Cat lovers I need your advice!

[coffeequeeen]

Cat/kitten lovers I need your help!

So I've desperately wanted a kitten for a long time. I grew up with cats and am confident with them.

However,

I have never bought one in my adult life.

I obviously have read a lot online and it's all a bit of a minefield. I see a lot of suggestions about getting a rescue kitty and to do your research however they (rescue) seem so hard to come by (don't like young children/not near busy road etc/have to be paired etc)

I've been messed around a few times with rehoming various kits and then just thought why don't I just buy one...then it's in my control! I've been to visit a few pedigree breeders who where allowed me to view with mothers/handle them etc and I was happy with their communication/the kittens behaviour/home and loved them however...

Obviously the price has come at a bit of a shock...

How much should I be looking at for the most
Common breeds? Ballpark figure?

What should I look out for?

Thank you!

Hi, OP - we were in the same position this time last year: ready to adopt, but constantly rejected by both local and National rescues because we have a primary aged child.

We adopted our two from UK Homes for Desert Paws, who rescue street cats in the Middle East and rehome them to the UK. They operate through Facebook. Our two were rescued from a really dire situation, and yet have the most wonderful temperaments. The adoption process was really straightforward. It costs a bit more than a UK adoption because of the transport costs but it is still MASSIVELY cheaper than buying a pedigree.

I learned about Middle East adoptions from Mumsnet myself, there are quite a lot of us who have done it now, and there is an active Facebook community too. It's worked brilliantly for all of us.

Happy to answer questions if you have any.

I am also a former Bengal cat owner. They are not suitable for first time cat owners. Please think really carefully before taking one on.

Saying that, Luci was our last Bengal and, due to the cost of kittens during lockdown, we moved to Siamese/Orientals. While nowhere near as insane as Bengals, (and scarily tiny in comparison) I don’t think anything can compete with their sheer noise level.
Best cat I ever had though was a ginger farm cat called Claudius. He had the most amazing personality!

Are you actually on a busy road and do you have young children?

A decent breeder is likely to have the exact same concerns as a rescue org.

If you are worried about insurance/vet bills don't get a cat!

@KozmicBlue I am and I do.

My female Maine coon crossed with spynx was cheaper than her brother, breeder said no-one wants the females as they don't grow as big. Mine was £700, her brothers were £1000+.

Does that mean you'd need to keep a cat indoors?

If so, look at rescues for an adult cat who's either never been outside, or who cannot go outside for medical reasons, but if your children are very young you might be better waiting a bit. Indoor cat life can be very stressful for cats and little kids normal noise and play can be too much.

We had 2 rescue kittens from Celia Hammond, they're now 4. The DC were 2 & 5 when we got them. We don't live on a main road though.

Most people vastly underestimate the cost involved in breeding pedigree kitten responsibly.

MIL breeds MC - when she has kittens once they have eyes open and mobile as well as the endless feeding and look after Mum they are feeding, clearing up, playing and handling kittens 4 times per day 😳

C-section is £1k weekend c-section £2k.

Only allowed 2 registered litters per year (is is it 3 in 18 months?) they need vaccines, genetic tests, feeding, separate pens or rooms when pregnant or with kittens, need to keep a stud. All need homes when they retire - sometimes after only 1 or 2 successful litters in 2 years.

Geez it's a lot of work and a lot of cost.

If you’re on a busy road some pedigree breeds (Burmese for example) would be unsuitable as they have very little innate caution and are more likely to get run over.

An adult rescue who has already lived in an urban area and got used to crossing roads would have the best chance of not being run over.

Whereabouts are you .. happy to “cat shop” vicariously at rescue websites local to you

So glad you pointed this out to OP. I was thinking the same and suggest they looked into a breed like Ragdoll that stay indoors.

We got our rescue cats from a local animal shelter that didn't refuse us for young kids/main road. 7 years later, all still well. NW England

If you live anywhere close to busy roads you should keep ANY cat as an indoor one.

Also cats should be kept indoors overnight to reduce hunting and their risk of been in a road accident, fights etc.

I know this is super old, but if you're still here would you share the name of your breeder? Your beautiful cats look perfect and it is so difficult to find truly good, ethical breeders.

yes I’m still here!

https://www.jayallwend.co.nz/

Thank you so much, I wondered if it was them because I already loved what I saw on their website. You're a gem!