Would you get a cat from Pets4homes?

[Janus]

We lost our 2 cats over the last year and would like to get another. We were looking for a rehome but because we have dogs (even though they’ve lived with cats all their life) this is proving very difficult.
So my daughter found an ad on pets4homes for a pedigree short hair that needs rehoming, she’s 2. They want £600. I’m not adverse to paying if I know this is genuine so I’ve asked the circumstances of why they need to rehome her.
However, I have a niggle that I’ve read not to buy from this website but cannot find anything.
Does anyone have experience of this?

We looked for a puppy on there, although like you I had a niggle. They wanted to drop the puppy off to us ‘to check it’s going to a good home’ alarm bells!!! They finally agreed for us to go an view it first, we drove an hour, when we got there it was tower blocks of flats and no proper address. They didn’t answer the phone so after waiting an hour we just went home. Next thing I did was contact the kennel club for a list of licensed breeders local and got a lovely puppy from there. Is there Similar for cats?

I did and it was OK. But there are quite a few scam adverts. People pay deposits and then drive to pick the cat up and the people at that address know nothing about it, emails stop being answered, etc.

£600 sounds a lot for an adult pedigree but I admit I have Birmans not BSH so unsure of current prices. Why do you need a rehome though, a kitten will normally be OK with dogs? My Birman was a kitten when we got him and we have a dog.

You could find the fb group for the breed you want and ask on there about rehomes, there's normally specialised breed rehome organisations as well.

Lots of breed society’s have a rehome section.

Scammers and people that don't really care about animal welfare do tend to gravitate towards the site. Not to say you shouldn't use it, just be aware. You can usually tell in their comms if genuine. If the cat comes from a genuinely loving home then there will be vet records to support this - chipping, neuter, jabs, wormers etc. If they can't provide any of this, then they're most likely dodgy.

Are they asking to do a home check? (I would if forced to rehome my animals)

I am happy to have a kitten too but don’t know where to look! For our dogs we always went through the kennel club but I don’t think there’s such a thing for cats so don’t know where to look! To be honest a kitten would be better as it would grow up with the dogs then. Daughter just happened to find this ad as I said I was keen on rehoming.
Maybe I need to start a thread on where to get a kitten?!
Thanks for your replies.

She is microchipped and vaccinated, although this needs redoing in December apparently. They say she has had 2 litters, not neutered. They are moving house which won’t allow ‘so many animals’. Just doesn’t feel quite right as if I was giving my pet away I don’t think I’d charge £600 and give to anyone.

It's the GCCF for cats - or if you have a specific breed in mind then have a look at the website for the breed club and they should have a list of breeders.

Always check they have all the paperwork if it's being advertised as a pedigree.

She was being used by a disreputable breeder and now they want rid of her. I suspect she will be sweet and docile. If you possibly can, please give her a home and have her spayed.

I say disreputable because they’re getting rid of her after the two litters, which I believe is the recommended number for females in good health. I have a dear friend who adopted a two year old after she’d had two litters and she’s been a lovely companion for over ten years.

I started a thread a couple of months ago about trying to find a kitten in Covid times. I’ve just found one through an international rescue - all my local rescues had long waiting lists for kittens. I’m South East borders with London. I would join some Cat rescue Facebook pages because they will steer you to your local rescue organisations. My kitty came on Sunday from Romania and cost £220. She is chipped etc plus I have full rescue back up. I wouldn’t buy fromPets 4 Homes as my shirt dealings were not good

Short dealings 🙄

Small cat rescue near me has kittens ready for home at the beginning of Dec.. £40 each...
Got mine last week. Settled lovely already.

Not sure about buying pedigree breeds on there. I have seen some obviously dodgy breeders on there, lots of different breeds posted under different usernames but same background in pics etc.

I got 2 of my lovely cats age 10 and 9 from a woman on there giving them away for free as her son had developed allergies. They were in an absolute state when they came to us but they're well looked after and v spoilt now

The rspca will have cats listed for adoption, you can filter to your area www.rspca.org.uk/findapet

Unneutered two year old cat who has already had two litres. Clearly surplus to the breeder’s requirements now and they have probably kept one of the females from her last litter to continue their money-making drive. It’s grim.

In fact it’s even worse than the puppy farms because the female is continuing to make them money by them selling her for £600 because she no longer has a use to them. Despicable.

Emotionally the thing to do would be to rush down there and take the cat home and give her a home. Practically by doing this you are encouraging a trade which shouldn’t exist. The more people struggle to sell these animals, the less incentive they have to keep producing them.

Please don’t.

The thing is, rescues don't have many cats suitable for homing with dogs because they've either been tested with dogs or have previous experience of not getting along with dogs (this was actually high up on the list of reasons cats were given up for rehoming when I was volunteering for a small rescue), or they haven't had a chance to test and can't say either way.

If you buy an adult cat privately, you have no idea if that cat is a good match to your home especially if you have a dog and young children. You'll then have no safety net for the cat or you if things don't work out. If you adopt from a rescue, they will offer advice and will usually welcome the cat back if needed.

With this particular cat, the fact she's 2 and has had litters and is not neutered is a huge red flag. They sound like backyard breeders who are now getting rid of her...

There are about 20 pictures of her and at least she’s chipped and vaccinated? They say she’s very friendly and likes to sleep on beds, which is swaying me as at least with a cat you know their temperament, a kitten can be a very aloof cat! He’s been very good at replying and explaining about her and their situation. Thank you for advice.

I guess if you're selling something for £600, you will do everything to portray it in good light...

I would ask for a copy of her vet records as a minimum so you can see if she's had any other health issues.

Bollocks has she only had two litters 🤨 that’s like the one careful lady owner in a car advert.

Chipping usually gets done at neutering because it’s a big old needle. You’d need to see full veterinary records I agree.

Have you tried the Cats Protection?

www.cats.org.uk/

She hasn’t been neutered but has a microchip. Our pet log book just shows all our vaccinations to date, is that what you mean to ask for a copy of?

@TwoLeftSocksWithHoles I have looked on cats protection but because we have dogs (even though they have both lived with cats all their lives) and children, youngest 9, none ever come up except the feral/needs to be on a farm. The same for all local rescue centres close to us, they don’t ever want to place with dogs and not many with children.

No I mean vet history they can obtain from their vet, the cat's medical records basically - it will have a record of all vet visits and any issues. (It's not something owners usually ever see but the vet should provide it when rehoming.) This is important because any pre-existing condition would be excluded if you get pet insurance - so for example the vet may have noted she has a heart murmur and then you would face expensive bills for any future heart scans/medication etc.

When they chip them you get paperwork with the number, the helpline number etc. I mean most owners would keep that because if you move you need to know which company to call to update your details.