Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is renewing it warning against buying pets online after the charity took in a six-week old kitten who was bought online for £20.
The kitten, named Sergei was collected by the buyer from a train station and was bought as a surprise present, but he turned out to be an unwelcome gift for his new owner.
The tiny kitten was taken to Battersea by his owner who was worried that he wasn’t eating or drinking after spending two days cowering under a sofa.
At just six weeks old, Sergei was too young to have been taken away from his mum and because the buyer did not see the kitten in the home with his mother and litter mates, staff will never know what condition he was kept in.
Rob Young, Head of Catteries at Battersea, said: “Sergei’s case shows the problems with buying pets impulsively online. While we would always advocate that rescue is best, if you do decide to buy a kitten or puppy elsewhere, do your research.
“Make sure you meet the animal in the home with its mother and that you buy from a reputable source. Buying animals online and collecting them from a public place – like a car park or train station – means you don’t know what you’re getting or what conditions the animal has been raised in.”
Sergei’s story luckily had a happy ending and earlier this month he found a home with a family from Balham and is enjoying life as a much-loved pet.
