TLC Brits Cattery

How To Avoid Kitten Scams

Any reputable and ethical British Shorthair breeder will tell you stories of buyers who eventually find them after being scammed, sometimes more than once. Before I was a Breeder, I was a Buyer searching for my kitten so I know the frustration. I developed the ability to spot scam websites quickly and wanted to share with buyers. I conducted a simple Google search “British shorthair kittens near me” which generated tons of websites! Shockingly 8 of the first 10 were scams. What to look for:

🚩The price of a purebred British Shorthair kitten in the US begins at ~$2,000. If the listed price is less than this it’s a red flag.

🚩Legitimate Cattery Owner/Breeders are registered with governing bodies such as TICA, LCWW, WCF, CFA and you can verify this information.

🚩Never send money via electronic payments until you have spoken in person to the breeder, video chatted with the kitten and received detailed information about the cattery, breeder and kitten.

🚩If the website details shipping information for the kitten BEWARE! Reputable breeders do not detail information on shipping. This is typically handled by a third-party. They may refer you or simply say they don’t offer it.

🚩Websites should show kittens with detailed info on their gender, color, personality and age. There are kittens from the same litter typically shown in addition to the parents. There should also be a page with adult cats in the breeding program.

🚩SCAM Websites are slick in appearance, extremely wordy but there are errors in the English. The content sounds like one big sales pitch. There’s generally no way to contact the “breeder” except through a “contact form” nor is there a phone number, Social Media links, location or cattery information.

🚩The website is new and typically Copyright is posted for current year. A search of www.Whois.com will tell you who the owner of the site is. This should match the person you’re talking to.

🚩The most common SCAM is when those affiliated with the website will contact you about the kitten yet they provide very little information and usually don’t offer a pedigree. They may or may not call sometimes it’s handled all through email. The scam is just to get a deposit/delivery fee from you though they may ask for more money later saying there’s problems bebe with transportation. No kittens will ever be delivered to you. If you do receive a kitten at this price, there’s a good chance it is sick and/or not purebred or registered. I’ve heard dozens of stories of buyers getting sick kittens who ran up huge vet bills or worse, watched a beloved kitten die of FIP. I hope this information is helpful and saves buyers the heartbreak and financial strain of being sucked into these SCAMS.

✅ Remember when checking a breeder listing on TICA there are two lists. One is a comprehensive database of all TICA registered breeders. The second is paid advertising where TICA registered breeders can pay to have their name and information listed. Breeders supply information and pay a fee. Also, please note that TICA is a registry that records pedigrees and records of cats. They are not in the business of inspecting Catteries or investigating to make sure a breeder is good or ethical unless formal complaints are made. It’s up to the buyer to research the breeder.