where do get kittens from?

[Slowdayinfleetstreetisit]

We want to get 2 x kittens (can't get an older one as already have an another cat and don't think he'd like it much) and I've had a look at all the local charities and there don't seem to be any available. Is there another way of buying or adopting without the risk of dealing with unscrupulous breeders. Thank you.

Well you could try a scrupulous breeder. They ARE out there. You just have to be prepared to spend mega bucks. And almost always the kittens will be a pedigree breed.

Or if you are willing to travel, extend your search to charities that arent very local to you. Some lovely kittens do turn up sometimes on the opposite side of the country.

If you can wait a while, rescues will be over run come the spring as that's "peak" kitten time, whereas mid winter is the quietest time.

Get following smaller rescues on Facebook. Search "cat rescue" and local ones will probably come up. There are several in my area and they are very active on the page.

Thank you and we can wait, in fact will definitely be after Christmas. Definitely me being a bit impatient for a couple of new babies :)

If you’re anywhere close to South Yorkshire the couple of rescues I follow have still got lots of kittens waiting for homes.

Come March rescues will be overrun with kittens.

Sadly other end of the country :(

Rescue centres usually have waiting lists for kittens. You need to be registered and home checked, then when kittens come in you’ll be contacted. Kittens rarely make it onto the website photos as they are usually adopted straight out.

That’s good to know. Thank you. I’ll register with them

Yes, please register with Cats Protection. We have kittens all year, although, very few at the minute. Before long there will be lots of poor stray pregnant mums coming in.

Cats protection league were great when we got our two kittens. Take extra money if they have a shop, good prices and great choices of cat stuff

Please use a rescue centre, adopt don’t shop

Contact your local branch of the Cat's Protection and put your name on a waiting list.
As others have said most rescues won't rehome pets in the run-up to Christmas, in case they are given as Christmas presents, so you may have to wait until the New Year.

try your local RSPCA picked up our kittens a few days before Xmas a couple of years ago, led to a rather chaotic but fun Xmas.

it’s a good time as many people don’t want kittens at Xmas as really you can’t do much else except look after them when they arrive

Our cat was a kitten we got from local rescue. Registered in winter, got a call in Spring. Now is a good time to register (or just after Christmas).

Try Cats Protection, we have a couple of pregnant females in now, albeit it slightly out of season! (north west area)

We have tried to do the right thing and rehome an adult cat, been rejected by the rescue centre, as the road we live on is “too busy” all of my neighbours have cats, never been a problem. So yes, you are probably doing the right thing by buying a kitten/s.

No wonder rescue centres are overwhelmed with animals, I can honestly say, I have never known anyone yet who has managed to re home a pet, my neighbours where I lived before, tried to re home a dog, every excuse under the sun, why they couldn’t, they bought a puppy in the end.

There are lots of good breeders as well as bad ones. Mine came from a lovely one who was very picky about who they went to - she seemed more interested in watching you interact than asking about specific house details etc which I liked. She was so picky that there were several left who were over the regular kitten departure age. She had also just had the mother spayed - I asked about it and she said two litters was enough - she was very protective of her kitties.

It’s worth going to visit several - you get a feel instantly for whether they are coming from a good home. I went to one where I was shown into the kitchen where the kittens were in a pen (no idea where mum was) and they were so terrified they leapt off my knee in seconds and wouldn’t let me near them. There was limited info, no details on what they would be sent home with etc. I was just left alone in the room with them.

Half an hour later I went to another breeder where all the kittens came up for strokes and tickles, their mum was hanging out (if slightly annoyed by them by this point), and I was encouraged to stay as long as I wanted. I ended up picking the one that kept licking my hand. They readily gave me information on what they would be sent home with (familiar blanket that she still sleeps on, wet and dry foods that they were used to), what their routine was, and there was no hard sell. When I said I wanted one but couldn’t pick up for a bit that was absolutely fine, she sent me pictures and said she would give her a good brush and trim her nails the day before so I didn’t have to worry about it for a while. I could have negotiated the price but I was so happy with the set up that I didn’t want to.

There were others I saw that were somewhere in between, but I wouldn’t write off the concept of getting one from a breeder. As a first time quite nervous cat owner it’s worked really well for me to have one so confident and well socialised! This might also be handy if you are introducing to other cats - but can’t say I’m the expert on this!