So. Kittens. Where to get one?

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teradaterada Frets: 5113
hi everyone,

Looking to get a kitten in London. Is it as simple as going on gumtree? Or should I be more careful?

ideally looking for a grey one!

any thoughts?
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Comments

  • jonevejoneve Frets: 1467
    Do not buy an animal off gumtree. Most likely full of breeders or people looking to make a quick buck from selling animals and not having any interest in the welfare of the animal. 

    Either go to a local rescue centre or visit a reputable website like pets4homes. 
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  • IamnobodyIamnobody Frets: 6887
    Rescue centre - avoid gumtree etc would be my advice.

    Unless you want to go down the pedigree route? Then you need to look at respected breeders.
    Previously known as stevebrum
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  • SnagsSnags Frets: 5326
    From a cat.

    More helpfully, go to a rescue centre.  If you're just interested in a general moggie, not a specific breed, there will be loads and loads and loads in rescue centres.  Possibly not that many kittens, as they grow quickly, but it's far from impossible - we ended up with two, both rescues, at different points.
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  • Find a good rescue centre and adopt.
    littlegreenman < My tunes here...
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  • munckeemunckee Frets: 12255
    The canal?  Sorry that slipped out.  

    I went for a walk yesterday along Chichester canal and there was a sign on a post with a £500 reward for finding a lost kitten.  Saw two separate groups looking for it in the bushes further along the path!
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  • teradaterada Frets: 5113
    Thanks for the tip regarding gumtree. I’ll avoid for sure. 

    Id quite like a Russian blue but recon it would get stolen. Do cats get nicked?
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  • LegionreturnsLegionreturns Frets: 7965
    Seconded. There are thousands of unwanted kittens across the country in rescue centres. Buying from gumtree etc dealers just encourages them to keep breeding more with little considerate for the mum or kittens. 

    I got my twin cats as 6 month olds, after they were abandoned in a box outside a pet grooming centre, and then shipped on to a rescue charity. Black cats are less popular so tend to be more common in centres, so please don't rule them out. 

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  • paganskinspaganskins Frets: 276
    Cats Protection though I'm not sure they do much with very young cats, RSPCA have kittens
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  • proggyproggy Frets: 5827
    Battersea dogs & cats home.
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  • KebabkidKebabkid Frets: 3301
    What's been said already and avoid Gumtree.

    We have 2 rescue cats from a place near Croydon but Battersea Dog's Home, which is more central, also has cats and they will be checked, vaccinated, chipped etc for a small, nominal donation, but you are interviewed before they consider accepting you (probably the case at most places).
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  • revsorgrevsorg Frets: 874
    edited June 2018
    Our cat, James, is a British Shorthair Blue.  He's now 15 years old.  My wife found the breeder in our local paper.  We actually bought two cats, James and Oscar from the same litter.  They were pedigree cats and cost about £350 each.  Oscar was a complete bastard, scratched you every time you went close.  He died within at about 6 months old from cat flu and I can't say I regretted his passing.  James on the other hand has a fabulous personality and fitted in really well with our family.  He likes a brief cuddle a couple of times a day and comes up and is friendly to us and to guests, but he can only tolerate about 10 minutes of cuddling before he needs to wander off and be on his own.  He now spends most of his time sleeping and his bed is on our desk so I am currently listening to him snoring.  The lady who sold the cats to us had some magical way of training them not to be afraid of a vacuum cleaner, which has been successful.  She didn't train James about black bin bags, so every time I go round the house emptying the bins he gets terrified, for no good reason.

    The point I'd like to make is that I think buying pedigree cats is a bit hit-and-miss.  The breeder had obviously done some selective breeding but I wonder if it's really all that scientific.  She made him generally calm around young children but terrified of bin bags.  One cat lives healthily to the age of 15, albeit with a heart murmur and small ear canals, while the other one pegs it a couple of months after leaving the breeder's home.
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  • Phil_aka_PipPhil_aka_Pip Frets: 9794
    terada said:
    Thanks for the tip regarding gumtree. I’ll avoid for sure. 

    Id quite like a Russian blue but recon it would get stolen. Do cats get nicked?
    They can do. Microchipping them helps but cats get abducted for their fur and only shaving a little area that renders the skin unuseful to an abductor will spare the cat from a painful death
    "Working" software has only unobserved bugs. (Parroty Error: Pieces of Nine! Pieces of Nine!)
    Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
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  • SnagsSnags Frets: 5326
    terada said:
    Thanks for the tip regarding gumtree. I’ll avoid for sure. 

    Id quite like a Russian blue but recon it would get stolen. Do cats get nicked?

    Pretty much anything can get nicked these days :(  But yes, cats do get nicked - posh/expensive/desirable breeds for sale and wotnot, and even moggies for unspeakable purposes.  Same with dogs.

    If you want a particular breed, research breeders and go for one who clearly takes the animal welfare seriously. Also, expect to have any reputable seller (breeder or rescue centre) to run some kind of checks on you to assess your suitability to own and care for a puddy tat.

    CPL can be incredibly arsey about this (I have some friends who are excellent, excellent pet owners who the local CPL knocked back repeatedly because the person running it was, frankly, a frigging psycho) but that very much depends on the local people.  We got ours from Wood Green animal shelter (which, bizarrely, is nowhere near Wood Green, but out in the wilds of Herts/Cambs borderlands) and from a private rescue in Harrow. They were perfectly reasonable about the whole checking process.
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  • CHRISB50CHRISB50 Frets: 4288

    We got our two from rescue.


    Their mum had already had a litter, then fell pregnant again straight away. When the 2nd litter were born the mum rejected them. They were all hand reared by vets so are extremely friendly, but very human reliant.


    Local rescue is definitely the way to go.


    I know someone who recently bought off Gumtree without knowing any better, and it was not a good experience.


    Best of luck finding your new owner(s). You belong to your cats. They don't belong to you ;)

    I can't help about the shape I'm in, I can't sing I ain't pretty and my legs are thin

    But don't ask me what I think of you, I might not give the answer that you want me to

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  • teradaterada Frets: 5113
    Wow so much to learn!

    my sister brought home a cat many years ago that was lovely. So affectionate and would follow me arou c all the time. Was a bit dopey but so gentle - never viscous at all. 

    Id love to get a cat with a similar temperament. Is there any knack to doing this or is it pot luck?

    also, are they better alone or in twos?

    happy to be checked, I’ve taken a year off work for personal reasons so would guess that me being permanently around would be beneficial!
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  • Phil_aka_PipPhil_aka_Pip Frets: 9794
    CHRISB50 said:

    Best of luck finding your new owner(s). You belong to your cats. They don't belong to you ;)

    Correct. You don't 'own' a cat, you give him a home, and if he likes it, he stays.
    "Working" software has only unobserved bugs. (Parroty Error: Pieces of Nine! Pieces of Nine!)
    Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
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  • hasslehamhassleham Frets: 598
    edited June 2018
    I bought a cat on gumtree from some students who were moving to London from Manchester and didn’t want to take him with them.
     He is great BUT they did tell me he was neutered when he wasn’t. We soon got that fixed though lol 



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  • Phil_aka_PipPhil_aka_Pip Frets: 9794
    edited June 2018
    "Working" software has only unobserved bugs. (Parroty Error: Pieces of Nine! Pieces of Nine!)
    Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
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  • breakstuffbreakstuff Frets: 10229
    Definitely go to your local cat rescue.I've got four cats,and three are from rescue centres (the other from a reputable Persian breeder).It's so rewarding seeing a scared,timid animal turn into a confident and happy member of the family.

    Oh,and grey (or blue) cats are awesome.This is our Frank,the leader if our clan.

     
    Laugh, love, live, learn. 
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  • LegionreturnsLegionreturns Frets: 7965
    CHRISB50 said:

    Best of luck finding your new owner(s). You belong to your cats. They don't belong to you ;)

    Cats don't have owners. They have staff!

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