Is it bad to get a kitten in a private sale?

[ThinkAboutItTomorrow]

We thought we were all set to get a kitten from Battersea dog & cat home, we've done all the stuff they asked but now they are saying they're inundated with requests for kittens and just to call up every week or so. I'm worried that it'll be ages to get one, there doesn't sound like a waiting list system even to guess how long.

We don't want to wait too long, partly as the kitten was a sort of birthday gift for DD next week and partly because as soon as lockdown ends we'll be visiting family quite a long way away so don't want to get a kitten and just as it's settling in we desert it to cat sitters.

If we bought one on gumtree is that 'bad'? I know there are puppy farms but is there a cat equivalent? How do we make sure we're buying from a good place?

Thanks for any advice.

Yes, kitten farming is a thing. You can breed a cat till it’s uterus collapses and the tax man won’t know about the extra income.

The kitten won’t be health checked, vaccinated, have a months free insurance. You get the idea.

Buying a kitten as a present for a child can massively backfire if the kitten decides it actually hates children and prefers one of the adults instead, kids can be very proprietorial about birthday presents. Also, it’s not a toy it’s an animal with its own ideas and a 20 year commitment.

Yes, very. Because you are encouraging people to bring more cats into a world where there are already far too many. If no one bought privately there would be fewer irresponsible people allowing their cats to breed.

Yes there are waiting lists at the moment, but that's because we are still at the start of the season really. There are two seasons - Spring and late Summer. The Spring ones started appearing in March, and gathered pace in April and are still being born now. BUT, they can't leave their mum until they are at least 8 weeks old and preferably ten. So the earliest ones are only just becoming available now. And of course there is always pent up demand over the last few months. However as time goes on, more and more of the April and then the May ones will become available, the pent up demand will fall, and by late May/June there will almost certainly be more kittens than homes.

Then, when the late Summer ones come along, most of the people who wanted kittens will already have got them and it will be even more difficult to find homes for those. So I know it appears at the moment that there aren't too many kittens being born, but it's an illusion. If you buy, you are being part of the problem and not the solution.

So just be patient, or wait until the late Summer glut if you're worried about going away. Or try other rescues. You can find a list of all of them, including smaller ones, here www.catchat.org

Yes kitten farming is definitely a thing. My cars were rescued from one. They were breeding queens. Their first five years has affected their whole life. Out of 6 rescued only two are now still alive. One I've mine died aged only 8. The damage done took a long time to repair.

Cats.

This wAs my two immediately after rescue.

Thank you. We'll be patient. We have 2 other cats already so know it's a serious thing and for the long haul.

We've started talking to DD about the kitten being all of ours not just 'hers' but you're right, she will want it to love her more.

I definitely don't want to make things worse or encourage cruelty so will stick with Battersea.

Thanks everyone.

Yes it is bad. Don't line the scummy breeders pockets.
If you're near Battersea the look at Cats Protection Mitcham Homing Centre they are homing as are so many smaller charities. However, everyone wants kittens so there are in demand. Adult cats are a wiser adoption choice as you know the temperament more. We adopted our lad when he was probably 9 months old (and a complete hooligan) but his personality was reasonably clear. At 3 he is thankfully Mich calmer.
@Toddlerteaplease I don't ever remember seeing pictures of your girls when you first got them. I dread to think how they look on arrival at the rescue. Snorg always looks quite majestic now.

I looked at Mitcham cats protection but they have grown ups. We really want a kitten. Our 2 were inherited from my mum as adults so we've never had a kitten.
I know that's not ideal but it's where we are.

And blue cross online don't have any cats that can live with other cats and children.

Maybe that's why it's taking so long, we're going to need quite a confident kitten.

I've had 3 cats for free off Facebook, I wouldn't have paid for them but a horrible bastard was saying 'need gone this weekend' and I couldn't bare for them to become bait animals. I then rehomed then within friends/family circles but. They were mongrels and needed the works, cost me £400 in vets fees. Wait for a proper rescue

Kitten season will be approaching and they’ll be overrun soon, I went to a cats protection in August and there were loads of litters to choose from. Be patient.
I paid £65 from the cats protection which is a bargain, neutered, chipped, vaccinated, etc.
I had a stray adopt me, he cost me over £100 getting all that same stuff done.
Don’t give some backyard breeder any money to keep churning out litters with the poor mum suffering. They don’t pay tax either!

Thanks @thecatneuterer for the catch at link. I'll try all of the local ones.

Adult cats are in my opinion loads better than kittens. They have just as much love to fine and their personality is already known. Kittens are overrated

CP don't always have all their cats on the websites (my experience is pre Covid19) so do call them (maybe not daily as it is only staff at present, no volunteers so they are stretched as hard other rescues). I volunteer(ed) at another London CP centre so have a rough idea of how things are. As mentioned there are mums and kittens in care but not necessarily kittens ready to home.
I'm assuming you are SW London there are several small rescues. Ginger Cat House (I know their kitten list is closed), Stepping Stone Rescue, Wallington Animal Rescue to name a few.
How old is your DD? A poster on here a few months back wanted cats for her DC but bought them someone relating to cat care and they waited and found rescue cats/kittens when the right ones for them needing homing. This may sound harsh but I believe kids need to know animals aren't gifts you her for birthday/Christmas so she may have a wait for the right one.

Money wise it's already cost us £400 to get ready for the kitten (updating jabs etc for older cats) so we don't mind spending for the kitten to get neutered and jabs etc.

DD is going to be 8 and she will wait. She would hate to get a kitten from someone who hurts cats so I can get her to wait.

I would get a rescue or rspca mine came from the rspca fully vacinated voucher for neutroring him also worned etc and micro chipped

To be fair there is a world of difference buying a pedigree cat from a devoted, caring hobby breeder who loves and cares for her cats and is very careful about where kittens go, doesn’t over breed cats etc than some fucker off gumtree who “needs them gone due to a new baby , moving house “ or some other bullshit.

OP I have three pedigree cats That I have owned since kittens. Two are almost thirteen one is four in August. I did a lot of research and I was required to provide all the evidence I was fit to own them with vets, equipment , insurance extended from the six weeks they had, proper food, the litter they were used to etc as well as going to the houses three times and showing I could handle the kittens and so forth. The cats who are my kittens mothers only had two litters each and then were sorted. I know because I stayed friends with the breeders.

I think next time I will get a rescue adult vet because I actually love my two golden oldies and can imagine they would be split up or left unwanted and that is awful.

Kittens are lovely but they can be naughty and a lot of hard work. Adult cats are just wonderful.

If you’re in South London you could try Celia Hammond too - they’re great and still rehoming (though I would imagine also haven’t quite hit the kitten peak yet just due to timing!).

I was about to say the same as @Vinorosso74 CP often don’t put the kittens on their website or operate a waiting list for people wanting a kitten, you just had to be lucky and call at the right time. That was pre covid so not sure how it works now.

I also echo what everyone else on here says- wait and get a rescue.

Croydon Animal Samaritans (on *thecatneuterer's list and not Croydon) have some kittens and say they are expecting more:

www.croydonanimalsamaritans.co.uk/

I second the recommendation to get an adult cat. Of course, kittens are sweet but the kitten stage is very short in the overall lifespan of a cat, which might live 20 years. Kittens are hard work - they get into everything and you have to kitten-proof your house to stop them getting up the chimney and so forth. With an adult, you have more idea of the type of cat personality you are taking on.

Op has adult cats but wants a kitten.

I think as op has adult cats already a kitten might be better. Saying that my adult cat still hates my kitten 12 months on.

You could also try FelineFriends and Catcuddles, they would be local(ish) to you. I think there’s an RSPCA in Balham too.