Is it illegal ?? (cats/kittens)

[GreyhoundGirl]

Is it illegal to sell really young kittens? I was at the pet store the other day and saw the most gorgeous kittens ever, they were sleeping and I (out of curiosity ) asked the clerk how old they were. "Oh, two or three days,they are really cute, eh? Would you like to pet one?" she said. Clearly trying to sell them soon, they'd probably have to lower the price once they opened their eyes. Like $175 isn't too much for a kitten anyways.

I felt so bad for the poor little kittens, and I wanted to strangle the clerk. So, can I report this to anyone? Or is that not illegal?

[Catty1]

Call the humane society or the local shelter, tell them what the owner told you, and ask them who you should report to.

The clerk must have been nuts! They are WAAY too young, even at 3 WEEKS, to be weaned from their mom.

Call someone soon! If the kits are really that young, they will not feed on their own, and will die.

[GreyhoundGirl]

Would I get anywhere, though? They were obvioustly looking after them, they were being bottle-fed. Would the SPCA be able to do something? As cruel as it seems, I don't think there is a law that you can't take them away from their parents young.

[Catty1]

Again, ask the Humane Society. They know way more about it than I do.

[GreyhoundGirl]

Ok

[Randi]

Poor kittens. They should be with their mom until they're at least 10 weeks old, preferably 12. I don't think it's allowed in Denmark to sell kittens under 12 weeks. Some of the reasons are that it's important for them to learn from their mom, and they'll be less prone to get sick later in life.

[borzoimom]

They will have to explain why kittens so young are being bottle fed verses mom. If mom is died= then there is a reason but a 175 for a Cat??? our local shelter will adopt a cat or kitten out for 30-55. The HS will check the conditions, and the conditions of the kittens. You will have to leave it up to the laws of your state.

[BC_MoM]

There are different minimum age laws for selling animals all over the US - but there are some states that don't have a law. I would call a local shelter or humane society and find out and go from there.

[catnapper]

Any puppy or kitten must be at least 7 weeks old in Pennsylvania - its illegal to sell anything younger.

[catmandu]

And Kittens This Young Not Only Have To Be Fed, But Fed When They Are Hungry Which Is A 24/7 Job.
I Doubt There Anyone At The Store Whos With Them All The Time.
Thats Awful To Exploit Baby Kittens Like That, Just For A Few Extra Dollars.

[sirrahved]

Here it is 8 weeks. Any animal under that has to be fostered if they're at the shelter.

[*LabLoverKEB*]

Well, all I can say, is it should be illegal, Please, please contact the humane society. This just isn't right. These young kittens probsbly don't even have their eyes open yet... they could die without thier mother, and by not having the proper care they need. I hope this helps...

[xcolbi]

Would I get anywhere, though? They were obvioustly looking after them, they were being bottle-fed. Would the SPCA be able to do something? As cruel as it seems, I don't think there is a law that you can't take them away from their parents young.

If they were stray cats, the SPCA won't take them in. I read it on their site. Someone would have to bring them in as their owner.

[borzoimom]

Greyhoundgirl- I checked into our state, and it is illegal for any dog or cat to be sold in a pet type store under the age of 8 weeks. They can buy from a private breeder but not if the breeder is licensed with a business license. There are laws in place- but not sure about your state.
Call your County offices- they can tell you if it is legal. And any dog or cat over the age of 4 months MUST have a rabies vaccine. There is talk the law will change to 12 weeks as they had some kittens at a petsmart that one had rabies and all were distroyed. There is talk to raise to raise the limit to force a rabies vaccine for a dog or cat to be shown to the public.
Sick as this is, if the laws force people to do the right thing for other things such as a rabies vaccine, maybe it will keep these poor little guys out of this situation..

[IRescue452]

Wow, that's expensive and young! Are you sure they weren't taking buyers now and making them wait for christmas to get the kittens? There's a store by us that sells rescue cats for $60, which I think is too much. They had a 2 year old for free-so tempting.