16 Nov 2020
“The COVID-19 pandemic has created the ideal conditions for unscrupulous pet sellers to thrive...” – Jacqui Cuff of Cats Protection.
James Westgate
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Image © Quangpraha / Pixabay
The UK’s biggest cat charity is urging the public to beware of the risks after new research showed the price of kittens has risen 40% during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cats Protection said the pandemic has created the ideal conditions for unscrupulous vendors to sell kittens that may be sick, poorly socialised or too young to be safely parted from their mothers.
With the average cost of buying a cat rocketing by nearly £100 this year, the charity said buyers could be duped into buying poorly kittens from sellers posing as caring and responsible breeders.
According to figures prepared for Cats Protection, the average price of cats and kittens on selected pet-selling websites has increased throughout the COVID-19 pandemic – with the average price for July 2020 (£329.41) up 40% from the July 2019 average price (£235.23).
One kitten sold online this year was Lola, who was advertised for sale in October for £200 and described as a 10-week-old kitten in an online advert.
After purchasing her, Lola’s new owner’s circumstances soon changed and she was handed into Cats Protection’s Evesham Adoption Centre in Worcestershire, where it was discovered she had in fact been 5 weeks old when she was sold – nearly a month before she could have safely been parted from her mother.
Lola is now 9 weeks old and, after being cared for by staff at Cats Protection, has just been rehomed.
Cats Protection’s head of advocacy and government relations Jacqui Cuff said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has created the ideal conditions for unscrupulous pet sellers to thrive, as they appear to have a credible reason for not allowing buyers to view the kitten with their mother first.
“Before the pandemic, buyers may have heard alarm bells if a seller offered to deliver a kitten to them, or said it was not possible to view the kitten with its mother. But the guidelines and restrictions on visiting other households means it is now very difficult to be sure of a kitten’s background.”
Cats Protection’s warning follows the Government’s Petfished campaign to help the public research pet sellers thoroughly online before buying a new pet.
The charity said members of the public looking to get a cat or kitten should consider adopting from an animal welfare charity.
Since the beginning of lockdown restrictions in March, Cats Protection has been using its Hands-Free Homing initiative to rehome 10,000 cats and kittens.
Cats Protection advises buyers to think carefully before buying a kitten from an online advert and refer closely to its Kitten Checklist.
Buyers can view the charity’s Kitten Checklist online, as well as other tips and advice for buying a kitten.
