New kitten....questions & advice (merged)

mynameiscatherine

Yes we already have a cat and the landlord lets us look after our friend's dog every now and then. We need to speak to him at the weekend so we will check with him then just to be sure

I phoned the Iris's rescue centre and they don't have any kittens at the moment :-( The best time to get one is April apparently. The cat we already have was born in January - we rescued him from a bloke who just hadn't neutered his female cat (probably so he could sell the kittens!) but I don't want to encourage that hence asking about rescuing...

picklepick

if you get your landlord to give you consent in writing the rescues that have turned you down already shouldnt have a problem if you explain the situation. good luck!

DKLS

mynameiscatherine wrote: »

So I was looking on the websites that sell kittens and the prices are ridiculous!!! Like up to £200 for a kitten that isn't pedigree, and pedigree kittens selling for avg £350! Does anyone actually pay these prices?
Thanks

I did , Paid £350 for a Havana before xmas, and will be spending another £350 next week when I pick up a Tabby oriental.

I know what you mean about the snobbiness with the rescues, I once had an evil woman from CPL, say I wasnt suitable for a cat as I had an open fire, and my back garden went on to a road. (road was a farm track used exclusively by farmer)

Keep trawling the websites, there will be thr ight kitten for you

foreign_correspondent

You do need written permission from your landlord, you would be amazed how many dogs and cats end up in rescue because the landlord suddenly decided he will not allow pets.

...Especally if when he visits he gets a flea bite, spots kitty widdling in the carpet (or thinks the house smells catty), or has a complaint from a neighbour.

The other consideration is if/when you move house you may find it much harder to find a landlord that will allow new tenants with pets - agai, a common reason for animals to end up dumped in rescue.

moggylover

mynameiscatherine wrote: »

Hi everyone!

OH is getting me a kitten for my birthday and we have been looking around at all the different websites but aren't having any luck at all!

I wanted to adopt one but because we rent a house the people at the rescue places are really snobby with us and say they won't rehome cats/kittens to people who rent?!

So I was looking on the websites that sell kittens and the prices are ridiculous!!! Like up to £200 for a kitten that isn't pedigree, and pedigree kittens selling for avg £350! Does anyone actually pay these prices?

I was just wandering if anyone has managed to rescue a kitten from anywhere in the Midlands if they rent a house as I cannot afford to pay £100 for one as well as the vet fees (vaccinations etc)

(sorry if this isn't very moneysaving but I was unsure of where to post?)

Thanks

As someone who has done rescue work for many years, I would like to point out WHY we are loathe to place rescues in rented accomodation: and believe me it has nothing at all to do with snobbery!

In our experience, an awful lot of people in rented accomodation can find themselves having to move on unexpectedly and these days there are not so very many landlords who will agree to pets. These make up a fairly large number of the adult cats (always difficult to find new homes for as the majority of people want kittens) that we take into care, and not always at the request of the owner who has moved: often just because we have been called by a neighbour to take the cat away after it has been left behind by its' previous owner;) .

If you spent vast amounts of time and effort (to say nothing of money) on rescue work you would be wary of these situations as well. Myself, I would urge you to look closely at how stable a home (Looooooooong term) you have to offer the animal because like kids, they are for life and should not need to be re-homed for the reasons stated above except in exceptional circumstances.

Having a pet is not a right - it is a priviledge and a responsibility. Unfortunately, until ALL those who "want" a pet are willing to realise this then situations will arise where rescuers will, perhaps, offend. It often offends when we want to home-check as well - but there we go! If society treated animals better in general, perhaps we would not do so;)

Me personally, I would rather offend ten people than re -home one animal where it was uncertain that it would have a good life:o

foreign_correspondent

yes, please do not think the rescues are snobby - this is a lesson they have learnt from many sad experiences - however, if you can show the rescue that you are aware of this problem and have thought of ways around it then they may feel differently.

If however, it is a possiblity that if your landlord decides he wants you to move out and if you cant then find anywhere that allows pets, that the cat would likely end up back in rescue... then the rescue is clearly making the right decision (in the interests of the cat).

If this is a likely scenario then I would advise you to carefully consider whether it is the really right time to get a cat from any source.

Kylie

My fiance and I wanted a kitten 3 years ago. We tried the rescue kitten route, and we also encountered serious problems because we worked full time. (We also rent). We ended up with a pet shop kitten (mongrel) who cost a fortune and was out of season so he was the only we could find. He is horrible and bad tempered and I love him to bits. (Sometimes he's nice!) He is tiny so when he hisses at me I like to pretend he is purring... We could not imagine life without him and when we move to another country in the next couple of years he will be right there with us. It still amazes me that there are people who take on a puppy/kitten etc and are able to part with them because they are no longer convenient?! (I have great respect for those poor people who work at rescue centres who have to see some heartbreaking things that people are capable of).

Anyway... back to the issue... you will pay a premium for a kitten at this time of the year.

LADY_A_5

Do you have a cpl near you? my mum rents and got a kitten
although said kitten is now lost, after mum decided to let her start going out.
with my expencive pedigree cat i shall not be letting him out he shall be an indoor cat.
hth

Kylie

hehehe - just noticed that my picture is of my little darling!

BTW - I checked before we signed for our flat that we could get a kitten should we decide to (i.e. should I be able to convince my partner )

Wow - how sad am I - we would move house for me to be closer to work - but I don't want to because our cat has friends near us he likes to play with on the weekend...

spookylukey

It's not really kitten season at the moment so tiny kittens will be in short supply but why not consider an older kitten - one born in the summer will only be 6 months old now and trust me they will still be kitten like. They'll just have been neutered, will be already vaccinated and probably (hopefully) microchipped. You'll save £££ and give a needy kitten the forever home it deserves, the added bonus is that he/she will be litter trained too and hopefully not as destructive as a tiny kitten!

Here's a list of rescues in your area, just click on the relevant part of the map. Not my quote but I like it so I shall reproduce it Please don't breed or buy while shelter animals die.

http://www.catchat.org/adoption/index.html