After 5 years of breeding, I’m writing this with a sad heart and out of great frustration. When my very first litter was born and almost ready to set off to their forever homes, I though that the most natural place to market them would be in the classified sections of local newspapers, Junkmail, OLX etc, which I did. To my utmost surprise, a few mentor breeders contacted me in shock and horror, after finding out what I had done. In my wildest dreams I would never have guessed that these platforms are the ‘hunting grounds’ of heartless scammers who prey on innocent, unsuspecting people who are simply in search of a pet. I am regularly contacted for a kitten by people who have already lost vast amounts of money after being scammed. I am placing this on my website in an attempt to create an awareness and to help you recognize a scammer’s website. I hope this will help you you to approach websites where kittens are offered with discernment:
TIPS TO RECOGNIZE SCAMMER WEBSITES:
To be able to breed ethically, most breeders only breed with one, or maximum 2 breeds. As soon as there is more than 2 breeds on a site you can comfortably assume that this is a scammer. Examples of scam websites: http://www.exceptionalkittenshome.co.za/ and https://kittenfinder.net/ and http://natashakittenshome.co.za/.
No telephone or cell number is available on the site and no phone calls are made. Correspondence is via e-mail, sms or WhatsApp. They are always ‘located’ in a province that is too far to reach or visit. These people don’t want to speak to their targets in person- it would be too easy to recognize them for who they are then- ALWAYS speak to the breeder yourself and ask LOTS of questions. Insist on a cattery visit or a ‘virtual tour’ using Skype, Facetime or Zoom etc.
Grammatical and spelling errors and incorrect or poor use of the English language:
And replicated texts on other websites!!:
Breeders do not operate like pet shops. There are usually waiting lists and even if there are kittens available soon, there will be period to wait before the administration such as microchip registration and contract signing is completed. It is rare to have kittens ready and waiting to leave on the same day:
