How to Sell a Kitten, Responsibly

How to go about selling a kitten

If you should find yourself in the position of owning a cat (or should I say being owned by a cat!) that has a litter of kittens, you may need to think about re-homing your new arrivals. But how do you go about selling a kitten? Where do you advertise your kittens for sale?

Time

First of all, it is absolutely imperative that the kittens stay with their mother until they are at least eight weeks old. However this figure is not cast in stone. Some people say that it is acceptable for a kitten to leave its mother after six weeks (which is far, far too early), whereas on the other hand some breeders of pedigree cats wait until the kittens are twelve weeks old.

As with humans, kittens grow and develop at varying rates, and the smallest in the litter (the runt) should be re-homed the last as they will take a little longer to develop.

"The longer you leave a kitten with its mother the better as the kittens will have had chance to develop socially with the other kittens in the litter, they will have matured more and also will have had chance to nurse from their mothers which could benefit them on an emotional level."

So if you are going to consider selling a kitten, you should wait until at least eight weeks before allowing it to leave its mother.

Your kitten will have gone through several stages by eight weeks, something along these lines:

Stage One - the nursing stage. Here your kitten will be quite fragile and totally dependent on his mother.
Stage Two - the weaning stage, which probably begins around four weeks and this is the time where you should slowly introduce the kitten to canned or dried kitten food, remembering to moisten any dried food so the kitten can chew it easier. At eight weeks your kitten should be eating dry foods quite easily, playing and also using his litter tray (there may still be the odd accident here and there, though).
Stage Three - Your kitten should now be a very active little chappy, learning to explore his environment and finding his own feet. If he is not active, then this could be an indication that there is a health problem and any kitten who is not altogether boisterous should be taken for a quick examination.

So now that your kitten is ready to be re-homed, what is the next step?

Where to advertise your kitten for sale?

Quite simply the best option would be to let your friends know that you have kittens for sale and see if any of them would like to adopt him. Ideally it is far, far better for you to know that your kitten is going to be well cared for and loved - and as a responsible pet owner you really should make sure that your kitten goes to a good and loving home.

However, if none of your friends relish the idea of living with a cat then the next step would be to consider advertising. You can place advertisements in many places, one of the best ones being the local vets, but you could also consider placing adverts in your local newspaper, and nowadays you can even advertise your kittens for sale online.

A loving home

When selling a kitten it is absolutely vital that you ensure it goes to a good and loving home. That is an absolute.

"It is very easy for people to forget how much care and responsibility a cat requires and it should be remembered that on average a cat will live for at least ten years - some even live up to fifteen or twenty years - and so this is not a commitment to be made lightly."

Apart from the feeding and watering, cats will require at least an annual inspection from the vet, along with a booster jab, and if your cat is long haired, then grooming will need to be carried out on a regular basis - all these things must be considered carefully by the new cat owner.

A truly responsible cat owner may even consider stating to the new owners that if for any reason they decide to sell the kitten that it should be returned to them, so as to ensure the kitten/cat's welfare is protected.

Vet the prospective owners

When meeting the prospective owners of your kitten, you really must ensure that they are going to give your kitten a good home - and the only way to do this is to question them. For example you could ask:

Do they have any other animals at home?
Do they have any children?
What provisions have they made for taking the kitten home? Have they bought food along with the necessary bowls and water dishes, litter trays, a cat bed with appropriate bedding, cat toys, a grooming comb etc?
Do they intend to allow the kitten outside or is it going to remain an indoor cat? If it is to be allowed outside, do they realise the timescales involved before it can be allowed outside safely (A kitten should not be allowed outside until at least seven days after it has finished its first course of vaccinations).
Do they understand the importance of worming the kitten and do they understand the necessary treatment required to keep fleas at bay?
Have they thought about the costs involved in looking after their cat?

And finally...

Remember cats give us much pleasure, and as responsible owners we should ensure their continued welfare and guarantee that any kittens for sale go only to loving homes where you know they will be well cared for, and much loved. As Jean Cocteau once said...

I love cats because I enjoy my home...and little by little they become its visible soul."

Putting a kitten for sale shouldn't be rushed. You should sell your kitten responsibly. If in doubt, always ask your vet, local cat breeder or local cat club.