Kitten needed in Bournemouth, Dorset

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Abs
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Kitten needed in Bournemouth, Dorset

Post by Abs »

Hi everyone,

My beautiful boy used up his 9th life earlier in the year, and our home is absolutely empty without a feline friend. I had thought that it would only be I who was heartbroken... What I hadn't realised is that after my mother's leg surgery - which, to her great frustration, forced her to rest often - my cat had been secretly sneaking into her room to sit with her during the day while I was at work! My mother is desolate; the first question she asks me over breakfast is "are there any new kittens on gumtree?" and the last thing she says at night is "have a lovely sleep, don't forget to check the Internet, because working mothers might have put some kittens on when their children have gone to sleep!"

I'm looking everywhere I can think of for a kitten (mother expressly does not want a grown cat). The Dorset cat rehoming centre (link from this website) explicitly does not rehome to Bournemouth; the one in Lymington does not have kittens, and the lady at the centre in Ferndown was so snooty when my mother told her we lived in Boscombe Manor (which is very different to Boscombe), that she refused to give any information on available kittens and told her that there would be plenty of private kittens available. Well... there are NOT plenty of private kittens available nearby Bournemouth. Does anyone have any further advice about places I could look, or know a kitten fitting the below description looking for a home? I already do a daily search before breakfast, on my lunch break and before sleep on gumtree, preloved, friday-ads, freeads and pets4homes, with no luck.

I'm looking for a single kitten
- under 6 months
- any colour EXCEPT black-and-white (my previous boy looked like he wore a dinner jacket)
- located within the Dorset area
- below £350

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Marla
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Re: Kitten needed in Bournemouth, Dorset

Post by Marla »

I'm really sorry you lost your boy. :(

It's great that you're trying to rescue - sorry you're having a bad experience. 20 years ago when we wanted to rescue 2 kittens, we didn't get a warm reception either. Maybe because there are so many adult cats needing homes, they're tired of hearing from people who want kittens. We only adopt adult cats now, but at the time we really wanted 2 kittens.

There is one big benefit to adopting an adult cat and that's that you will be able to choose based on personality. It sounds like your mother would like a cuddly kitten. It might start out cuddly, but at 6 months decide it would rather be outside hunting.

Have you called all of the rescues close to you?
https://www.catchat.org/index.php/cat-r ... res-dorset

When you speak with them:
- Don't mention your previous experiences with the other rescues.
- If the other area with a similar name is causing a problem, just give them your postcode.
- Sound flexible so you can view all the kittens/cats and then make your choice.

I don't know what kittens go for these days, but the price you've mentioned is way too much. I wouldn't mention how much you're willing to pay.

I hope you find the perfect kitten/cat.
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Janey
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Re: Kitten needed in Bournemouth, Dorset

Post by Janey »

Hi and welcome. So sorry about the loss of your cat :(

If you would like to adopt another cat then it’s best to go through a rescue centre rather than a pet shop or private seller, you’ll get a vet-checked, de-wormed, de-flead kitten, and full after-adoption advice if needed (which you will not get from a private seller or pet shop). Kitten season is mainly from April to November, although many rescues will still have ‘older kittens’, say up to 4, 5 or 6 months old so, but if you’re looking for a young kitten you may need to wait until early April. Don’t forget though, kittens don’t stay kittens for long, your cat may live to over 20 years, so it can be a long term commitment.
If you definitely just want a kitten you could start here:
Cat Chat has a page specifically for rescues with kittens available, here: Under the ‘Adopt a Cat’ menu heading on the site, choose “Kittens Needing Homes": https://www.catchat.org/index.php/cats/adopt-rescue-cat

It is not a complete list though so check out the ‘Cats Needing Homes’ section in your area too. If there are no kittens ready, you can ask to put your name down on their list for when some are ready to go, but kittens shouldn’t leave mum until 12 weeks preferably. The adoption fee from different rescues does vary, but the cost usually includes their vaccinations (if old enough), flea control, de-worming, and microchipping. If you are out through the day many rescues prefer to home young kittens either in pairs, or singly to homes where there is already a resident cat for these reasons. If you really only want one cat, it would be worth considering adopting a young cat/older kitten rather than having a very young kitten if it’s to be on it’s own.

Best of luck,
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