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The litter tray

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

Original poster

Where are all the kittens?

34 replies

2holibobssofar · 15/02/2022 22:42

I’m keen to get a kitten, but I just want a moggie, not a fancy pants pedigree cat.

Years ago, people would advertise their kittens for free or next to nothing on the notices in pet food stores, ads in the local paper etc but this doesn’t seem to happen any more……..

I’m not expecting a kitten for free, but I don’t want to spend £100’s on a cat……..

20 years ago, my ex MIL’s cat had kittens and they gave them away via a notice in the local shop………

I know I’ll be told to rescue, but the hoops you have to go through and you’re still looking at close to £100 in adoption fees…….

OP posts:
Haus1234 · 15/02/2022 22:45

£70 to a rescue who support abandoned animals for an animal that will live 15-20 years and cones neutered and with vaccinations seems like a great deal to me. YABU.

BGJO · 15/02/2022 22:47

Last week i donated £90 for my rescue. He's neutered, flead and wormed.
It was £70 3 years ago for my other 2 boys and worth every single penny.

The work they do is amazing, they help so many cats and kittens.

Yarnivore · 15/02/2022 22:48

The 'hoops' to adopt a cat a rescue really aren't that onerous. And it does mean that, in a world with more cats than homes, you're part of the solution not the problem.

Yarnivore · 15/02/2022 22:48

^adopt a cat from rescue

AwkwardPaws27 · 15/02/2022 22:49

Ours was £90 from the RSPCA, he'd been health checked, vaccinated, deflead and dewormed, neutered & 4 weeks free insurance.

The "hoops" were really minimal - I filled in a form, sent it via email, & a lovely lady from our local branch called me to arrange a home visit. Took about 30 minutes, just a general chat about cat ownership, introducing a new kitten & a quick look round to check I wasn't keeping 86 cats in my bedroom Grin

He's almost 2 now & fantastic.

Where are all the kittens?
Calcifur · 15/02/2022 22:49

Go to a rescue. There really aren’t that many hoops, they just want the best for the cats. And the price is a bargain considering you get a vaccinated, neutered, vet checked cat. I looked at the cats for sale and none of them have anything and they charge more. They sometimes claim they’ll have flea and worm treatment, which is probably the shit over the counter stuff.

There are fewer free kittens around because people have realised that their cats should be neutered and spayed, and not just left to get pregnant constantly. It’s a good thing. So the only people still getting kittens are the ones who want to charge you £500 for their “rag doll mix” that is clearly just a slightly fluffy moggy. Or their “Bengal mix” that looks like a bog standard tabby.

I’d rather jump through some hoops personally.

AwkwardPaws27 · 15/02/2022 22:51

Oh, & it would have cost at least £90 to get him vaccinated and neutered anyway, so the adoption fee was really minimal.

Calcifur · 15/02/2022 22:52

Our hoop experience was very similar to @AwkwardPaws27. Even easier now as the home check was done by video. A very helpful chat about settling cats in. A few questions to ensure we were responsible. Now we are just waiting to be matched with the right cats. It’s been super easy. Kitten season is a few months off so if you get checked now you’ll be in prime position to rehome when the kittens are ready.

Regularsizedrudy · 15/02/2022 22:54

“20 years ago, my ex MIL’s cat had kittens and they gave them away via a notice in the local shop………”

Things have changed. Nowadays the only people selling kittens are doing it for money and they will tell you any old shit you want to hear. They always claim they kittens are older than they are, that they’ve had all there jabs etc. They haven’t. They want the kittens gone so they can impregnate the poor cat with the next batch. This is a terrible and cruel way to buy a pet.

CovidCorvid · 15/02/2022 22:56

It’s not quite kitten season yet. Another month or so and there will be more.

Theunamedcat · 15/02/2022 23:00

Depends on the rescue my friend had one from a rescue they refused to change the chip into her name so she couldn't get her treated at the vets because she wasn't the "owner" (they scan new pets) the cat needed treatment so she ended up returning the cat so it could get treatment they kept her money and the cat it was a ridiculous situation everyone suffered over it they had no real reason to do that it was all excuses "we need to have it in our name in case she gets lost" was one I mean surely her owner should be informed?

AwkwardPaws27 · 15/02/2022 23:02

@Theunamedcat

Depends on the rescue my friend had one from a rescue they refused to change the chip into her name so she couldn't get her treated at the vets because she wasn't the "owner" (they scan new pets) the cat needed treatment so she ended up returning the cat so it could get treatment they kept her money and the cat it was a ridiculous situation everyone suffered over it they had no real reason to do that it was all excuses "we need to have it in our name in case she gets lost" was one I mean surely her owner should be informed?
I've never heard of a legitimate rescue doing this (& worked reception at a vets for 3 years). My cat is mostly definitely in my name - they sent me the chip paperwork to complete before I even collected him.
Bakewelltart987 · 15/02/2022 23:04

Kittens aren't given away now as people take them then sell them as a pedigree or taking for horrible treatment used as bait to dogs. If you can't afford to pay for one then how will you afford vet bills all pets come with a cost.

Original poster
2holibobssofar · 16/02/2022 00:35

@Bakewelltart987 I can afford it, I just think it’s insane that people charge so much for moggies and wouldn’t pay £100’s for a tabby……… just a comment on how things have changed…….

OP posts:
thecatneuterer · 16/02/2022 00:44

How is a £90 adoption fee 'insane' when the kitten comes neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, vet checked, flea and worm treated? It would cost you more than that to get a kitten for free and to pay for that to be done. I'm with a rescue and we've estimated that the true cost to us of each cat/kitten that is adopted from us is around £250. Yet we ask for a minimum donation of only £65.

And the 'hoops' are nothing. A video home check and a chat.

And, on your general point 'where are the kittens' - it's not yet kitten season. In a couple of months there'll be thousands of them, and far too many for the number of homes.

Original poster
2holibobssofar · 16/02/2022 01:08

@thecatneuterer you have misread my post.

I don’t think the rescue fee is ‘insane’. Rather the hundreds of pounds the private sellers are charging, is.

OP posts:
RedCandyApple · 16/02/2022 01:15

I got my cat for £15, but that was 6 years ago, prices went up in lock down, and I don’t think they’ve come back down, same for puppies prices went up over lock down and didn’t go back down. Rescues can be difficult one wouldn’t adopt one to my sister because she lived in a 1st floor flat so she just bought one

AlwaysLatte · 16/02/2022 01:21

Have you thought about feral cat rescue? We're considering adopting a couple (hopefully good mousers!) to live in a heated outbuilding.

KTB19 · 16/02/2022 01:27

I paid 125 pounds for my rescue cat - worth every penny - that included neutering, vaccinated and microchipped.
When I used to be a veterinary nurse, it was heartbreaking to see how many people would lnot neuter their ets hand let them ave a litter fafter litter. "Oh but I want to let my child have the experience of watching babies being born" was one of the most common reasons, or "I will let her have a litter for her health" was another. Then the kittens would then be given/sold to friends - and so the pattern continued, adding to the numbers of cats reproducing.

Getting a kitten for free or next to free means you will have to shell out for vaccinations, microchip and neutering which ends up costing far more than the 100 pounds or so that the rescue ask.

lumpofcomfort · 16/02/2022 01:34

I agree with PP that a large part of the rescue fee covers the neutering and vet treatment that you would have to pay for anyway.

IME, rescues don't like to re-home to people on a busy road (unless you are happy to keep them indoors or cat-proof the outside area) or with DC under about 5, so it depends if that might rule you out.

HirplesWithHaggis · 16/02/2022 01:51

My current two will be five in May. I got them from a neighbour, free, at eight weeks. They weren't deflea'd, vaccinated or neutered, so I did all that myself. I forget how much it cost but not much less than the adoption fee. They're just regular moggies.

It's a bit early in the year for kittens, though, right now.

Chaotica · 16/02/2022 01:54

Our rescue was £40 from Cats Protection because we took a (just) adult cat rather than a kitten (adults are harder to rehome). She was still playful and rather kitten-like, but also house-trained and slightly more independent. The check wasn't difficult at all, very much as PPs have said.

SirenSays · 16/02/2022 02:08

I think it's a good thing. It stops people buying them on a whim and puts off those who can't afford proper care or vet bills.

JurgensCakeBabyJesus · 16/02/2022 02:18

Our local rescue wouldn't let us have any cat or kitten because we work full time and have a child under 5. We've got a decent sized house, a large garden, if we're not at home there is often a grandparent here looking after DS other than one day a week. We ended up buying a cat and he's currently asleep on the end of our bed, having had a poached cod loin for dinner because I'm not feeling well and didn't fancy pan frying it for me. it's a tough life for him.

LazySaturday · 16/02/2022 02:25

I was actually surprised at how quick and easy it was to get our kittens from a local rescue.
Initial visit and form to fill in (there were several litters of kittens available.
Chose our two
Home visit to check we had all the right things (litter trays, food and water bowls, carriers, scratch posts)
Collect the same week.
It cost £125.
It's a good thing that litters aren't readily available for free I think. I got my first cat this way and I deeply regret it. I wasn't at all ready or knowledgable and made mistakes.