Pets4Homes Advertiser Breaches Trading Standards – BSB TEL 07983755116

Ha ha. Another cracker from another Pets4Homes advertiser. This time its a pedigree maine coon with no papers but a “pedigree”. Ha ha. Don’t they know that the papers are proof of the pedigree?

For those of you who may not realise a “pedigree” cat with no papers is typically a back street breeder, someone trading non pure cats or someone who has taken a cat from a reputable breeder but failed to get it neutered.

At best the cat will be on the inactive register, at worst it’s not a maine coon at all. A maine coon stud fee should be in the region of £400. Not £50. Who does this advertiser think they are kidding?

My analysis of these ads last year led me to think that the North West and North East of England (the latter in particular) are a hot spot for these back street breeders although they crop up all over the country.

What you need to know is that this type of advertiser puts profit fore the welfare of their cats because they are not registered and don’t have to follow a code of conduct. Of course breeder registration is no guarantee of breeder ethics but its a generally reliable indication that the welfare of the cat comes first.

Here’s the ad in question:

http://www.pets4homes.co.uk/classifieds/42741-male-mainecoon-manchester.html

But as they may take it down (we have asked them to) here it is here:

Male Mainecoon
£50
Posted 1 hour ago
For Stud | Cats | Maine Coon
Fantastic Silver/grey Tabby Male For Stud,no Papers But Full Pedigree Available To Females….see more
Contact the Seller
Manchester, Greater Manchester (View Map)
Before contacting the advertiser, please read our safety buying advice below.
Tel : 07983755116 or : 07983755116

The cat’s not even a silver tabby!

Have you spotted it? Yes you are right..of course. The cat is NOT a silver tabby!!!

How stupid can you get?????

This would be funny, if you weren’t left wondering about the welfare of the cat in question.

Falsifying Pedigrees

Sadly too many members of the public are duped by people who claim to be able to offer a pedigree when it’s nothing of the sort!! At £50 stud service what do you think that covers? Will cats be tested before mating, as they would be by a registered breeder? Of course not.

So who is to blame?

The blame lies in a few different places. Obviously non pedigree maine coons have to come from somewhere..enough said. However Pet Media Ltd, the company who owns Pets4Homes needs to get a grip and have ads properly monitored..and not rely on the public to complain.

But they are not the only ones. Preloved, Gumtree. Sadly it’s all about the money. These free ad sites rely on getting as much traffic as possible..so they put as few barriers in the way of people advertisng pets. What we need is PedigreePets4Homes. LOL