There is Little that Shocks me but THIS:

[Tigger's Mum]

Discussing with my son the cost of pedigree cats such as Siamese and Maine Coons I decided to have a look at Gumtree (similar to Craigs List). Came across an advert for four white kittens and I ended up being horrified and shocked.

One of the kittens was advertised as having only two paws and one ear shorter than the other (close inbreeding I think). The sellers/breeders wanted £130 for this poor kitten and £130 for two of her siblings and £230 for the other kitten who had one green eye and one blue eye.

I've done rescue off and on for 40 years but this was something I'd never encountered before and it really upset me. What to do? Discussed it with Ian. Should we buy the kitten? Ian said doing that would only encourage these awful people to breed more like her. Report it to the RSPCA? Not always the best solution and they often ignore reports.

The area the kitten was in is over 200 miles away and an area where, shall we say, some areas are "no go" areas. I left the tab on my PC open so I could go back to the advert as it was late at night I saw the advert and too late to do anything constructive.

Next day I noticed the advert had been edited and now read that the kitten had NO PAWS. There were photographs of all the kittens, including this one. It was difficult to see from the pic exactly what was going on but the front stump looked as if it had dried blood on it and one rear stump looked to me like it wasn't a congenital deformity, but again, I couldn't be sure. Something had to be done so I set about finding a rescue local to that area and did find one which had an email address. I sent them an email with a link to the advert but so far, I've heard nothing back. I just hope this rescue can do something, even if it's to get the kitten, take her to a vet and have her PTS as there's no way she'd ever be able to live even a partly normal life.

This has profoundly upset me and I can't get her out of my mind.

 

[FeebysOwner]

All of that is truly shocking. But, I am not sure what you have in mind for this kitten's welfare. I do think, regardless of your doubts about anything coming of it, that you should report it to the RSPCA anyway. Perhaps, tell the rescue that you have reported it and see if that might trigger a response/reaction.

 

[Tigger's Mum]

I plucked up courage to have a look to see if the advert was still there. It is but the advert now states that "the disabled kitten has gone to a good home" so I hope the rescue I contacted managed to get the kitten...or it has been PTS.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I'd still report it.

 

[Tigger's Mum]

I'd still report it.

Problem is there is now no photographic evidence, only them saying the disabled kitten has been homed. These are the type of people who sell a kitten but arrange to meet the buyer in some obscure car park (parking lot) well away from where they actually live. They're back street breeders and they tend to be very sly. I would imagine if the rescue I contacted has got the kitten they will have already reported it. Even if they have and the RSPCA did get involved, the breeders would simply say they had no idea of the buyers address.

I've done what I could and I just hope that it was enough.

 

[Alldara]

Always report. Sometimes it takes multiple reports to the same place to cause actions. So maybe they dont respond to yohr report specifically, but they do after a few reports.

That, and we cant be accused (as the general public) of under reporting. That's an excuse often used to say why a unit doesnt need more resources

 

[IzzysfureverMom]

I agree with reporting it. This stuff is so disturbing. I would not be able to sleep if I did not report something like this.

 

[Tigger's Mum]

I agree with reporting it. This stuff is so disturbing. I would not be able to sleep if I did not report something like this.

The RSPCA can be strange. We had a neighbour a few years back who shut her dog in a concrete shed. She wasn't the type to keep her mouth shut and broadcast that she'd done it so the dog would die. I reported it. Other neighbours reported it, I reported it again and got told by the person on the phone that I was nothing but an interfering busybody. This, from a representative of an organisation that's supposed to protect animals. They did absolutely nothing to save that dog. It was the same when I reported this woman to the RSPCA for neglecting her cat. He had a large hole in his side, had turned more or less feral as she wouldn't feed him or let him into her house. RSPCA again did nothing to help that cat. I tried to win his trust but one day he disappeared and was never seen again.

The RSPCA are OK when they are on TV or begging for money but in real life, 99% of the time they are useless at least at national level. There are local RSPCA officers, especially in the big cities where that disabled kitten was, also the rescue I contacted seems to be quite a big one and I'm sure they would have reported it locally. As I said previously, without even photographic evidence there is no proof and back street breeders like that never give out their real addresses. Most arrange to meet in some obscure place to hand over the kitten or puppy as the case might be.

 

[IndyJones]

The RSPCA can be strange. We had a neighbour a few years back who shut her dog in a concrete shed. She wasn't the type to keep her mouth shut and broadcast that she'd done it so the dog would die. I reported it. Other neighbours reported it, I reported it again and got told by the person on the phone that I was nothing but an interfering busybody. This, from a representative of an organisation that's supposed to protect animals. They did absolutely nothing to save that dog. It was the same when I reported this woman to the RSPCA for neglecting her cat. He had a large hole in his side, had turned more or less feral as she wouldn't feed him or let him into her house. RSPCA again did nothing to help that cat. I tried to win his trust but one day he disappeared and was never seen again.

The RSPCA are OK when they are on TV or begging for money but in real life, 99% of the time they are useless at least at national level. There are local RSPCA officers, especially in the big cities where that disabled kitten was, also the rescue I contacted seems to be quite a big one and I'm sure they would have reported it locally. As I said previously, without even photographic evidence there is no proof and back street breeders like that never give out their real addresses. Most arrange to meet in some obscure place to hand over the kitten or puppy as the case might be.

Part of the solution is to simply not buy from these unethical breeders. Supply and demand. If there is no demand for the animals from these unethical breeders they will stop breeding.

Always make sure your breeder has the mother and litter on site for example, these people are saying they have nothing to hide. Never have an animal shipped to you. Don't agree to meet offsite.

 

[Tigger's Mum]

Part of the solution is to simply not buy from these unethical breeders. Supply and demand. If there is no demand for the animals from these unethical breeders they will stop breeding.

Always make sure your breeder has the mother and litter on site for example, these people are saying they have nothing to hide. Never have an animal shipped to you. Don't agree to meet offsite.

That's exactly it - supply and demand, people tend to look for a "bargain" and unscrupulous breeders exploit that. I've only ever had one pedigree cat, a Siamese and that was 40 years ago, long before the Internet. Even then, I chose carefully and wisely. I would like another Siamese but everytime I say I want a Siamese I end up with another rescue moggy. That said, I'm keeping an eye on the Siamese Cat Rescue here in the UK as they sometimes get older Siamese looking for a good home, often because their owners have passed away.

 

[KittyCat_chitchat]

Brit here. This is an issue I'm also aware of, although I haven't personally seen anything this shocking. Just the other day, I had a bit of a hope spot when I got a newsletter from Cats Protection, which had an article saying that they'd set up a group of volunteers who searched sites like Gumtree and reported unethical pet adverts that violated welfare guidelines set out by the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG). They reported that the sites were responding to the feedback and that they aimed to expand the operation.

I thought it would be a great volunteering opportunity so I looked on their site, and it literally says NOTHING about volunteering to do this. Still, their website did have a link to the PAAG site, which you might find interesting, especially their 'Advertising Standards' page. I also found this old CP article explaining the complexities of the issue.

I know that it's easy to get negative when organisations like the RSPCA seem to be doing nothing but virtue signalling, but there are still things that individuals can potentially do. For a start, you could keep track of the seller and report them to Action Fraud. They're undoubtedly committing fraud if they're charging that much for sick kittens. You could also write to your MP with your concerns about the situation. I appreciate that these might be about as productive as a report to the RSPCA, but if more and more people start raising the issue, someone, sometime, will have to start paying attention.

I am going to get in touch with PAAG and CP and see if I can volunteer to look through ads. Maybe you could do the same?

One tip if you or a relative ever considers buying a pedigree kitten is to check the Governing Council of Cat Fancy's breeder scheme list. Their breed profiles also have links to GCCF approved breed clubs, whose sites might in turn have links to ethical breeders.

Apologies for the mammoth post, but I hope it was helpful!

 

[Tigger's Mum]

Brit here. This is an issue I'm also aware of, although I haven't personally seen anything this shocking. Just the other day, I had a bit of a hope spot when I got a newsletter from Cats Protection, which had an article saying that they'd set up a group of volunteers who searched sites like Gumtree and reported unethical pet adverts that violated welfare guidelines set out by the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG). They reported that the sites were responding to the feedback and that they aimed to expand the operation.

I thought it would be a great volunteering opportunity so I looked on their site, and it literally says NOTHING about volunteering to do this. Still, their website did have a link to the PAAG site, which you might find interesting, especially their 'Advertising Standards' page. I also found this old CP article explaining the complexities of the issue.

I know that it's easy to get negative when organisations like the RSPCA seem to be doing nothing but virtue signalling, but there are still things that individuals can potentially do. For a start, you could keep track of the seller and report them to Action Fraud. They're undoubtedly committing fraud if they're charging that much for sick kittens. You could also write to your MP with your concerns about the situation. I appreciate that these might be about as productive as a report to the RSPCA, but if more and more people start raising the issue, someone, sometime, will have to start paying attention.

I am going to get in touch with PAAG and CP and see if I can volunteer to look through ads. Maybe you could do the same?

One tip if you or a relative ever considers buying a pedigree kitten is to check the Governing Council of Cat Fancy's breeder scheme list. Their breed profiles also have links to GCCF approved breed clubs, whose sites might in turn have links to ethical breeders.

Apologies for the mammoth post, but I hope it was helpful!

See you're in Scotland. I'm originally from Aberdeen but moved to Wiltshire, England almost 30 years ago.

Our MP is useless. He can't be bothered even replying to emails. He is not local to the area the kittens were (Bradford) so most likely would not get involved. Bradford's over 200 miles away from where we are.

Interesting about the CP going through ads. I'm retired so that is something I could do. I'll see what I can find out about it. We have a local branch of the CP here.

I've always said I'd like another Siamese. I had one many years ago and she was quite a character but every time I utter the words "I'd like another Siamese"...I end up with another moggy. Those words definitely put a jinx on things. That said if I did decide to buy a Siamese kitten, I'd go to a reputable breeder on the GCCF list then go and see the breeder and how they operate. I also keep an eye on the Siamese Cat Rescue as they sometimes have older cats that need a new home, often because their owners have gone into care or have passed away.

As it is, I have 8 beautiful moggies. 4 all black, 1 black and white Tuxedo, 2 tabbies and a ginger and white. All of them are rescues and all of them are dearly loved.

I'd outlaw the puppy and kitten mills. There is a rescue in Wales called Many Tears. They take in mostly dogs from the puppy mills. I've read many of their stories and most reduce me to tears. They seem to get a lot of Bichon Frises and poodles, often these poor animals have been kept in appalling conditions with little to no human contact, just kept as breeding machines, all for greed and profit. I'm a lover of German Shepherds and have had 3. All rescues. The first found herself in rescue through no fault of her own and she was a fantastic dog, very well trained when we got her from German Shepherd Rescue in Scotland. Went to Edinburgh to pick her up. Lost her to old age at the age of 15. Second was an ex-breeder. She was 13 when she succumbed to cancer and my last GSD, a rescue who had been subjected to horrible abuse that left him permanently scarred, I lost him to old age 4 years ago. He was 14. I don't have a dog now. All of them were really good with our cats.