Kitten prices?!

[wildeverose]

You'll have to forgive me as I've never actively looked for a dcat - but is it honestly normal to be so expensive?!
We were planning on a house bunny, but after reading and weighing up the choices we feel we could offer a kitten a wonderful home. I work from home and will be here all day, Dc are 4 and 6 and very responsible and caring with animals. I have no idea where to start, but of course if the going rate is £400 for a kitten it is what it is - I'm just shocked I suppose!

I got one at Xmas for 30 quid from a local rescue...

Prices have gone crazy due to lockdowns. A lot of the rescues will soon be filled to the brims with kittens so I would see if there are any local to you.

No it’s not normal, they are usually £30-50, now they are £300-500 I noticed one for £500 the other day just a usual regular kitten not a rag doll or whatever. I wouldn’t bother with rescues they are pretty strict, my sister wasn’t allowed a kitten because she lived in a flat. I got my 2 cats 2 for £20 about 5 years ago so yeh definitely not normal

Rescue.

Most farms will have a handful of wildcats

And most of ours come from the vet where they have been dumped.

I have looked at rescues, but having the children I am wary of rehoming an older cat due to the possibility of their temperament being difficult or not used to children etc.
I feel a kitten would be best for us, I will keep an eye out for kittens at local rescues too, thanks for that advice I appreciate it.

@Wallywobbles

And most of ours come from the vet where they have been dumped.

That's so sad. Do you run a shelter of some kind?

Rescues don’t advertise kittens. They do have them though.
An adult cat can be better though. Kittens bite and scratch.

i refused to pay more than £100 last year when i got 2. You just need to keep looking

Just had another look at prices and have seen one for £700 🤦‍♀️

People who don’t neuter their animals and breed for profit just want the money. Avoid.

I got a pair recently through the vet, free to a good home (but I paid the vets bills)

@wildeverose

I have looked at rescues, but having the children I am wary of rehoming an older cat due to the possibility of their temperament being difficult or not used to children etc. I feel a kitten would be best for us, I will keep an eye out for kittens at local rescues too, thanks for that advice I appreciate it.

You're actually more likekly to be sure of getting a suitable temperament if you rehome an adult cat, as it's character will be established whereas with a kitten you can't tell what it will grow up like.

You're also more likely to be accepted as an adopter for an adult cat given the ages of your younger DC, as kittens can be very fragile & however well brought up children can still be a bit "grabby" at that age.

We adopted a mother and kitten pair a few years ago, it was the best of both worlds. Funny, cute kitten antics with with mother to keep the little fluffball in line. My youngest dc was 3 at the time, and the rescue was happy to adopt to us. Would definitely recommend.

One of ours was a rescue, and the other two were farm kittens we paid £10 for.

Both lovely cats, healthy and fantastic additions to our family.

I’m sure it depends on where you are, but all the residues near us heavily advertise their kittens, especially during their ‘peak season’ when they have absolutely tonnes coming in all the time. Cats Protection and RSPCA all had a lot of kittens advertised last summer but all the locals too. Both RSPCA and CP would only home kittens in pairs though. We were due to pick up two lovely little ones but then local lockdown hit and CP stopped deboning, we were devastated. A couple of weeks later I spotted a two year old rescue on another RSPCA Facebook page and knew she was the one for us- the rest is history!
Do follow the rescues on Facebook if you can- they post on there and they tend to get snapped up before they make it to their website. Also be prepared to home within a couple of days- RSPCA wouldn’t hold them for longer than 48hr (fair enough). And cost is around £70 - much much more sensible (and going to a good charity in most cases too...) Good luck!

*rescues, not residues!

*and rehoming- not deboning! God, can you tell I’m just recovering from dealing with a half dead bird that my cats just gifted us?!! (One side effect of cat ownership I was not fully prepared for... )

Where are you?
We adopted our girls from a local charity that rescues and rehomes mostly pregnant cats and kittens. They ask for a donation of £60 and the kitten is flead, wormed, microchipped and if old enough neutered (if not, you must commit to neutering the animal(s))

No it's not normal and it's driving irresponsible breeding of kittens.

You are far more likely to get a known personality of cat from a older rescue cat than kittens who really, you have no idea what they will be like when they grow up.

I am currently sharing my house with 2 rescue cats:

Silky cat, arrived as a kitten. Perfectly sweet as a kitten, now nervous and prone to scratching people. Spends most of her day in a cupboard or asleep. A lovely cat for adults but not for children

The grubster - arrived age 4. Had a detailed description of his personality which is totally accurate. Friendly, funny, entertaining. Big hit with all the neighbours as well as he is so funny.

So don't discount the older cat or pair of cats!

Agree that kittens personalities can be unpredictable. An older one you’ll know what you’re getting.

Rescue centres are full of kittens right now according to our local one. We paid £50 to a rescue for each of ours which included jabs and neutering I think. Our cats are the best cats ever!

Rescue kittens are a bargain - neutered and vaccinated all for a ridiculously low price.

The rescue we got Silky Cat from neuters them when they weigh 1kg.

While if you buy your own kitten you have to wait however many months with an increasingly bonkers kitten until the vet will neuter them for even more £, all while making sure they don't go outside under any circumstances.

It’s very sad that sentient beings are traded in this way. Lucy’s law is tightening things up and will hopefully reduce the Gumtree etc ads.
boughtbymany.com/news/article/lucys-law-banning-pet-shops-selling-puppies-and-kittens/

Rescues can be a bit over zealous with their home checks but there is a cat out there for everyone, eg an FIV cat for someone without a garden. I agree an older cat is often a better bet. Kittens are a handful.

The pandemic has reduced the number of cats awaiting homes but this will change as things go back to normal. People just wanting kittens fuels the breeding. Rescue cats have a lot to give. #adoptdontshop