How bad is it to buy a kitten?

[wiltonian]

One of our elderly cats died a few months ago and we probably want to adopt two kittens. They’re more likely to get on with our other cat, who’s quite motherly and DDs only chance to have a kitten at home (she’s 15).

But round us in the SW there are nine. The refuges have closed their waiting lists. So it’s Pets4homes or what? I don’t want to do the wrong thing but I do want a kitten. Or two.

None. Stupid thumbs.

Wait til Spring if possible - there will be lots available then. There won't be as many around now as cats tend to have their litters during the spring & summer.
Have a look for smaller rescues too - Facebook is often a good starting place. There are many small rescues run through networks of fosterers. Most will love you for being willing to take two - kittens usually do well in pairs as they have a playmate.

If you do decide to buy privately, avoid overpriced litters, people listing more than one litter (you can usually check the posters history - or Google their phone number to check for ads under other accounts) or claims of being "half bengal/ persian/ ragdoll/ whatever" - often this is used to push up the price.
Kittens should really stay with mum til 8 weeks at an absolute minimum, 9 weeks is better, she'll teach them to use the litter tray and groom properly etc. Avoid anyone willing to sell younger, & look up what a 9 week old kitten should look like. Too many teeny blue eyed kittens get passed off as old enough to unsuspecting buyers.
The seller should be able to tell you when they were flea and worm treated, & when they are due the next dose. If they can't it almost certainly hasn't been done.
The seller should give you some of their current food, or at least the name, to avoid an upset tummy from switching brands.
You should see them with mum, they should be clean and eating solid food. Pay attention to how mum is treated too - is she truly a family pet with an accidental litter, or is she just left to get pregnant because they can't be bothered to get her spayed?

Best of luck finding your kitties! Our boy was an RSPCA kitten & he is brilliant.

Thank you. There are various reasons to do with wanting them now rather than later, which are sentimental/slightly rubbish but true even so. We will be careful.

It's very bad to buy a kitten. I don't have time to write an essay about it right now (as I have to dash out to pick up a load more unwanted kittens as it happens). We are still very much in kitten season. All the kittens born in late Summer (the second season of the year) are now reaching homing age. Here in London we are overflowing with unwanted kittens.

Have you looked at all the rescues near you? This is the website to check: www.catchat.org

Oh and most rescues don't actively advertise their kittens for many reasons, but they will almost certainly have some. I'm really surprised you say they've closed their waiting lists. I can't understand it when things in London are so out of control and there are kittens everywhere.

I'm not sure that your existing cat is more likely to get on with a kitten. Adult cats are often extremely hostile to kittens. Maybe consider an adult cat that is proven to like other cats. I'm sure your daughter can get over not having a kitten. They're only kittens for a few weeks anyway.

It is bad to encourage unscrupulous hobby breeders who don't neuter their cats and have litter after litter. It's also not easy at all to tell who is genuine and who isn't if you're browsing online. People will say anything to make a sale.

You are also very likely taking the risk of taking on kittens who have never seen a vet, compared to adopting from a rescue where they will be health checked, vaccinated, microchipped, come with a free month of insurance etc.

Definitely approach smaller rescues. A friend runs a home-based rescue and currently has at least two litters of kittens and their stray mums looking for homes.

We currently have a litter of kittens ( cat fell pregnant while we were still shielding! now spayed) and truthfully I'm trying to sell them. Not for profit but rather I felt it would ensure they'd go to people who really want a kitten and will look after it! They are very well cared for, have been nurtured with lots of love and cuddles and therefore very affectionate - not every one who sells kittens is unscrupulous!

Personally I'd say wait till they are 12 weeks as they get more time with Mum and those extra few weeks are essential for social development IMO.

Wait!
Rescues will have kittens. We got some from new start cat rescue. Our local rescue Teckels also has kittens.
Please don’t give money to people who don’t put the health of their cats first.

Hi. Type in cat-ching sheffield. They have loads

On fb

Of course it is not bad to want a kitten. We had all 4 of our cats from kittens and they are all affectionate and loving. If you have them from kittens they will only know kindness and be less likely to develop problem behaviours. However you can't be sure your adult cat will be happy to share their resources with kittens.

We have two rescue kittens arriving next week! We've been quite active in looking and there are definitely kittens around if you look at a variety of places. Yes some places are shut but others have quite a few available. Our kittens come from a rescue in Wiltshire - they definitely have more available.

@MrsCat1can you message me the name of the rescue?

We're in the Bath area and our local rescues + Bath cats and Dogs home are not taking any more people onto their waiting list.

I bought both of mine, one from a local pet shop and one from a farm. This was 14 years ago before kitten farming was such a big thing and they only cost £30 pounds each so i dont think they were being sold for much of a profit. I think as long as you do due diligence it's OK but obviously preferable to get one from a rescue or a home you know if you can.

It might be worth looking at something like Cats Protection - their site used to have cats from quite a few miles away. Originally I showed interest in two female cats, but couldn't give them a home quite a quick as Cats Protection needed (we were about to go on holiday), but they got back to me a couple of weeks later asking if I'd be interested in my two current boys.

If you're going to get a kitten privately, I'd ask mention to everyone you know that your looking for kittens, in the hope that someone will come across a local family who's female cat has had kittens and they genuinely need rehoming.

Check out Desert Paws on Facebook, we rescued a kitten from them and they were brilliant. £350 and he was fully vaccinated neutered chipped and flown with all documents to Heathrow.

[quote wiltonian]@MrsCat1can you message me the name of the rescue?

We're in the Bath area and our local rescues + Bath cats and Dogs home are not taking any more people onto their waiting list.[/quote]
Hi again. Our kittens come from Cat Watch Wiltshire, based near Salisbury. Easy to find them on their web page or on Facebook. Lots of lovely cats and kittens on their website. They were very swift to respond to my enquiry. 🐈‍⬛🐈

We got our 4-year-old rescue cat here: bristolandwalescatrescue.com/adopt/

They also seem to have kittens.

I bought my kitten last week. Wanted a Bengal so that's what we got as it's a breed I'm use to. I did spend time before that looking at rescues but they either said can't rehome with a dog or must be only cat. Do whatever you want to do.