How irresponsible is it to just buy a kitten?

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We lost our old boy end of last year, and were ready now for a couple of new cats. I've looked into rescues, but they say all the older cats are too timid to be homed with young children, and even the kittens apparently need "someone who works from home, to give them the love and attention they need". My husband and I are both out the house 7.30-4.30 every day.

So I had a quick look online, and there are a couple of litters of kittens nearby, ready in the next two weeks, which would be perfect. Just how irresponsible is it to buy a kitten off the Internet? What should I be looking out for? What would be non-negotiable red flags for you? Is the whole concept of buying a kitten just socially unacceptable these days?

FWIW the photos are all of bright eyed kittens in a normal family kitchen with their mother. Asking price between £80-120 depending on colour.

A few very small rescue centres near me advertise on Facebook and Gumtree, "Jill's Small Animal Rescue" type places. Try there.

Or put a "cat wanted" shout out on your local Facebook pages. Someone will know someone with kittens / person having to give up their pet.

I gave away my kittens on Facebook! Very good homes through people I already knew and have since neutered my cats.

I think smaller local rescues are the way to go. I got all 4 of mine from our local rescue, the lady who runs it is firm but flexible. She matches cats to people and has rehomed very elderly cats (15+ years) to older people with the condition that if something happens, the cat comes back to her. This has always worked well and it means people who might be refused by the big players have the joy of cats whilst the cats get homes.

Just keep trying different rescue centres. We've had many rescue cats and kittens and some are less bothered than others.

Please be careful, as careful as you can be. I got a kitten from gumtree last week. I’ve ended up with a £1200 bill today. She’s absolutely lovely and I’m glad I got her to the vet, never again.

That's exactly why I only take kittens.

Mind you, I've never paid good money for the beasties; the universe has a habit of dropping them into my lap just when there's a space for another pathetic, flea ridden little scrap to be turned into a gorgeous, healthy and very, very cherished little despot for the next twenty years.

Firstly I would do a social media shoutout- I'm looking for kittens post will usually lead you to kittens from people who didn't neuter in time. Secondly I think it's better to get kittens and have those weeks with them to settle in than to wait. So if that and rescue failed, personally I'd buy them.

I am lucky enough to rescue as many as I want, as I have "perfect" circumstances for them. But it's not long ago that I was jumping through impossible hoops (4 hours out of the house only- I want a cat not a dog ffs!!) and frankly I think rescues often shoot themselves in the foot

The problem with just buying a kitten is that you are encouraging people to keep their cats entire.

Considering both my kittens cost me £10 from a local farm, I doubt the farmers are raking it in

I do get what you're saying, but in rural areas, all the local farms will give you kittens for free if you want them. They'll pop posts on social media every so often and the kittens will be off to new homes within hours.

There's a huge amount of options between paying thousands for a pedigree kitten and rescuing one from a shelter.

Yes, in an ideal world, of course the farmers should neuter the cats, but most are barn cats and won't really come a anywhere near humans.

They exist for a reason - to kill vermin - they're not pets and the farmers aren't exactly making money off them either. I'd rather take on a kitten from a situation like that than risk a rescue - especially if I had young children in the house.

If you read the OP she states the kittens she has seen on Facebook are £80 to £120. With a litter of 4 that is a tidy profit from not bothering to neuter. Our local rescues are inundated with unwanted cats so it does make me a bit biased against this.

Id try a couple more rescues tbh as some of them are more realistic than others, but if they are not forthcoming, id just buy some.

The issue I've found with shelters/ charities is they all mention they should be kept indoors. I already have a cat and I leave the back door open all the time I'm home.

I wouldn’t buy a kitten. Far too many in rescue. And some people won’t neuter their cats when they can keep having kittens and selling them. It’s an animal welfare issue.

Awwwww kittens!
we have had kittens from rescue x 3, from friends, found one in a hedge (farm kitten), they have not been noticeably different in terms of health and well-being.
I definitely would get a kitten just cos they are so scrummy.
we adopted a mum and her kitten once, still got the ‘kitten’ (massive bruiser) so best of both.

Do you have any smaller rescue charities nearby? I adopted 2 kittens from a local rescue, they're just a few volunteers who take cats and kittens into their homes until they're adopted. They didn't have any rules on being at home all day and we got a pair of sisters 10/11 weeks old.

Please don't buy a kitten. My gorgeous rescue cat came to me very traumatised as she'd had so many litters for someone to sell on gumtree. They then dumped her at Battersea cats and dogs home because she was so needy and distressed. Look at rescuing an older cat or cats and avoid the rspca if possible due to their crazy requirements. Battersea were amazing.

I've always "bought" kittens, but luckily all from people I knew, school mums, etc. I did do a few visits to on-line ones, and they were all awful, too young, not socialised, in poor health.

I have never been able to get a rescue, firstly because we had children, then because I wouldn't promise to keep them in, then because we had a field opposite, so any cat would have to cross....... well yes...... etc etc etc

I have had many cats of the years, and most survived well into their late teens, early twenties. They have all been happy and healthy, fit outdoor cats, with a penchant for catching mice. I like to be able train a kitten, in that they are relaxed, easy to handle, don't scratch furniture or go on surfaces. They have all been brilliant. And yes, you can train a cat.

I think if you definitely can't get one from a rescue then go for it. They're already here and need a good home as much as the next cat.

My husband and I are both out the house 7.30-4.30 every day. the kittens are going to be alone for a very long time. Do you have a catio?

Are they actually unwanted though, will your local rescues actually let people have them. The one near me is forever saying oh dear we have so many unwanted kittens/ cats but everyone who goes to try and re-home from them, they come up with every excuse in the book not to let you have them. I recently discovered often the volunteers there end up rehoming quite a few of the kittens themselves, funny that. They will happily take lots of donations from people worried about the plight of the poor cats but won't let anyone have one!!

Just how irresponsible is it to buy a kitten off the internet? Very.

You wouldn’t be buying a kitten off the internet. If the litters are close by you can go and visit them. They’re simply listed online that’s all - in the old days they would be listed in the back of a paper or in a local shop window.

I’ve had rescues and pedigrees, a kitten from the paper whose owner was desperate to find a good home, and one from a friend’s litter. All kittens need homes.

Rescue cats, even kittens, and can be traumatised so you need to have the time and wherewithal to put in more effort.

That’s the real issue here, not the source of the animal.

Hi, OP - I was in this exact situation at the start of the year: experienced cat owners, recently lost our elderly cat, ready to adopt again, but considered undesirable by most rescues due to our young family.

We adopted two Arabian Mau street cats from Dubai, via a rescue called UK Homes for Desert Paws on Facebook, who rehome cats from the Middle East to the UK. It sounds like an utter scam at first, but the whole process went so smoothly. Our boys arrived in February, when they were 10 months old. They are the most wonderful cats, excellent temperament and very playful! I honestly cannot recommend it highly enough - if we are ever adopting again, we will go straight back to them. There are several of us on Mumsnet who have done the same - that's how I found out about them. Feel free to ask me if you have any questions.

I would try to adopt slightly older cats. Partly because you will be out of the house for long hours each day, but mainly because you have a busy household and adopting an older cat (even 6 months) you will have a much better idea of their temperament and whether it suits your household and vice versa.

Cats are individuals, just like you can't force a naturally introverted person to love being surrounded by extroverts (as the introvert in my family I can attest to this!), adopting them young won't guarantee they will be ok around a busy house with young kids. My sister (who lives alone) adopted a rescue cat who had previously been adopted by a family as a kitten, it was too full on and stressful for the cat so they ended up rehoming her.