Stonehead Cattery / Kitten Love /…
Stonehead Cattery / Kitten Love / Purebred Kittens is a scam.
We paid approximately R4,000 for a Ragdoll kitten and never received the kitten.
The website looks professional and convincing at first glance. However, the first red flag was that there is no verified physical address and no social media presence linked to the business.
They require full payment upfront and claim to be located in another province. Communication is very convincing. They are knowledgeable and speak confidently about breeding practices. They even claim that an SPCA trained individual will travel with the kitten. After payment, they ask what name you would like on the registration papers, which makes the process feel legitimate.
Our point of contact was someone calling herself “Catherine Smith.” The bank details provided were:
Bank: TymeBank
Account Holder: Catherine Smith
Account Number: 51135473458
Branch Code: 678910
Reference: Nala
Payment option: Immediate or instant payment
On the supposed delivery day, they sent a tracking number. Shortly afterwards, we received another email claiming that the cargo transport company, haulwaycargotransport.co.za, required an additional R15,000 for a “thermal electronic crate” before delivery could proceed. We also received a phone call from a man claiming to be “Martin Murry.”
At that point it became clear this was a scam.
This follows a known pet scam pattern in South Africa where victims are asked for unexpected transport or crate fees after payment has already been made.
Please be extremely cautious. Do not make upfront payments without verifying the breeder in person, confirming a physical address, and checking legitimate breeder associations.
I hope this helps prevent someone else from losing money.