Buy safe
How to avoid kitten scams
Most kittens listed far below the market price are not real. Here is how the scam works, how to check any seller in ten minutes, and what to do if you have already paid.
PrettyBrity kittens are sold only on prettybrity.com and by Elena at (954) 554-5913 — always after a live video call, with a $200 deposit. If anyone else offers you one of our kittens, it is a scam.
The pattern
How the scam works
- 01
The listing
Beautiful photos copied from a real cattery, a rare color, and a price far below the market.
- 02
The pressure
Another family is “interested,” so you must pay today to hold the kitten. No time for a live video call.
- 03
The payment
A deposit or the full price by Zelle, Cash App, gift card, crypto or wire — payments that work like cash.
- 04
The fees
Then “shipping insurance,” a special crate, a permit… until the money stops. The kitten never existed.
By the numbers
Not a rare problem
of sponsored ads in an internet search for pets may be fraudulent, according to experts cited in a BBB investigation (2017).
of pet-scam reports to BBB involved kittens or cats (BBB update, 2020).
average reported loss in 2022 — up 60% since 2017 (BBB).
“I saw it cheaper”
Raising a registered kitten properly costs real money: TICA registration, veterinary exams, age-appropriate vaccinations and deworming, the official Florida health certificate, quality food and many weeks of daily care. That is why pedigreed British Shorthairs from established catteries usually sell for roughly $2,000–$3,000 for a pet home, with rare colors like golden and silver chinchilla at the upper end. See our Florida price guide.
A golden chinchilla offered for a few hundred dollars by a seller you cannot verify is, in our experience, almost never what it appears to be — usually a scam, sometimes an unregistered or mislabeled kitten.
A lower price can be genuine — when it comes directly from a registered cattery’s own website, under its own name, with its own cats and a history you can check.
Red flags
- The price is far below what registered catteries ask for the same color
- The same photos appear on another site (a reverse image search takes 30 seconds)
- The seller avoids a live video call — “the camera is broken”
- You are pushed to pay today because “other families are waiting”
- Payment only by gift card, crypto or wire — or a large deposit before you have verified anything
- New fees appear after you pay: shipping insurance, crates, permits
- The kitten is offered younger than 8 weeks — not allowed in Florida
- No Florida health certificate from a licensed veterinarian at go-home
- No cattery name, website or review history you can look up
Ten minutes
Check any cattery before you pay
- 01
Find its own website
Not just a listing. The cattery name should match its Google profile, Instagram and the person you are texting.
- 02
Read its Google reviews
Real catteries have a history of real families — and recent reviews.
- 03
Ask for a live video call
Ask the seller to show the kitten next to something you choose: a spoon, today’s date on paper, your name.
- 04
Reverse-search the photos
If the kitten appears elsewhere under another name or price, walk away.
- 05
Verify the registration
Ask for the registry (for example TICA or CFA) and the cattery name — the registry can confirm it.
- 06
Keep the deposit small
Send money only after you have verified the seller, with a payment method that leaves a record.
- 07
Ask about go-home
In Florida your kitten should come with an official health certificate from a licensed veterinarian.
Our process
How PrettyBrity does it
- Live video callsSee your kitten as often as you like — before you reserve and while it grows.
- A $200 depositNot a large upfront payment. The balance is due on pickup day.
- A public track recordRated 5.0 on Google, with years of kittens and graduates on Instagram.
- A registered catteryTICA-registered, with its own website, its own cats and its own name.
- Florida health certificateEvery kitten is examined by a licensed veterinarian before going home.
- Pickup at the vet or deliveryCollect your kitten at our veterinarian’s office, or we deliver to most of Florida for $200.
We will never ask you for gift cards, crypto or “shipping insurance.”
If it happened to you
Already sent money?
Act quickly — and don’t blame yourself. These scams are run professionally.
- 01
Call your bank or payment app now
Report the payment as fraud right away — some transfers can be stopped or disputed if you act fast.
- 02
Report it to the FTC
- 03
Report it to the FBI
The Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
- 04
Warn other families
Add it to BBB Scam Tracker.
- 05
Stop all contact
Never pay a “refund,” “release” or “insurance” fee to get your money or the kitten back.
Sources: BBB study “Puppy Scams” (2017) · BBB study update (2020) · BBB pet-scam figures for 2022, via Pets+ · CFA — Could this kitten be a scam? (2025) · Florida Statutes § 828.29
Reservations open
Seen a cheaper kitten?
Send us the link. We will tell you honestly what we see — even if you end up buying elsewhere. A safe purchase from any reputable cattery is a good outcome for everyone, especially the kitten.