While buying a kitten advertised on social media may seem appealing, it’s generally not recommended. Social media platforms are not designed to handle pet sales and may lack proper moderation, increasing the risk of scams and irresponsible breeders. It’s also difficult to verify the legitimacy of breeders and guarantee the kitten’s health and welfare.  

Yet more buyers than ever are turning to social media as a place to purchase a kitten or cat.  

How common is it? 

According to Cats Protection’s Cats and Their Stats (CATS) Report 2024, 72% of cats that were purchased in the twelve months leading up to the report were bought online. People buy cats online through classified sites like Gumtree, Preloved and Pets4Homes. Worryingly, social media has also become a significant source for acquiring cats. Over a quarter (27%) of purchased cats were found on social media platforms, rising to 37% for those purchased in the last twelve months. Facebook is the biggest individual source for acquiring cats to buy, but cats and kittens are also regularly sold on sites like Instagram and TikTok.  

Why is this a problem?  

Unlike the top classified sites, which have committed to following the advertising guidelines set out by the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG), social media platforms simply define their own rules on pet sales, with little oversight.  

PAAG is made up of welfare associations including Dogs Trust, Cats Protection, Battersea, Woodgreen, and the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund, as well as trade associations and veterinary bodies. The group was set up to tackle irresponsible advertising of pets.  

Research conducted by the group in 2024 found that a shocking 94% of social media ‘pets for sale’ adverts would not meet PAAG’s Advertising Standards.  

Here’s why buying a kitten on social media is problematic: 

Scams and Unscrupulous Sellers: 

What you see isn’t always what you’ll get. A large number of social media pet ads are scams. You may have heard of ‘Catfishing’, where a stranger creates a fictional online persona to lure someone into a relationship. Deceitful pet sellers use a similar tactic to ‘Petfish’ unsuspecting buyers. These unscrupulous sellers pretend that the puppy or kitten they’re selling you comes from a happy home. In reality, the animal may have been bred or kept in poor conditions.  

PAAG’s 2024 investigation found that nearly a third of all social media ads for cats and kittens were likely falsified, with Facebook being particularly rife with such scams. 

Lack of Moderation: 

Social media platforms often have weak enforcement of their pet sales policies, making it difficult to protect buyers and animals. Sellers are aware of loopholes in pet selling policies and often find ways to breech the rules. 

Difficulty Verifying Breeder Legitimacy: 

Lucy’s Law was enacted in England in April 2020. The law prohibits the sale of puppies and kittens under six months of age by third-party sellers, including online retailers. This means that you can only legally buy puppies or kittens directly from the breeder or from rescue centres.  

When buying cats on social media platforms, it’s hard to verify that a seller is a registered breeder or that the kittens are healthy and properly cared for. It’s easy for third-party sellers to pass themselves off as the breeder. In reality, the kittens they are selling may have been ‘farmed’ or illegally imported.  

Potential for Health Problems: 

Buying from unregistered or irresponsible breeders can lead to kittens being poorly bred, with genetic and health issues. Sometimes kittens may have been purposefully bred to have extreme physical characteristics such as dwarfism, hairlessness and extremely flat faces, meaning they are highly likely to suffer from health and welfare issues throughout their life.   

Ethical Concerns: 

Buying from social media sellers can contribute to the problem of irresponsible breeding practices and the suffering of animals.   

Buying a cat or kitten through social media can have tragic consequences. The cat you see online may in reality have severe health problems and may not have been properly socialised with other animals or people. It’s important to do your research so you know your new pet has come from a responsible seller. Don’t fall into a trap that could leave an unscrupulous person quids in and able to repeat the cycle of suffering over and over again. 

Instead of buying from social media, consider these alternatives: 

Adopt from a Rescue Organisation: 

Rescue and rehoming charities offer a wide variety of cats and kittens, often already vaccinated, spayed/neutered and microchipped. Experienced teams will match you and your family with the cat or kitten you’ve been looking for. 

There are many unwanted cats in the UK; so many that there are long waiting lists of cats needing to come into the care of a charity. Sadly, the proportion of the pet cat population that is ‘bought’ is continuing to increase, and fewer people are choosing to adopt. Before you commit to buying, it’s well worth looking at some of the rescue centres near you. You may just find your perfect cat or kitten has been waiting there for you all along. 

Do your Research: 

If you are looking for a certain breed, make sure you do your research first. Some breeds may need extra care. For example, long-haired cats will need daily grooming. Other breeds may be inherently unhealthy, such as the Scottish Fold and Munchkin. Some ‘types’ within a breed can suffer from problems related to their body conformation, like extremely flat-faced cats. Talk to your vet and look at information provided by charities such as International Cat Care and Cats Protection before you make your decision.  

Contact a Reputable Breeder: 

Many reputable breeders will register with a governing body that oversees good breeding practices. In the UK, the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) is the main breed registry. GCCF breeders follow a code of ethics and conduct health testing.  

Use the Kitten Checklist: 

If you are thinking about buying a kitten, the Kitten Checklist is a useful resource that can help you to navigate your way towards finding a happy, healthy kitten. This information has been put together by The Cat Group, a collection of professional organisations dedicated to feline welfare, including International Cat Care, Cats Protection, Battersea, Woodgreen and RSPCA. 

Visit the Kitten with its Mother: 

If buying from a breeder, make sure you visit the kitten with the mother to assess their health and the environment. Kittens must stay with their mother until they are at least eight weeks of age. It’s also useful to check where the kitten was raised. A kitten born outside a home and raised in a shed or outdoor pen may not experience normal human home life when it is between two and nine weeks old, the time when kittens are most sensitive to learning about the world. If a kitten misses this opportunity it may never be fully comfortable living as a pet cat. It’s also good to see whether the kitten has been raised with their brothers and sisters. A kitten which has been raised alongside other kittens is more likely to have learned appropriate cat behaviour. 

Ask to See Records: 

If you are buying a cat, it’s important to ask questions about their health. Request vaccination certificates, worming records, and other health records. Make sure the cat or kitten is microchipped and registered to the breeder before the sale. This is now a legal requirement in England.   

It should be possible to view the cat or kitten’s medical records. Be aware that any pre-existing medical conditions are unlikely to be covered by a future insurance policy. 

Getting a cat or kitten can be fraught with scams and pitfalls

Buying through social media platforms is especially risky and is best avoided. If you have spotted any sellers online you think might be deceitful, you can report this to the RSPCA Cruelty Hotline – 0300 1234 999.