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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.

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Original poster

Two kittens been left with me

19 replies

riarhtfh · 19/09/2023 20:44

My mum bought two British Shorthair kittens as well as all the things they needed such as cat trees, beds, bowls, food, litter trays, toys etc, They are now 5 months old. They are registered and vaccinated etc and they were booked into be fixed/chipped but then..

My mum was recently taken into hospital and we are being led to believe she won't be able to look after them when she comes home, So now the kittens are with me.

The thing is I work very long days away from home and I also have to travel a lot for work sometimes for up to two weeks at a time, Also I live in a small one bed flat and I don't think they would have the best life here with me.

I have put them up online (pets4homes) but have had zero interest at all, I'm starting to worry now because I'm going away with work on thursday next week and all local catteries are full.

Would the breeder help if I contacted them? I'm assuming my mum wouldn't get any of her money back? Never had a cat before so no idea how all this works.

OP posts:

OnAFrolicOfMyOwn · 19/09/2023 20:45

Have you tried local rescues?

Freezingcoldinseptember · 19/09/2023 20:48

I am sure the breeder probably told dm to hand them back if she needed to.. If a good breeder...

Sodie · 19/09/2023 20:50

Breed specific rescue or the breeder would be the route to go down. If you are in Pembrokeshire I will have them!

nevynevster · 19/09/2023 21:02

Strawberry rescue do pedigree rescue cats. I definitely would go back to the breeder first though. And please don't sell via pets4homes or at least neuter first!

Orange67 · 19/09/2023 21:16

A decent breeder will always take them back. Please don't put them online.

Scampuss · 19/09/2023 21:17

Under Lucy's Law it is not legal for you to sell the kittens.

They should be returned to the breeder.

Or, if the breeder is shit, they should be handed over to a rescue.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/lucys-law-spells-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-puppy-farming

Lucy’s Law spells the beginning of the end for puppy farming

Third-party puppy sales banned in England from Monday 6 April

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/lucys-law-spells-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-puppy-farming

Floralnomad · 19/09/2023 21:19

Have you asked your mum what she wants doing with them ?

Toddlerteaplease · 19/09/2023 21:31

Get in touch with. Breed rescue. St Francis Persian rescue take BSH.

Toddlerteaplease · 19/09/2023 21:32

Place get them spayed first though.

Toddlerteaplease · 19/09/2023 21:33

Yes, what does your mum want. There is also sitting app called cat in a flat.

Evenstar · 19/09/2023 21:41

You might be able to find a pet sitter who would come and feed them and clean trays etc whilst you are away. I think your DM would need to sign something to surrender them to a rescue which would certainly be the best thing to do if the breeder is not willing to accept them back.

I volunteer at a cat rescue and all the ones local to me are very full at the moment, you might need to keep them until a rescue space becomes available.

EachandEveryone · 19/09/2023 21:44

Cat in a flat are very good. I would do that for next week. Why wont your mum beable to have them back with some help? Would they not help her recovery? Who is at home with her?

MissLucyEyelesbarrow · 19/09/2023 22:09

Scampuss · 19/09/2023 21:17

Under Lucy's Law it is not legal for you to sell the kittens.

They should be returned to the breeder.

Or, if the breeder is shit, they should be handed over to a rescue.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/lucys-law-spells-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-puppy-farming

I strongly agree that the OP should not try to sell the kittens, but I don't think it's correct to say it would be illegal. It's illegal to run a business selling puppies/kittens without a licence. It's not illegal to to make a one-off sale of the type the OP is proposing - though it is a terrible idea.

Scampuss · 19/09/2023 23:03

From my link (my bold):

Lucy’s Law is the short-hand for the amendment to The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 brought about by The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2019, which makes unlawful the sales of puppies and kittens (under six months in both cases) by third party sellers/anyone other than the breeder. Lucy’s Law currently comes into force on 6 April in England only as it is devolved legislation.

MissLucyEyelesbarrow · 19/09/2023 23:36

Scampuss · 19/09/2023 23:03

From my link (my bold):

Lucy’s Law is the short-hand for the amendment to The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 brought about by The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2019, which makes unlawful the sales of puppies and kittens (under six months in both cases) by third party sellers/anyone other than the breeder. Lucy’s Law currently comes into force on 6 April in England only as it is devolved legislation.

If you read the Regulations themselves, you'll see they apply to the sale of puppies/kittens by third parties who require a licence for their type of business, for example pet shops, puppy farmers etc. There's also a helpful summary here - see Section 2:

Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 (“the 2018 Regulations”) a licence is required in order to sell pets in the course of business in England. This instrument amends the conditions which attach to such a licence.

i.e. the Regulations apply to third party sellers who require a licence. However, not all sellers require a licence - see link. Rehoming is specifically permitted as long as it's not for commercial reasons.

If you think about it, it would be detrimental to animal welfare to ban the re-homing of kittens in a situation like the OP's. Owners who were no longer able to keep a kitten would be more likely to abandon or kill it, if they could not sell it (I'm talking about owners in general - I'm sure the OP isn't planning to do anything of the kind).

None of this changes the fact that it would be cruel and risky for the OP to sell the kittens online.

Selling animals as pets licensing: statutory guidance for local authorities

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/animal-activities-licensing-guidance-for-local-authorities/selling-animals-as-pets-licensing-statutory-guidance-for-local-authorities--2

Scampuss · 19/09/2023 23:37

Ok fair enough, the summary is very mis-leading.

StBrides · 19/09/2023 23:54

The cinnamon Trust is charity that aims to look after the cats of people who've had to go into hospital for long periods. I'd start with them and hope they can care for the cats while you sort a permanent home.

Swissmrs · 20/09/2023 20:58

Re: The Cinnamon Trust, I think the pets have to be registered with them before they can help, but it's worth checking.

fridaynight1 · 20/09/2023 21:09

For the short term until you can find them another home - I would check out Cat in a flat. We managed to get someone to come to our house and feed twice a day over Christmas, including Christmas Day at very short notice.

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