How to find a kitten in an ethical way

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We’ve applied for quite a few kittens from various local rescues and we’re not having any luck.

I really don’t want to support a dodgy kitten farm but am a bit stumped for how else to get one if its not a rescue or from gumtree

Have you had any feedback as to why you haven't been successful?
I adopted our younger cat from the RSPCA, had a quick homecheck but it was very straightforward.

Does it have to be a kitten? I took on an adult cat where the owner had passed away (heard about him at the vets) & he was the absolute best. My nan got the last cat she owned from another older lady who was going into a care home & couldn't keep it.

https://www.everycatmatters.org.uk/

Where is this organisation based please? Can’t find anything on their website. Ta.

The rescues are bursting at the seams with no space and desperate cats. I find this bizarre.

One rescue centre had approved us but the other two have said we’re too near a busy road. They didn’t do a home visit. Our road is perpendicular to a busy road but we’re quite far away from it and the cat would have to get over about 20 high fences to get to the road. We har a cat here before and it was totally fine so I feel like we can provide a safe home for a cat.
Doesn’t have to be kittens but our elderly cat died in February and would really like to have a young cat, partly because I don’t want to go through a cat getting old and dying again for a long time and also because I would like my kids to experience the joy of kitten. I would also enjoy kittens!

Where are you roughly?

We’re in a big city and the kittens from the rescues are very competitive.
The rescue centre who had approved us have so many people who applying for kittens

Bristol

Are you looking for one or two? A lot won’t home a single kitten, only in pairs which I think is fair enough. If you want a single cat you have to go for an older one.

We would like two.

Doveholes cat rescue. We are near you but previously lived there and are going to go back when settled to get a cat. It's a long trek but make a day of it and she has a lot of cats and it's a worthwhile cause. Have a look on Facebook.

In London and they bring in cats from the UAE.

Here you go .

Can you look further afield? I’m in Yorkshire and there’s a couple of cat rescues near me complaining they can’t even rehome the kittens at the minute as people don’t want black and black and white ones.

I don’t mean you should come to Yorkshire by the way, I just mean further afield you might find a different situation!

I'm surprised you're having trouble, we got kittens quite easily from a rescue, although it was a few years ago now. We actually weren't allowed to have a lot of the cats due to having a child under 10 and them needing a quiet home, but we were allowed the kittens.

I was in the same position. You hear about cat shelters bursting etc. I've even fostered for a big cat charity, but don't meet their strict rehoming criteria. Go figure.

Ended up getting a kitten via Gumtree, and even then it took several attempts. So many fake ads and time wasters. Finally ended up finding the sweetest, lovable kitten, now cat. Couldn't have wished for a better fit. She was socialised and litter trained and clearly came from a cat loving home.

Would you consider a cat a little older like a year old? My local rescue can’t rehome them because they are too old apparently. They are very kitten like still. Might be worth a slightly older cat?

I know first hand that some rescues do not make it easy for people to adopt cats/kittens.

My kittens came from a lady who lives in my town in the end. I would have preferred to adopt from a rescue centre but this was not successful because, at the time, the yard to my house backed onto a private car park for the residents of the houses surrounding the car park. Rescue centres all said this was not safe. My kittens did not go outside until after I had moved house, which was always the plan and I did tell the rescue centres this.

I adopted two kittens (sisters) who needed a home. Whether I adopted them from a rescue centre or from someone selling kittens on Gumtree or Pets4Homes they still needed someone to give them a home. Otherwise they could have ended up in a rescue centre themselves if the lady could not have found someone to take them both. One of my kittens is black and I understand that this colour of cat is less popular for some reason so, in theory, she could have been in a rescue centre for a long time.

My cats have a good, secure and loving home. It doesn't matter to me where I got them from.

My experience exactly.

We found a local family via the vet’s receptionist who were letting theirs have one litter before spaying and the kitten we got has been great- socialised, litter trained, excellent with kids. I hate to say it as I was previously a big supporter of rescues but the kitten we bought is a much better family pet than any of the rescue kittens we’d had before.

It is bizarre but sadly it's true. I couldn't adopt any cat from some of the rescues as I have a cat proofed garden and wouldn't let the cat roam. Another one wouldn't let me adopt as I don't have a spare room and another one was happy with my cat proofing but not the garden - it wasn't 'interesting' enough for the cat. Most probably because the picture was taken in winter and they obviously lacked imagination! I ended up getting Charlie from a registered breeder and although I felt guilty at first that's passed now and I don't regret it one bit.

Try this?

https://fourpawscatrescue.org.uk

That's quite sad, esp if you live far enough from the road. Have you a decent garden? Just thinking cat proof fencing may be an option for you? Certainly means rescues will say yes.
I have a good friend who works for cats protection, she has so so many kittens all year around, I live in an area where people are bad at neutering. She's always crying out for owners. I hope works out soon and you get your fluffy bundles.
As much as it may be tempting, please don't answer ads online from people like freeads, gumtree etc, it's supporting an awful system in animal welfare plus the kittens may well be in poor health. It would be better not to have any imo.

Wow, it's amazing how attitudes change between rescue centres isn't it? Cat proofed garden with a CP friend of mine would be an instant yes!