Where to find kittens these days?

Nudibranch

Nudibranch

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We sadly lost our old cat. My little boy has wanted a kitten for years and I'd like another. Problem is I haven't had to try and find one for about 20 odd years - our old boy came from a family litter.

Back in the day you'd see ads in the local farm shop or wherever. I've looked on Preloved and Gumtree but a lot of the ads look really dodgy! And £600 for a black and white moggy?! I don't want to go down the charity rehome route as many of them have silly rules (Going to leave the house for an hour? Forget it. Got a dog? Forget it...OK an exaggeration, but I'm not up for jumping through nonsense hoops.)

Presumably there are less random litters being born these days which is good, and I suppose the Covid crazy pet thing is still having an effect but it's proving tricky.

Any suggestions? I guess I'll just keep trying Preloved, etc. Ideally we would bring it home end of June, so we have some time.
 
We got 2 kittens from Cats Protection about 25 yrs ago. They did a home visit, saw our several dogs and the fact that we are nowhere near a main road and simply said 'Yes'. I think we did have someone at home most of the day.
We are ready for kittens again now and it sounds as if all the charities have plenty of young and older cats available
 
Cats Protection have been raising awareness of exactly what you're finding; a whole lot of dodgy shit. Over priced moggies, backyard breeding of "pedigree" cats, deposit scams same as for pups, all sorts going on these days.

I know not all charities are the same but my home check list for kitten/cat rehoming is just common sense stuff. If you're getting kittens we do suggest getting two so they have company and are less, uh, annoying for lack of a better word. Last year was by far the highest number of cats and kittens that have ever come through the doors, with vets having to reduce the no. of spays and neuters due to covid, so there are definitely kittens out there, but I think you will have to be very careful or pay a lot more than you're used to if you don't use an established rescue.
 
I would take a look into a variety of charities - national, and local - you will be surprised.

Many charities are advocating and raising awareness of the issues you describe - backyard breeders who’s cats and kittens don’t receive vet checks, microchips, vaccinations or treatments, etc., and then get sold on for abhorrent amounts of money and further fuel the overbreeding/not spaying/neutering of cats if people think they can get £200+ for a moggy kitten.

I would absolutely not be supporting backyard bred moggy sales right now, regardless of how many rescues I had to apply to.
 
It was a shock after my last cat died. I had no idea that people actually paid money for kittens, or that there were hundreds of different breeds at eye-watering prices.
No one had told me that Free to a Good Home had been replaced by designer cats for hundreds of (or more ) pounds.
I waited a week for at least one cat charity to call me back, but none did, so scanned the Internet and bought two farm kittens from a isolated farm for £30 each. They're lovely cats, smart, healthy and love the dogs.
 
If anyone has any kittens in the north Manchester area, I am interested! Absolutely shocked at the prices being asked for plain old moggies on Preloved and Pets4Homes.
Was stitched up by the Cats' Protection League a couple of years ago, when the 'stray needing a home' turned out to be a half wild ex feral that did a wall of death round every room frantically trying to get out ,and had to be collected and returned to it's feral home. Sort of dents your faith in the charity....
 
I got my last kittens from a local charity and they were pretty sensible about their rehoming criteria. However, there are some national charities near me that won't rehome if you live near a busy road, which rules me out (even if I cat proof my garden). I think local charities tend to be more sensible in their expectations.
 
Highmileagecob said:
If anyone has any kittens in the north Manchester area, I am interested! Absolutely shocked at the prices being asked for plain old moggies on Preloved and Pets4Homes.
Was stitched up by the Cats' Protection League a couple of years ago, when the 'stray needing a home' turned out to be a half wild ex feral that did a wall of death round every room frantically trying to get out ,and had to be collected and returned to it's feral home. Sort of dents your faith in the charity....
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It might be a bit far for you, but there is a cat sanctuary in Dove Holes, which is east Manchester. We got our gorgeous female cat, Pepper, from there in 2000 as a kitten. They pretty much just let us take her home there and then, though I was only 10 so it's possible there was a home check I wasn't aware of!
 
Highmileagecob said:
If anyone has any kittens in the north Manchester area, I am interested! Absolutely shocked at the prices being asked for plain old moggies on Preloved and Pets4Homes.
Was stitched up by the Cats' Protection League a couple of years ago, when the 'stray needing a home' turned out to be a half wild ex feral that did a wall of death round every room frantically trying to get out ,and had to be collected and returned to it's feral home. Sort of dents your faith in the charity....
Click to expand...
Yes I have had one them, from the CPL. Delivered at 10pm, because she had taken it home after it had been neutered, to a house with children in it and it was completely stressed. As soon as it could it did a bunk, I think it's still around, we call it Ghost. They were so desperate to get rid of it I didn't have to pay, unlike the one I got from Wood Green, also feral and also ran off.
 
Highmileagecob said:
If anyone has any kittens in the north Manchester area, I am interested! Absolutely shocked at the prices being asked for plain old moggies on Preloved and Pets4Homes.
Was stitched up by the Cats' Protection League a couple of years ago, when the 'stray needing a home' turned out to be a half wild ex feral that did a wall of death round every room frantically trying to get out ,and had to be collected and returned to it's feral home. Sort of dents your faith in the charity....
Click to expand...

try here https://www.facebook.com/Millstream-Animal-Shelter-111664635592769
 
I've literally been offered two kittens by a farmer in the past hour. And I know another farm where I could probably go and scoop up ten.

My last one I found in a hedge. The one before that came via the vet who sometimes has them at the surgery from a local animal shelter. The one before that was dumped at the place I was working. The one before that was found by a friend on the side of the road, the one before that cost £5 to charity from a farmer, and the one before that turned up at the yard one day.

Honestly I'd suggest you try the charities, or ask at the local farm supplies places for likely farm litters.
 
Tack shop advert boards. Preloved but set price limit. Small, local charities. One of mine was from a small charity, despite having a small child.
 
The local rescue (just one of several) posted today that they have 19 kittens looking for homes.

it's kitten season, there are millions out there.

I suspect homing a kitten from a rescue is a lot easier than homing a dog.
 
How north are you? There’s a great rescue in Midlothian who are very sensible about placing cats. Other than that, farmers, feed store boards or Facebook local farming groups.
 
I rehomed from SSPCA last year. The rehoming form nearly put me off, but actually they were fine with us going out during the day, and more concerned that we had garden space (for the particular cat we were interested in). We went for a cat, but they have kittens too.
Cat is a total dude, although ironically has since been diagnosed with FIV so has to be a house cat. He’s transitioned from street cat to pampered prince rather well!
So based on my experience I’d try not to be put off by the forms. Definitely speak to charities.
 
Just a little update, after a few dead ends I managed to find some on Preloved not too far away, sensibly priced, and got pick of the litter as it was deepest Powys. We now have a beautiful semi longhaired tabby girl, not quite the Birman I've always wanted but she will be allowed out and I don't think I could risk it with a thousand pounds worth of cat!
And one very happy almost 6 year old too...
 
Cats Protection a good place to enquire re. kittens. I'm a Fosterer with them; during the very-first lockdown we were alerted to a cardboard box in a layby on a boiling hot day - a jogger had run past and something about the box had alerted her that something wasn't possibly quite right.

Turned out there were four little kittens in the box; two ginger, two black. All boys. I fostered them until they were neutered and rehomed. Hard to say goodbye to them tho'!

At this time of the year there are always kittens handed in, and they're the lucky ones, quite often they're just dumped; people are still not getting the message about neutering their cats sadly.
 
At this time of the year there are always kittens handed in, and they're the lucky ones, quite often they're just dumped; people are still not getting the message about neutering their cats sadly.

Unfortunately, the lure of selling a litter of accidental kittens at £100+ each is starting to outweigh the neutering message. Very sad.
 
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