Buying a Purebred Cat from a Breeder That Has an Unregistered Litter

If you are in the market to buy a purebred cat and you are dealing with a hobby breeder, I would recommend that you only purchase a cat from a litter that is registered. I would be very suspicious of purchasing a kitten from litter that is not registered. Last year, I purchased an Exotic long hair from Dreamquete Cattery in Northwest Indiana. The kitten was from a litter that had not been registered with either TICA or CFA. I really did not think much of it at the time as I had no plans of showing the kitten.

Approximately 5 months after the purchase, my little Rusty became very ill. He was anemic and was literally dying in my arms. I had to have him put to sleep as no doctor seemed to know what was causing his illness. I could have gotten a necropsy report to prove a genetic defect, but that would have cost the price of buying another kitten. I chose to purchase another kitten elsewhere and not waste my resources in an attempt to get a replacement that could potentially have genetic issues. Our vet told us that we should inform the breeder to stop breeding with those particular cats.

The moral of the story: know the bloodlines of the kitten you are purchasing. If they are too inbred, their genetic defects are likely to cause you problems.

Death From Genetic Defects Can Be Tough To Prove

The purpose of this blog is to help people learn from my experiences in purchasing a purebred kitten and to carefully read any contracts that you sign when making a purchase.
On May 27, 2010, we purchased an Exotic long hair kitten from the Dreamquete Cattery in northwest Indiana. The kitten, Rusty, was more timid than most kittens, but after a couple of weeks in our home he started to become acclimated to living with us. By October 25, Rusty’s appetite had waned to nothing and completely stopped eating. On October 27, Rusty had a complete blood count test to reveal that he had an elevated white cell count where there were many immature white blood cells in his system. Rusty’s condition worsened despite the fact that he was on Convenia and doxycylin and was being fed with a dropper. On Monday, November 1, after examination by 2 additional veterinarians, it was determined that Rusty had become anemic and was suffering considerably. Rusty’s life had to be terminated prematurely at 10.5 months old as the treatment was very expensive and there was no guaranty. Three different doctors examined Rusty and could not determine what was causing his illness.
Besides the heartbreak that we suffered, we learned a very valuable lesson about health guarantees and the requirement of a necropsy report in the event that a kitten dies within the first year after delivery to get a replacement. We were offered a full credit for the price we paid for Rusty towards the purchase of another kitten from Dreamquete. We did not pursue a necropsy report as that would not bring back precious little Rusty. We decided we would purchase a new kitten from a different breeder.
After conferring with several breeders, we did find a precious exotic shorthair to take Rusty’s role as Smokey’s companion. Smokey, a lovely black male Persian, has been devastated by the loss of Rusty since Rusty was already here when Smokey came home. Smokey and his brother Lucky get along great. We love Lucky, but we still feel the void as Rusty is no longer with us.
Our vet of 30 years told us to contact the breeder and let her know that she should stop breeding with her cats. The vet believed it was congenital.

In Loving Memory of Rusty from Dreamquete Cattery

Little Rusty, you came home with us on May 27, 2010 from Dreamquete Cattery in Northwest Indiana. I will never forget how I fell in love with you the minute I held you. You hid for a couple of weeks until you got used to living with us. After that, you were the most lovable little kitty and you were so beautiful. My heart has been broken since we lost you on November 1, 2010. I feel worse about losing you than a cat that I had for 14.5 years. My poor little Rusty suffered so the last 2 weeks of his life with anemia and anorexia. Little Rusty, you will always be close now and free of pain as you rest on the shelf in my armoire.

In Loving Memory of Rusty from Dreamquete Cattery

Little Rusty, you came home with us on May 27, 2010 from Dreamquete Cattery in Northwest Indiana. I will never forget how I fell in love with you the minute I held you. You hid for a couple of weeks until you got used to living with us. After that, you were the most lovable little kitty and you were so beautiful. My heart has been broken since we lost you on November 1, 2010. I feel worse about losing you than a cat that I had for 14.5 years. My poor little Rusty suffered so the last 2 weeks of his life with anemia and anorexia. Little Rusty, you will always be close now and free of pain as you rest on the shelf in my armoire.

Humiliation as a Sales Tactic

Recently, I had my cat Smokey to the Veterinarian Specialty Center in Buffalo Grove. When Dr. Kelly Wessberg gave me the results, she did it in the lobby of the facility. She did not like my response that I was not going to take her advice and put my cat on antiarrhytmic medication as he was not showing any signs of heart disease on the ultrasound. She told me "my cat could die suddenly" if I did not follow her recommendations. She did this in the lobby with an audience of other patrons and staff of VSC to coerce me into buying into her treatment plan. I have never had a veterinarian practice in this unprofessional manner.

After my experience at the Veterinarian Specialty Center, I looked them up on Yelp. Seems there were some not so favorable comments about this facility. I read some of the filtered reviews and had a real awakening. It seems that many other people felt that same as I did with VSC. Their experiences were very similar to mine. Take a look at the link below to Yelp and see what the others had to say!

Page 1 link of filtered comments:

http://www.yelp.com/filtered_reviews/K8iyzVBc5SzALilHaJHtYg?fsid=GSPbpm4vWJPoNWX_ne9TrQ

Smokey’s Examination by the Vet

On New Year’s Eve Day 2010, I took my kittens Smokey and Lucky to the vet. They had both been experiencing soft and mushy stools. I suspected that they might have intestinal parasites. After having bad experiences with my previous 2 veterinarians, I decided to try the Glenview Animal Hospital since it was so close. In addition, my neighbor had told me that she took her 2 cats there and was happy with the care they provided to her cats.

After a thorough examination by the doctor, he found that my 10-month-old Persian cat Smokey had somewhat of an arrhythmia in his heart beat. First, he used a stethoscope and then took a reading using an ECG machine to confirm that he heard an arrhythmia. The doctor recommended that I take Smokey to a cardiologist for an ultrasound to determine if Smokey did, in fact, have heart disease. The closest clinic that the doctor recommended was the Veterinarian Specialty Center in Buffalo Grove, Illinois.

I had a previous experience with VSC when my cat Rusty was ill. They came up with a very expensive treatment plan with no guaranty that the cat would ever regain his health. I opted to put him to sleep since he was suffering. I have known other people that took their animals to the Veterinary Specialty Center and ended taking their animal’s home without treatment as VSC was recommending very expensive treatment plans without really knowing what they were dealing with. One breeder I know took her cat there that had blacked out and was given a very expensive treatment plan and a bill for $2,000. The breeder opted to not follow their advice and 3 years later, the cat is living and is very happy and comfortable.

I made an appointment with Dr. Kelly Wessberg and took him there for the ultrasound so that we could determine if Smokey had any heart disease. After the exam, I was informed that the heart had no disease and was structurally sound. On the doctor’s report for the cardiovascular exam, it was noted that there was no murmur and that the rhythm was regular during auscultation (examination with a stethoscope). It was also noted that rhythm was regular at this time. It was also noted on the report that there was normal cardiac size and function. See the comments in the attached report. There was also no fluid in the heart cavity.

The doctor did mention that there was frequent VPC’s seen during the ultrasound examination. When the doctor and I discussed the results, they did not even have the courtesy to do so in an exam room. They gave me the results out in the lobby and recommended that I start the cat on Sotolol and then bring him back for another ECG. The doctor verbally said that he might have an underlying infection causing the arrhythmia. I questioned why I would start him on Sotolol when it could be an infection causing the arrhythmia. When the doctor realized I was challenging her, she became very defensive and made a verbal statement that my cat could die suddenly if I didn’t put him on the treatment. I informed the doctor that I would not torture my cat with excessive medical treatments and spend thousands of dollars on treatment only to make him suffer more. If he was meant to die, that is what was in the plan for him and I could accept that.

In the report, see the additional note section where they include items I discussed that have absolutely nothing to do with the diagnosis of the animal. They were doing the same thing to me that they did to 2 other people I know that have been there. I did the same thing: I walked away. When I checked out, they added an additional charge of $45.90 for 2 electrocardiogram leads that was not on the original patient care plan and authorization. I never authorized that charge and insisted they remove it from the bill. I would never bring an animal back to these people for any type of treatment or evaluation. The tactics they use to force treatments that are not necessary are ridiculous. They could see no heart disease during the test. Basically, what it boils down to is my cat probably has a benign arrhythmia. Why would I torture him with all that medical treatment when he is perfectly happy?

Smokey and Lucky did have Giardia. They have taken the treatment and are rid of the parasites!

Beware of Giardia: It can happen to you!

At the end of May 2010, I purchased Rusty, an Exotic longhaired cat sired by a grand champion of Dreamquete, from Dreamquete Cattery in Northwest Indiana. Rusty seemed like a perfectly healthy kitty and was a very mellow kitty. Once Rusty was adjusted to living we us, he really was the most lovable little kitten. He was such a gorgeous red tabby/white bicolor Exotic longhair.

We had Rusty neutered in June shortly before Smokey joined us. Shortly after little Rusty was neutered, I received a telephone call from the veterinarian that performed the procedure. The doctor called to inform me that the blood work that was done on Rusty had shown that he tested positive for Giardia, but that none was found in his stool sample. According to research that we did, we discovered that the Giardia was acquired from either contaminated water, uncooked food, and then transmitted via litter pans with infected fecal matter. Additionally, it was noted that the Giardia parasite can live in the environment for a long time after contamination. When we completed the purchase of Rusty from Dreamquete, I was told that Rusty had been on a diet of PMI Exclusive and Blue Ridge Beef which is a raw food diet.

Unfortunately, Rusty became very ill and was put to sleep on November 1, 2010. On November 13, I brought another Exotic shorthair into my home to be Smokey’s companion. Both Smokey and Lucky were fine and showed no signs of parasite infestation. On December 30, 2010, after several weeks of odd fecal issues, I took both cats to the Glenview Animal Hospital for further analysis as the fecal issues were getting worse. Under a normal microscope, they were not able to see any parasites. However, they sent the specimens I brought to them to a laboratory for further analysis. I received the results on December 31, 2010 that both my cats had been infected with the Giardia parasite. I coordinated the collection of the medication with the vet’s office and began treatment.

The care that both my cats received from the Glenview Animal Hospital was outstanding. I have lived here for 6 years and wished that I had taken them there sooner. It is so reassuring that quality care is literally around the corner from my house.

In summary, it’s really hard to know if the Giardia was acquired from the cat from Dreamquete or the raw food. I hope this information helps those that are contemplating a purchase of a kitten from an in-home cattery or a raw food diet.