black from a situation they can't go back to.

After conversations with the rehomers at our charity we've decided that they only way we can sort out this situation is for me to rehome two of my gingers and another pretty tabby and white. I've had these cats for around four to five years. But because people are so focussed on colour, if I give these up they will get homes. I will then have space to look after the unpopular colours than don't stand a hope in hell of getting a home.

So yes, I am judging, for which I apologise. If you'd caught me on another day my response might have been more temperate.

Fluffycloudland77 · 04/04/2015 17:58

I wouldn't buy a non-pedigree kitten, some people breed them for money and literally breed them to death.

GrannyWeatherwax2015 · 04/04/2015 18:06

I got my grey from a rescue but I also have a black Smile. £100 does seem am awful lot for a moggy.

Original poster
BlackHillsofDakota · 04/04/2015 18:08

Wow ok! We actually have three rescue cats, a pure black, a black and white and a tabby. Hence the fact I've no idea about buying privately.

OP posts:
TuttiFrutti · 04/04/2015 18:11

Hmmm, I can see where you're coming from thecatneuterer, but in real life people do often want a specific breed/colour, maybe for the wrong reasons, but they otherwise might not want a cat at all. We recently got two Burmese when we could have had rescue moggies instead - but we wanted the temperament and we don't regret the decision. We have had rescue moggies in the past (black and white ones too!) and they have been lovely pets, but this was our one chance to go pedigree. We researched. The breeder and made sure the breeding queens were well treated.

In terms of price OP, £100 for a non-pedigree is on the high side, but not totally unreasonable from a rescue centre if you consider the cost of vet's bills and food. Please do try to get one from a rescue though.

Original poster
BlackHillsofDakota · 04/04/2015 18:18

It's a private ad, so if grey is fashionable I guess they are trying to cash in on it. We have decided it's too much money. As someone else said we paid approx £80 for our all black from CPL but he'd had his jabs etc.

OP posts:
tipsytrifle · 04/04/2015 18:20

thecatneuterer - is there no way you can keep those who have lived with you for so long? I've just declared that the 3 I was supposed to be fostering are welcome to stay forever, adding to my 13 current rescues. The newbies are black and white and 6-8yrs old. No chance of a new home even if I hadn't fallen in love with them.

tipsytrifle · 04/04/2015 18:24

Dakota could you phone around the rescues and ask specifically about a grey? I have a gorgeous grey who came to me by way of a feral colony out the back. Having sorted out the kittens and a few of the adults, the left-overs gradually moved in with me lol. But nope, don't ask as he's staying! What I mean is that absolutely all colours and types end up homeless and there must be a grey out there for you!

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 04/04/2015 18:24

I'd never pay a breeder, it only encourages stupid, irresponsible people to breed kittens to make money. If you really want a grey kitten then I'm sure you could find one at a rescue.

I chose my cat based on his colour - I wanted a black or black and white cat but only because I know they are hard to rehome and he'd been at the rescue for nearly 5 months when we adopted him.

thecatneuterer · 04/04/2015 18:31

OP, well it's good you've already got rescues. It would be great if you could rescue one more. As I said, you've caught me on a bad day. I gave up one of my 'interesting colour' cats yesterday, and I've just had a call to say that I should bring the other two next weekend as some people have just been to look at all our 200 odd cats needing homes but, because we didn't have any ginger, they left empty handed. We've persuaded them to come back next week when my two will be available.

Tuttifrutti - if the choice is between buying and not having a cat at all then, from a welfare perspective, it's probably better not to have a cat at all. Buying encourages people to continue to breed their cats, and apart from bringing more cats into a world where there are already far more cats than homes to go round, the conditions endured by these breeding cats are often appalling.

Tipsy- I've already got 22 cats. Effectively I need to find homes for another five. That is just getting into ridiculous territory. I need to draw the line on the numbers somewhere - sad though it is.

LaurieFairyCake · 04/04/2015 18:35

22 cats

I love you Smile

You're my hero

catsrus · 04/04/2015 18:39

Bugger - I've always wanted a ginger, it's the one colour I've not had (apart from White ) I'll just have to hope they become unpopular by the time I'm ready to get another. Currently have two black and white, a black and a grey. Have had a few torties and tabbies in the past, I do like a nice tabby...

thecatneuterer · 04/04/2015 18:39

Laurie Grin. I dream of having only three - life would be so easy ...

tipsytrifle · 04/04/2015 18:41

I totally understand thecat .. I really do. I remember the days when it was 1 cat and a housebunny .. then 4 ... now it's way more. I have a tiny home and a yard. It's madness. I understand. Blessing you with every breath in my soul Flowers

thecatneuterer · 04/04/2015 18:46

catsrus You may be able to find a really bitey antisocial sort of ginger that needs a home. People want gingers but not if they risk losing a finger:)

Colours in current order of popularity for anyone who's interested:

Blue (grey)
Ginger
Ginger and white
White
Tortie/Tortie and white
Tabby/ Tabby and white
White and black
Black and white
...
...
...
Black

tipsytrifle · 04/04/2015 18:52

That's an excellent list and totally true

Greymalkin · 04/04/2015 18:52

I bought my Russian Blue x moggie from a private seller and paid £120 for him! He is black and white, not a touch of blue in him at all. feeling ripped off too I've had him for eight years and he is so precious, and a total diva.

When the time comes for a new cat, I will get a rescue, and very very happily go for another black and white or pure black. Makes me feel sad that lovely cats are disregarded just because they are plain looking.

tipsytrifle · 04/04/2015 18:55

Thank you for doing that Pink. I actually find that generally the b&w are the most stable, personality wise; might just be my personal experiences though ...

gamerchick · 04/04/2015 18:56

Mines a black one and she's the most mentally sorted little thing I've ever clapped eyes on considering where I rescued her from and the rocky start she had. Sends me to bed like a bossy madam at a respectable time and gets me up in the morning. Even likes to check the house with me on a night time.. leading the way from room to room.

It makes me feel sad that people go for colour above anything else.

Sorry OP I'm just talking generally off reading.

tipsytrifle · 04/04/2015 18:59

That's the thing, greymalkin - they are so under-rated when people want an ornament. I've never found gingers to be anything other than impossible. My tortie is a madwoman and it's taken YEARS for her to settle to being slightly less than psychotic. King of my tribe though is a most beautiful and benevolent b&w. He's awesome. When we first met it was all growls and hisses though. Now, he kisses and grooms everyone, disciplines wisely and helps me keep the tribe in some sense of order.

EleanorAbernathy · 04/04/2015 19:00

I don't understand why black cats are so unpopular, they're my 2nd favourite after torties! They're not plain at all, they are shiny and sleek and like little panthers!

All the black cats could come and live with me if we didn't have 9 cats already (in various colours - one is pure black and another mostly black with white bits underneath :)!)

tipsytrifle · 04/04/2015 19:03

gamerchick - the most mentally sorted little thing I've ever clapped eyes on
That's beautiful

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 04/04/2015 19:03

I couldn't stand the thought of him being overlooked tipsy. Although I was obviously glad he was until we were in a position to adopt him!

When Mum wanted to adopt a new cat I produced a list of black cats for her - she didn't get any choice!

MargotLovedTom · 04/04/2015 19:05

I'm gobsmacked that black is the least popular - I think there's nothing more appealing and striking than a beautiful, slinky mini panther on the prowl. We can't have a cat as we have a dog, and DH is not a cat lover at all Sad but if I ever got one I'd plump for all black.

I had two little black and white queens years ago and they were so pretty and affectionate.

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