Although I tend to ignore the rantings of uninformed people, I feel the need to address a blog posted by a guy who purchased a pet kitten (Exotic Longhair pet) in 2010 that died 6 months later. I am including below what he claims and my response.
1. Kitten died 6 months after purchase of an undiagnosed illness. True.
2. The problem is that the owner refused to have a necropsy, required by the contract, to determine the cause of death. Without a definitive diagnosis, there is no way to determine cause or culpability.
3. The kitten was health checked clear before he left my home. I cannot control what kittens are exposed to after they leave my home.
4. Owner claimed the kitten died of pk (Erythrocyte pyruvate kinase (PK) deficiency). This disease occurs in Abyssinians, Somalis, and some domestic shorthairs. It is a genetic disorder and does NOT occur in the Persian Breed Group. He got this info from what he claims is a “reputable breeder with 30 years’ experience.” In all likelihood the breeder was referring to PKD (polycystic kidney disease), not PK. All of my cats are either dna-tested pkd negative or come from pkd-negative parents. I guarantee all kittens born here are pkd negative. PK does not exist in the Persian breed group.
5. He claims he cannot recommend me since I don’t do genetic screening for PK. Why would anyone genetically test cats in the Persian Breed Group for a genetic disease that does not occur in these breeds? He didn’t seem to understand when I sent him excellent resources explaining PK and PKD.
6. He claimed the kitten was never playful, so that means he was sick. Just like people, cats have different personalities. Some are quiet; some are outgoing; some are extremely playful; some are not. It has nothing to do with health, just as some people are more outgoing and active than others. A dramatic change in activity level can certainly be a symptom of a problem; however, his kitten was always quiet and on the shy side.
7. He refused to have an $80 necropsy performed to determine the cause of death; however, he had the money for an expensive cremation and memorial. Apparently it didn’t matter to him why the kitten died; he was determined to blame me despite the fact that he had the kitten for 6 months and exposed him to other cats.
8. He also claims that the litter was unregistered, as if registering a kitten somehow guarantees it will never get sick. This litter is registered and was at the time he made his unwarranted claim. Once again, he did not follow the terms of the contract and furnish me with proof of neuter. In accordance with TICA/CFA Responsible Breeding Practices, I hold papers until I receive proof of spay/neuter on all kittens sold as pets, the same as most other reputable breeders do. The litter was registered when the owner of another kitten from the litter sent me proof of neuter for her kitten. Click on the adobe icon at the bottom of the page to view a copy of the litter registration.
9. Despite the scope of his misinformation and his failure to meet the terms of the contract, I still offered to replace the kitten--despite the fact that there is no evidence that I was responsible in any way for the death of the kitten. Of course he refused since I do not test for a genetic disease that doesn’t even occur in this breed group. Instead he opted to attempt to hurt my reputation. I went above and beyond the terms of the contract to try to help this guy out. It is clear that he was determined to hurt someone over his loss. Sadly, he misdirected his irrational anger toward me.
Good breeders work hard to produce the highest quality, healthiest kittens possible. What pet buyers often forget is that these are living creatures, and just like humans, they can get sick. That’s why we have guarantees in the contract. They are not buying a pair of shoes or a new dress. Kittens can get sick. A good breeder will work with a kitten buyer should a problem arise; however, we have contracts to protect ourselves from people like this who back claims with incorrect information, do not fulfill their part of the contract, refuse the heartfelt replacement offer from a good breeder, yet feel entitled to attempt to hurt someone who has devoted many years and countless hours building a solid reputation. It’s criminal that people like this can publish inaccuracies and lies, and as a reputable person, I have no recourse other than to post info on my own site. Sadly, even with proof, you cannot force a search engine to take down slanderous postings that are clearly fabricated and unwarranted.
I suppose what I find scariest about this situation is that we communicated often, and he was fine until this other breeder fed him full of lies about the kitten having pk and accusing me of being disreputable because I don’t screen for this disease that does not even occur in the breeds I work with. This breeder is not a vet, never saw the cat, but based upon hearing the cat was anemic, she concluded that it was pk. It’s sad that he allowed himself to be led astray by this vindictive breeder who clearly knows nothing about health issues in the Persian Breed Group. And I find it even sadder that he would attempt to hurt me based upon his narrow-minded lies and misinformation. I will pray for him to find peace as he is clearly a very troubled person .
If you click on the Adobe icon below, it will open a scanned copy of the litter registration for this litter. As per my contract, I furnished the owner of another kitten in the litter with the blue registration slip after she sent me proof of her kitten's neuter. This guy neglected to either have Rusty neutered or simply did not send me verification of the surgery. Rusty was clearly from two registered cats and the litter was registered.
As for this most recent rants about giardia and Blue Ridge Beef, they, too, are unfounded. Anyone who feeds a raw diet, myself included, is diligent about internal parasite control. All of my cats and dogs are treated monthly. At the time that he got Rusty, I had just adopted a Shih Tzu. Unbeknownst to me at the time, the dog had giardia and several of my cats ended up with it. They were all treated. Giardi is not a disease; it is a parasite that lives in water puddles. Any dog who goes outside at all can pick it up by simply taking a drink from a rain puddle. And yes, an infected cat can pass it in feces. It is not life-threatening; it is easily treated, and it is very common.
1. Kitten died 6 months after purchase of an undiagnosed illness. True.
2. The problem is that the owner refused to have a necropsy, required by the contract, to determine the cause of death. Without a definitive diagnosis, there is no way to determine cause or culpability.
3. The kitten was health checked clear before he left my home. I cannot control what kittens are exposed to after they leave my home.
4. Owner claimed the kitten died of pk (Erythrocyte pyruvate kinase (PK) deficiency). This disease occurs in Abyssinians, Somalis, and some domestic shorthairs. It is a genetic disorder and does NOT occur in the Persian Breed Group. He got this info from what he claims is a “reputable breeder with 30 years’ experience.” In all likelihood the breeder was referring to PKD (polycystic kidney disease), not PK. All of my cats are either dna-tested pkd negative or come from pkd-negative parents. I guarantee all kittens born here are pkd negative. PK does not exist in the Persian breed group.
5. He claims he cannot recommend me since I don’t do genetic screening for PK. Why would anyone genetically test cats in the Persian Breed Group for a genetic disease that does not occur in these breeds? He didn’t seem to understand when I sent him excellent resources explaining PK and PKD.
6. He claimed the kitten was never playful, so that means he was sick. Just like people, cats have different personalities. Some are quiet; some are outgoing; some are extremely playful; some are not. It has nothing to do with health, just as some people are more outgoing and active than others. A dramatic change in activity level can certainly be a symptom of a problem; however, his kitten was always quiet and on the shy side.
7. He refused to have an $80 necropsy performed to determine the cause of death; however, he had the money for an expensive cremation and memorial. Apparently it didn’t matter to him why the kitten died; he was determined to blame me despite the fact that he had the kitten for 6 months and exposed him to other cats.
8. He also claims that the litter was unregistered, as if registering a kitten somehow guarantees it will never get sick. This litter is registered and was at the time he made his unwarranted claim. Once again, he did not follow the terms of the contract and furnish me with proof of neuter. In accordance with TICA/CFA Responsible Breeding Practices, I hold papers until I receive proof of spay/neuter on all kittens sold as pets, the same as most other reputable breeders do. The litter was registered when the owner of another kitten from the litter sent me proof of neuter for her kitten. Click on the adobe icon at the bottom of the page to view a copy of the litter registration.
9. Despite the scope of his misinformation and his failure to meet the terms of the contract, I still offered to replace the kitten--despite the fact that there is no evidence that I was responsible in any way for the death of the kitten. Of course he refused since I do not test for a genetic disease that doesn’t even occur in this breed group. Instead he opted to attempt to hurt my reputation. I went above and beyond the terms of the contract to try to help this guy out. It is clear that he was determined to hurt someone over his loss. Sadly, he misdirected his irrational anger toward me.
Good breeders work hard to produce the highest quality, healthiest kittens possible. What pet buyers often forget is that these are living creatures, and just like humans, they can get sick. That’s why we have guarantees in the contract. They are not buying a pair of shoes or a new dress. Kittens can get sick. A good breeder will work with a kitten buyer should a problem arise; however, we have contracts to protect ourselves from people like this who back claims with incorrect information, do not fulfill their part of the contract, refuse the heartfelt replacement offer from a good breeder, yet feel entitled to attempt to hurt someone who has devoted many years and countless hours building a solid reputation. It’s criminal that people like this can publish inaccuracies and lies, and as a reputable person, I have no recourse other than to post info on my own site. Sadly, even with proof, you cannot force a search engine to take down slanderous postings that are clearly fabricated and unwarranted.
I suppose what I find scariest about this situation is that we communicated often, and he was fine until this other breeder fed him full of lies about the kitten having pk and accusing me of being disreputable because I don’t screen for this disease that does not even occur in the breeds I work with. This breeder is not a vet, never saw the cat, but based upon hearing the cat was anemic, she concluded that it was pk. It’s sad that he allowed himself to be led astray by this vindictive breeder who clearly knows nothing about health issues in the Persian Breed Group. And I find it even sadder that he would attempt to hurt me based upon his narrow-minded lies and misinformation. I will pray for him to find peace as he is clearly a very troubled person .
If you click on the Adobe icon below, it will open a scanned copy of the litter registration for this litter. As per my contract, I furnished the owner of another kitten in the litter with the blue registration slip after she sent me proof of her kitten's neuter. This guy neglected to either have Rusty neutered or simply did not send me verification of the surgery. Rusty was clearly from two registered cats and the litter was registered.
As for this most recent rants about giardia and Blue Ridge Beef, they, too, are unfounded. Anyone who feeds a raw diet, myself included, is diligent about internal parasite control. All of my cats and dogs are treated monthly. At the time that he got Rusty, I had just adopted a Shih Tzu. Unbeknownst to me at the time, the dog had giardia and several of my cats ended up with it. They were all treated. Giardi is not a disease; it is a parasite that lives in water puddles. Any dog who goes outside at all can pick it up by simply taking a drink from a rain puddle. And yes, an infected cat can pass it in feces. It is not life-threatening; it is easily treated, and it is very common.
| litter_registration_caprice.sonny.pdf |
