Ok I hope I dont come across as ignorant here, I genuinely dont know the answer and hope someone can nicely tell me it.
I just wanted to know from the UK rescuers if the kitten overpopulation problem is a big problem here in the UK?
Why I ask this is because of my experiences 3 years ago, when I was looking for a kitten. I had previously taken in an older cat from a rescue shelter and wanted a kitten at that time to 'fit in' with the older cat (and of course experience the joys of kitten ownership).
I rang numerous shelters in my area and they had no kittens. When I contacted people advertising domestic moggies privately, all the kittens had gone. All that was available were pure breed cats or 'semi pure breed cats' (e.g. people trying to make money from half persians and siamese) for over £100. I eventually found kitten Tinkerbelle after 2 months of looking. A domestic tortie for £50. I admit, I did not look outside my county for travelling purposes.
In the rescue shelters which I visited, it seemed the BIG problem they faced was rehoming older cats, not rehoming kittens. To quote someone I dealt with at a rescue place 'the kittens go like hotcakes'.
Even when I put my kittens last year in a cattery when I went on a weekend break, the cattery owner said to me that he could have 'sold the kittens 5 times over'..people dropping off their cats at the cattery saw my kittens (then about 4 months old) and were willing to pay good cash for them, until they realised the kittens were boarding themselves and not for sale.
So what is the situation in the UK? I admit I havent talked to my local cat welfare organisations about this. TCS is always my first port of call lol. And its something I need to be clued up about especially if Im looking at fostering soon.
Is it a case of the kittens go quick..many of which to irresponsible owners..and then end up when they are older in rescue shelters? Whats going on?
Or is it a case of 'wrong place wrong time'? e.g. if I was in contact with you Uk rescuers at the time, 3 years ago, you would have been able to to point me in the direction of so many kittens needing homes? Or it just wasnt kitten season at that time? (it was January/February)
Why I ask this is because of my experiences 3 years ago, when I was looking for a kitten. I had previously taken in an older cat from a rescue shelter and wanted a kitten at that time to 'fit in' with the older cat (and of course experience the joys of kitten ownership).
I rang numerous shelters in my area and they had no kittens. When I contacted people advertising domestic moggies privately, all the kittens had gone. All that was available were pure breed cats or 'semi pure breed cats' (e.g. people trying to make money from half persians and siamese) for over £100. I eventually found kitten Tinkerbelle after 2 months of looking. A domestic tortie for £50. I admit, I did not look outside my county for travelling purposes.
In the rescue shelters which I visited, it seemed the BIG problem they faced was rehoming older cats, not rehoming kittens. To quote someone I dealt with at a rescue place 'the kittens go like hotcakes'.
Even when I put my kittens last year in a cattery when I went on a weekend break, the cattery owner said to me that he could have 'sold the kittens 5 times over'..people dropping off their cats at the cattery saw my kittens (then about 4 months old) and were willing to pay good cash for them, until they realised the kittens were boarding themselves and not for sale.
So what is the situation in the UK? I admit I havent talked to my local cat welfare organisations about this. TCS is always my first port of call lol. And its something I need to be clued up about especially if Im looking at fostering soon.
Is it a case of the kittens go quick..many of which to irresponsible owners..and then end up when they are older in rescue shelters? Whats going on?
Or is it a case of 'wrong place wrong time'? e.g. if I was in contact with you Uk rescuers at the time, 3 years ago, you would have been able to to point me in the direction of so many kittens needing homes? Or it just wasnt kitten season at that time? (it was January/February)