91Èȱ¬

Animal charities have warned people not to buy pets from breeders advertising on social media platforms like Facebook.

A 91Èȱ¬ investigation has revealed puppies and kittens are being advertised through the platform, even though Facebook guidelines say the animals cannot be sold between private individuals.

Charities say that the animals may be sick, too young or it could be a scam, with no pet for sale at all.

The warning comes as demand for pets increases over lockdown, with the RSPCA calling these sellers "extremely irresponsible".

"We know that there are lots of unscrupulous breeders and sellers out there who exploit social media and classified websites in order to sell puppies and kittens without arousing suspicion," a RSPCA spokesperson said.

It says people should consider adopting from a rescue centre first, or follow its advice on buying dogs and cats - including seeing where the animal was bred.

Facebook said it was investigating examples the 91Èȱ¬ had shared, and encouraged users to report any posts they saw.

In closed Facebook groups, some pedigree breeds were advertised for over £1,000.

One public post advertised "long-haired doll-face Persian" kittens as "ready to go" and asking interested buyers to get in touch.

Some kittens and puppies were also offered for "worldwide delivery".

One post, selling ragdoll kittens, asked for a £150 deposit (non-refundable) to secure the kitten, and offered to send "updated pics until collection day".

A Facebook spokesman said: "We do not allow the sale of animals on Facebook including in private groups, and when we find this type content we take it down."

Scam reporting service Action Fraud said con artists were advertising online with pictures of pets to buy, and asking for a deposit even though they had none to sell.

It said that some people had already lost a lot of money, in a few cases more than £280,000 in two months.

This comes as coronavirus lockdown has led to an increased demand for new pets.

In April, The Kennel Club, one of the UK's biggest dog welfare organisations said searches for puppies on its website had doubled between February and March as the restrictions were announced.

Prices of kittens and puppies sold online have risen into the thousands.

But charities including Battersea Dogs 91Èȱ¬, Cats Protection and the RSPCA have also warned people against people rushing into getting a new pet.

They are concerned that as life returns to normal and people spend less time at home, pets will be abandoned.

Cats Protection's head of advocacy, Jacqui Cuff, said its important to always view a young animal with its mother so you can check what conditions it has been raised in.

But said the coronavirus pandemic had provided "a credible reason for not allowing buyers to view the kitten with their mother first".

She said: "Sadly, we fear there are many underage kittens being sold on Facebook by vendors who are impatient to make a quick profit.

"These kittens can go on to have serious, life-threatening illnesses or be so poorly socialised that they're not suitable as pets."