Ranting, Looking for Advice on my Experience Purchasing a Kitten

[Remi&RiRi]

Hi everyone,
Ive posted a few threads on here within the last week as me and my partner of 4 years where planning to get our first kitten and had some questions for the community. I was not able to have a cat growing up due to my mother having strong allergies. So because of this I have literally been dreaming of getting a cat for so long! I have been looking around in my area for the past few weeks and had a really hard time finding any hypoallergenic options for myself (as I have mild cat allergies that my mom passed down to me). Long story short I was looking everywhere and stumbled across an ad on Craigslist for a Siberian mix kitten. I was skeptical at first because Craigslist can be a scary place but I was texting back and forth with the seller and was able to realize quickly that it was not a scam. She sent multiple videos and pictures of the kittens and after talking, I mailed her a check with a deposit for the kitten (half of the full price - the full price was 450 - which is still a lot for a kitten in my opinion). She told me that she was then taking the kitten off the market and we have just been waiting for the past 3-4 days for her to tell us he is ready to be picked up (we were waiting because he was the last kitten who still had to make the transfer over from milk to food - he's currently almost 8 weeks). Well fast forward we had ordered all the supplies for the little guy and had told all of our family and friends that we were going to be taking home this little cat soon... and then late last night I get a text from the seller " I haven't received your check yet but when I get it I will shred it. Ive decided to leave this kitten for myself. Sorry." I was heartbroken and literally had a mini panic attack as I had put countless hours into finding a kitten that would be perfect for us and having the idea that this was our kitten as the seller agreed that she had taken him off the market. If you've read this far thank you but I thought I would post on here as I am just wondering what someones thoughts are on this matter. After she had said that we texted back in forth once or twice. I was really nice even though I was fuming on the inside. I asked if there is anyway she would reconsider and that we will just be heartbroken if it doesn't work out. She also knows about my background as I told her earlier on that we were so excited and that I had been waiting forever to get a kitten. She then replied saying "Give me time till Sunday. He is still on milk only and I don't want to force him either. He is very awesome, let me think more maybe I will switch, sorry." Her reply basically sealed the deal for me that its over and she is keeping him. When she said that he was very awesome I was lost for words because Im thinking well you made an agreement and just went back on that because you found out he's your favorite of the litter... I get how she has bonded with him because he's the runt of the littler but it was just hard to hear. My partner has experience bottle feeding kittens but Im guessing since the kitten has only been with his mother that he could not be bottle fed. I replied saying I understand where she is coming from and want the best for the kitten but also told her how we had all been preparing for this kitten to come and said I hope to hear back from her. And thats it. Thanks again for reading this rant. Ive learned a lot from this experience and as much as Id like to adopt a cat, I know that when Im ready again I will have to get a kitten from a official breeder as I have come to the conclusion that this seller just happened to have her two cats that had a litter. That being said I understand why the situation turned out as It did, Im just extremely disappointed, as she sold all the other kittens and just decided to keep the one we had wanted. I would appreciate your thoughts and just any advice you have for me moving forward. (P.S we didn't go to a Siberian breeder because I am just about to graduate college and did not have the amount of money they were asking but I did have enough to be able to comfortably raise the kitten I am speaking of)

 

[goingpostal]

Honestly this still very much sounds like a scam, no reputable breeder would let a kitten go at 8 weeks. An eight week old kitten should be already weaning eating wet food or kibble for several weeks at that point. You wouldn't let a kitten go from milk to kibble then home right away. The back and forth etc etc. Please cancel your check if you haven't already. You were willing to pay 450 for a kitten from a byb that likely wasn't even a Siberian mix, go adopt a shelter cat instead if you aren't willing to pay the price for a purebred. You'd have a lot better luck for your allergies if you asked a rescue to let you trial kittens before committing and adopting, sort of a foster to adopt situation. Stay off craiglist! I'm sure there are links on this site for how to look for a reputable breeder if you want to go that way but yes they are expensive, you will likely have to expand your search range and also be willing to wait several months to years.

 

[Willowy]

Kittens are not ready to leave their mother at 8 weeks. That's not responsible at all. They should stay at least 12 weeks, 14-16 weeks is even better:
Early weaning increases aggression and stereotypic behaviour in cats

Plus if you really need a lower-allergen cat, getting a mix isn't going to work. And if you haven't seen the papers of the alleged purebred parent, the kittens were most likely domestic longhairs; people like to label cats with a breed or breed mix even though most cats have no breed background at all.

So, basically, maybe you dodged a bullet here.

 

[GreyLady]

craigslist is a baaaad place to purchase a "purebred" or purbred mix in your case animal. I would look at free kittens instead if looking on CL. Or go to the shelter.

Waiting for someone with more experience with breeders to post but from what I know if she doesn't cash your deposit she can do what she wants. I would cancel the check just in case and start saving for a kitten from a reputable brreder or rescue one. You can search petfinder for the look of kitten you want even.

 

[game misconduct]

sorry to hear about that pretty sure you will find one have you ever considered adopting a cat? you seem to have lots of love to give a cat and there are so many who need a loving home to be spoiled in.best of luck in the next breeder you find hope to see a post soon of your new cat

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I agree with canceling that check. That doesn’t sound like a reputable breeder and agree; you’ve dodged a bullet if you keep all your money.

There are a lot of people here who have mild allergies and do just fine with shelter cats. I would spend some time looking at that info and see what you can do. DH said he was allergic to cats when we got ours but recently he had allergy testing that showed dogs; but not cats. But we never let our girls sleep with us or get in our bed. We vacuumed and kept the couch covered where they slept. Things like that can go a long way to reducing allergens. I also always encourage people to get 2 kittens because they keep each other company and entertain each other. We never had issues with the girls wanting in our room at night because they had each other to snuggle. I think you may find the cat you’ve been dreaming of right at your local rescue!

 

[ZombieTiger]

That sounds like a pretty miserable experience, I'm sorry.

I don't know what it's called in English, and I don't know if it's an option for you, but since you need an allergy friendly cat and a purebred is too much money at once, have you considered the kind of arrangement where a registered breeder let's you keep a breeding animal as your own and either registers to you for free or a reduced price when they're done with the breeding plan and spayed?

 

[GreyLady]

Another tip on cat allergies. Not all domestic shorthairs/cats in general are created equal. I suggest snuggling your individual cat before you adopt to make sure. 1/3 of my cats fur doesn't bother me at all but Grey's fur will make my eyes turn red and I sneeze if it gets in my face. He made my little brother have asthma attacks but my parents other long hair mixie was fine for him. Some cats shed and have more dander and their dander is just more... potent.

 

[LTS3]

Contact the bank right now and put stop order on the check. That way the scammer can't cash or deposit it since it's clear she's untrustworthy

 

[denice]

I agree cancel the check if it hasn't been cashed. That is way to much money for a kitten that isn't a purebred. It is also not a given that a Siberian cat won't trigger allergies and this isn't a purebred. It is actually specific to the cat whether they will trigger allergies or not. There are people here with a mild cat allergy and have cats. Things like wipe down kitty with a damp cloth every few days, it is actually the cat's saliva that contains the allergen and it builds up on the coat from grooming. Frequent dusting and vacuuming helps as does keeping kitty out of your bedroom so it is free of allergens helps.

 

[neely]

Another option if you prefer a specific breed would be to contact a rescue group for that breed. There are many of them out there and they will be able to give you some background information about the cat since they are usually fostered by a volunteer in the group. I agree with other members about allergies since I am also more allergic to some cats than others but have always rescued or adopted and have been able to manage accordingly. I hope you have contacted your bank by now and cancelled the check. Please keep us posted.

 

[Remi&RiRi]

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your replies and advice. I agree in that I think it was for the best that it did not work out. Luckily I got off the phone with my bank a little while ago and was able to cancel the check. Just to answer some of your questions, I was able to verify that it was indeed a Siberian mix as I saw multiple videos throughout several days in real time of all the kittens with their Siberian mother. However, I agree with replies saying that the kitten being less allergenic is not a given. I did do research and the kitten I was getting had light colored fur which has been proven to produce less of the Fel d 1 protein. I had also been in touch with the seller and was getting more information about the kitten being hypoallergenic like his mother. Bottom line I have definitely decided I am only going to be getting a kitten from a reliable breeder through a reliable source. I have thought many times about adopting and have visited with multiple cats from shelters and it really depends on the cat itself and the breed but have not had good luck with finding a hypoallergenic cats so far at shelters but you never know (and I do know that no cat is never fully hypoallergenic)! I loved your advice about how to best live with cats when your allergic, I will be keeping all these things in mind. Thank you!

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Good luck!! That was really crappy of that lady to do that to you. Hopefully its a blessing in the end though!

 

[LTS3]

Check the CFA and TICA web sites for breeders:

Home | The Cat Fanciers Association Find A Breeder

Let's help you find a breeder. Search catteries recorded with CFA as currently breeding CFA-recognized breeds of pedigreed cats or use the photos below to choose a breed. Select CategoryAbyssinia...

cfa.org

Breeder Listing

Disclaimer and WarningPlease be aware there are a number of pet sales scam operations. Frequently these companies or individuals will not reveal a physical address or even the names of the individuals other than a website and business name and will request large payments upfront for kitten...

tica.org

I also found these:

Siberian cat breeders in the USA - Siberian Cat World

If you are looking for a Siberian cat breeder in the USA, I hope this post will be helpful. I went through a number of US Siberian cat breeders websites to see which ones I could list in this article […]

www.siberiancatworld.com

siberiancathealth.com -&nbspsiberiancathealth Resources and Information.

siberiancathealth.com is your first and best source for all of the information you’re looking for. From general topics to more of what you would expect to find here, siberiancathealth.com has it all. We hope you find what you are searching for!

www.siberiancathealth.com

 

[lutece]

I agree with the other posters in this thread that it's much better to either work with a reputable breeder, or look for a rescued kitty. Craigslist sellers are often dishonest, or have unhealthy kittens.

If you have your heart set on a specific breed but the price of a kitten is too high for you, try talking to breeders about whether they have an adult cat available. Breeders often have adults available for a much lower price than a kitten. Sometimes these might be young adult cats of show quality that the breeder kept for evaluation, and then decided not to breed for whatever reason. Other cats may be retired after having a few litters of kittens.

In addition to the resources posted by LTS3 the Fanciers Breeder Referral List (FBRL) is a good place to look for breeders. Here is their Siberian listing:

Search For Breeders | Fanciers Breeder Referral List

www.breedlist.com

The FBRL also has a Retired Friends listing of retired cats of different breeds.

Adult Pedigreed Cats Looking For New Homes | Fanciers Breeder Referral List

Follow our feeds to be notified of new Retired Friends! Although prices are not listed, Retired Friends cats are not free. Please discuss adoption fees directly

www.breedlist.com