VIC Bought Sick Kitten from Gumtree - How to Get Money Back?

[Heli]

Hi,

We just bought a kitten from a private seller on Gumtree on Friday 2nd Dec at 9 pm. Saturday morning we noticed the kitten is not alright and we took her to the clinic. We were told that it is not 8 weeks and not at all at good condifion.

We contacted the seller, but she is not answering. As it was our first time to buy a pet and we had no experience, we couldn't recognize all by ourselves and now we need help.

Please let us know how we can get our money ($150) back under Australian Consumer Law, besides the clinic cost?

 

[Lance]

Hi, at a very minimum contact Gumtree, because if you have been advised by the vet that the kitten is under 8 weeks the seller have breached Gumtrees Selling pets code of practice Gumtree AU Support Knowledgebase - Policies - Gumtree Pets Code of Practice

You might be able to go through Gumtree to refund your money. It might be easier than consumer law.

 

[SamanthaJay]

Is the kitten microchipped? In Victoria, if you are selling a dog, cat, puppy or kitten, you are required to include the microchip number in the ad and for the animal to be microchipped. If it wasn't, I'd also contact local Council and report these backyard breeders.

Next time you decide to take a pet into your home, I'd be adopting from an animal shelter where the animals are vet checked. They will also give you advice on caring for your new pet. The fee to adopt the animal will include desexing, microchipping and vaccinations.

 

[Heli]

Hi Samantha,

No the kitten was not microchipped, she was so sick and we had to surrender her to euthanasia. It was the most heartbreaking moment of our lives. Unfortunately, our first try for having a pet did not go the way that we expected. We would like to bring more joy to our life, but it ended in a huge grief and sadness.

Honestly I did not know the best way is to adopt from shelter until I went there for my little kitty, for the next time, I will definitely get one from there.

I am trying to stop this person from making money from poor animals, I already reported her to RSPCA. I hope I can get a result at the end.

Cheers

 

[poliannsa65]

This is such a sad and frustrating experience, especially for a first-time pet owner. It's heartbreaking that you had to surrender the kitten to euthanasia. You did the right thing by reporting the seller to the RSPCA and Gumtree. Under Australian Consumer Law, you have rights to a refund for goods (including pets) that are not of acceptable quality or don't match the description. Since the seller is ignoring you, you might need to escalate it by lodging a formal complaint with Consumer Affairs Victoria or sending a formal letter of demand. For a distraction, you might visit Kingdom Casino - Official Site for UK Players 2026