Mistikatz Abyssinians and Somalis

[Macchiato52]

Has anyone had experiences with this cattery and Karen Ruskey? Was sold a pure bred "Abyssinian" and it came with ringworm and a very serious upper respiratory infection. Said one parent was a Long hair, I guess that's a Somali...??? how is this purebred I'm guessing this is a variant, or what CFA might call a short hair Somali, though this cattery is Tica which I'm guessing will resister it as Abyssinian/so.

 

[lutece]

I don't know anything about this breeder, but have you already contacted them about the problems with the kitten? That would be the first step (I'm assuming you have already been to the vet and you are treating the kitten).

You are correct that in TICA, Aby and Somali are in the same breed group, so if you breed Aby to Somali, the shorthaired kittens are Abys and longhaired are Somalis.

 

[Macchiato52]

thanks for reply, yes breeder says all kittens got ringworm, the kittens is being treated by the vet and is on medication for both issues. it has to be kept away from my dog, its very contagious.

 

[Walker55]

I too have dealt with this breeder or should I say breeders . Karen Ruskey and Susan Marshall . They are 2 sisters from Sooke B.C. They have ads for sale every day so I would say they are more like kitten mills than breeders unless they are breeders of one killer tough ringworm . I got mine from Susan . I called and she absolutely denies it came with ringworm . She told me to skip the vet .....waste of money and gave me meds . Karen told her clients the same thing . They lie and they take your money and they leave you horribly stressed and thousands of dollars in vet bills

These are bad breeders and they are bad people .I know 3 people who actually lost their kittens due to ringworm meds and I almost lost mine ! Goes on for months. I am on mth 10 and still it is in my house and they have hundreds of people like me out there. Kittens with IBS and dental disease . The list goes on .Do NOT buy a kitten from these girls .
Spread the word please. You will be saving lots of $$$$

 

[Pet Buyer]

I would like to hear more about this particular breeder as I am considering a cat like an Abyssinian.

 

[lutece]

I would like to hear more about this particular breeder as I am considering a cat like an Abyssinian.

The FBRL (Fanciers Breeder Referral List) is a good place to start looking for breeders.
Here is a link to the Aby listings: Search For Breeders | Fanciers Breeder Referral List

 

[StefanZ]

thanks for reply, yes breeder says all kittens got ringworm, the kittens is being treated by the vet and is on medication for both issues. it has to be kept away from my dog, its very contagious.

Nay, its not true ALL kittens gets ringworm. It may be true for this breeder though. If they hadnt not radically managed get rid of the infection in their cattery, it may be true all THEIRS kittens get infection. Otherwise, its less common, by itself, its thus a strong indicium this is a less good breeder.

Re the kitten come to you with URI. They are supposed to come healthy. Hadnt she a dayfresh health check up from a vet?
BUT its quite common a dormant infection do burst open in the new milieu.
So a seemingly healthy kitten one day, comes to new place; change of milieu, no momma, now environment; quite a some stresses; and whoa, the infection burst out.

So it too is a indicium, but no proof, of a low grade breeder.

I hope the kitten had its INsurance, from the breeder and renewed by you, so the vet costs wont be as high as otherwise.
In Sweden its standard. I have noticed abroad not always so.

 

[Kittygarden]

I would like to hear more about this particular breeder as I am considering a cat like an Abyssinian.

We got our kitties from Karen and Susan - and it is a bit of a luck of the draw. One kitty is perfectly fine (after we resolved her persistent diarrhea by getting rid of tritrichomonas; but the other one has notable medical needs (URi and skin issues). But, amazing personalities, gorgeous cats. Reading this thread I also realize I've had it quite easy, compared to others...

 

[Kittygarden]

Sorry to hear about the ringworm - while it may be a kitten disease, they only get it if there are other cats infected. I absolutely agree with StefanZ - it seems the effort to eliminate it in the cattery may not have been successful or sufficient. My cats are from both, Mistikatz and Nightmist; and we had ringworm too - albeit very light one (at first), with just one kitty affected, and NOT the other. We (people) got it as well, thinking we acquired it from SPCA shelter we visited earlier in the week. It went away treated with topical creams. However, our Mistikatz kitty has ongoing issues with URI and skin+ coat. Even ringworm returned quite severely at one point, which we treated with oral medication. There is definite weakness in this cat's immunity, as well as apparent severe sensitivities to allergens.

Our Nightmist kitty has no issues at all (after getting treated for tritrichomonas), with makes me think, I have it rather easy. As a customer, I'd definitely would like to be told if there are any problems to be expected once buying a kitten from a breeder, though! Karen did consult us on this breed having sensitive teeth, but as for the other stuff, I feel like we've been kept in the dark a bit.
I cannot speak to how this breeder measures up against the overseas breeders, but there are definitely things to be improved.

 

[EbonyA]

Has anyone had experiences with this cattery and Karen Ruskey? Was sold a pure bred "Abyssinian" and it came with ringworm and a very serious upper respiratory infection. Said one parent was a Long hair, I guess that's a Somali...??? how is this purebred I'm guessing this is a variant, or what CFA might call a short hair Somali, though this cattery is Tica which I'm guessing will resister it as Abyssinian/so.

 

[EbonyA]

We got a kitten from these breeders a couple years ago. She came with a terrible case of ringworm, sneezing, eye discharge and was underweight according to our ver. It took months of treatment and isolating our kitten from the rest of us and lasted throughout her entire kitten hood! The breeders denied the ringworm came from them but we have no other pets and it was evident it did. At 6 months old she was diagnosed with irritable bladder syndrome and at just over a year diagnosed with dental disease and has had to have some extractions at less than 2 years old. Her temperament is beautiful, she’s a very loving kitten, but her health is really upsetting. We’ve thought about getting a second kitten but would never be able to comfortably go through this cattery again.

 

[Kittygarden]

We got a kitten from these breeders a couple years ago. She came with a terrible case of ringworm, sneezing, eye discharge and was underweight according to our ver. It took months of treatment and isolating our kitten from the rest of us and lasted throughout her entire kitten hood! The breeders denied the ringworm came from them but we have no other pets and it was evident it did. At 6 months old she was diagnosed with irritable bladder syndrome and at just over a year diagnosed with dental disease and has had to have some extractions at less than 2 years old. Her temperament is beautiful, she’s a very loving kitten, but her health is really upsetting. We’ve thought about getting a second kitten but would never be able to comfortably go through this cattery again.

Thank you for sharing this -- & so sorry you had all those issues. I hope things are easier now.
I feel same way -- could not confidently recommend this breeder either....
Pls, feel free to reach out to us if needed to share vet advice, home treatments that worked, or just a chat. Some of us may have been thinking, we weren't doing a good enough job for our cats...

 

[Pet Buyer]

Sorry to hear about the ringworm - while it may be a kitten disease, they only get it if there are other cats infected. I absolutely agree with StefanZ - it seems the effort to eliminate it in the cattery may not have been successful or sufficient. My cats are from both, Mistikatz and Nightmist; and we had ringworm too - albeit very light one (at first), with just one kitty affected, and NOT the other. We (people) got it as well, thinking we acquired it from SPCA shelter we visited earlier in the week. It went away treated with topical creams. However, our Mistikatz kitty has ongoing issues with URI and skin+ coat. Even ringworm returned quite severely at one point, which we treated with oral medication. There is definite weakness in this cat's immunity, as well as apparent severe sensitivities to allergens.

Our Nightmist kitty has no issues at all (after getting treated for tritrichomonas), with makes me think, I have it rather easy. As a customer, I'd definitely would like to be told if there are any problems to be expected once buying a kitten from a breeder, though! Karen did consult us on this breed having sensitive teeth, but as for the other stuff, I feel like we've been kept in the dark a bit.
I cannot speak to how this breeder measures up against the overseas breeders, but there are definitely things to be improved.

How old are your kittens? I was pointed to the fanciers association and the one recommended breeder on there is American (Spends part of the time in Canada) and can't sell into Canada at the moment due to COVID. She suggested ONLY Renee Dubios in Maple Ridge. Renee has tested her Abyssinians for 80 possible genetic diseases and all came up clear. Her kitten costs are bit higher but I suspect you may save on the vet bills in the end. The nature of her operation is top notch but I haven't purchased a kitten from her so speaking from what I can see only. I suspect that the Sooke breeders had good intentions in the early days but have lost their spark along the way. We had a rescue for 18 years and no health issues until the end. Interesting that you can pay over $1,000 and have all of these problems. The red flags I see here is that they(Mistikatz and Nightmist) are always selling kittens on Kijiji and they don't appear to have a nice website that shows who the mom's are and who the dads are. Tier 2 breeder at best I would say.

 

[nicklikescats]

Has anyone had experiences with this cattery and Karen Ruskey? Was sold a pure bred "Abyssinian" and it came with ringworm and a very serious upper respiratory infection. Said one parent was a Long hair, I guess that's a Somali...??? how is this purebred I'm guessing this is a variant, or what CFA might call a short hair Somali, though this cattery is Tica which I'm guessing will resister it as Abyssinian/so.

I just got a kitten a couple months ago from her and pissed off that he has ring worm and she made it seem like it was some freak accident and she was so apologetic and now im stuck with buying all sorts of things for treatment, cleaners for my house and not having a proper bond with him cause he has to be isolated. My other cat has become infected now and he got hit worst, dealing with two quarantine cats is a nightmare and is affecting my life terribly.

 

[Kittygarden]

So sorry to hear this .
Ad you can probably read in this thread, this is NOT an isolated incident, it's one of the ongoing issues with this breeder. Sporanox was prescribed to us when our kitten had it return & it helped. But you shouldn't be going through this.

 

[nicklikescats]

So sorry to hear this .
Ad you can probably read in this thread, this is NOT an isolated incident, it's one of the ongoing issues with this breeder. Sporanox was prescribed to us when our kitten had it return & it helped. But you shouldn't be going through this.

I've reported her to the spca (literally 5 minutes ago)and they are going to send an officer out in the near future to check things out. Apparently consumers dont have rights and there are very little laws about bredding in bc. i just hate being lied to and for animals to ne suffering because of some stupid lady.

 

[Kittygarden]

I've reported her to the spca (literally 5 minutes ago)and they are going to send an officer out in the near future to check things out. Apparently consumers dont have rights and there are very little laws about bredding in bc. i just hate being lied to and for animals to ne suffering because of some stupid lady.

Thank you for doing this.
Reach out to us if you're asked for any more info.

 

[Walker55]

I am so sorry to hear all of you had so many problems and to think that there seems not to be any way to solve it . Two people who have contacted me have said they were told before they got the kitten that the kittens did indeed have ringworm because the kittens were late being released .
I got mine from Susan and she did not tell me about the ringworm and she has now said she is not breeding anymore but this I do not believe . She breeds with her sister and they sell together . It is a breeding nightmare . I got no papers and have asked but no reply .She retired after I reported Susan to the SPCA and I have also been in touch with TICA . So my advice is to try the SPCA again and mention that someone started a case with Jacqueline a few months ago with Susan which she did not get far on but that was with Susan and not Karen . It will not be news to them but the more people who complain to the SPCA the better chances of actually stopping these girls .
Tica does not monitor the animals . The only thing they can do is for you to send all the info you have and see if any of the bylaws are broken . Then they will not allow them to use them but in my case since Susan has retired ....I have no case against Karen so i hope you you continue the fight and contact me anytime , The 2 of them sicken me with all the $$$ they charge and they have ads everyday !!!
Then they lie and deny . Susan sure did . When I asked about the ringworm she actually said she had no idea where it came from but magically had 4 different meds which she mailed to me so I would not waste money on a vet . I called my vet as soon as I hung up the phone and knew when I brought him in he was from the Sooke sisters !!

 

[lutece]

If they are both located in British Columbia, I think the person at TICA to contact would be the regional director for the NW region, at least that's where I would start.

Northwest Team - TICA NW Region

TICA cannot physically stop someone from breeding, but they can suspend that person from using their services.

 

[Walker55]

If they are both located in British Columbia, I think the person at TICA to contact would be the regional director for the NW region, at least that's where I would start.

http://[URL]http://www.ticanw.com/contact.htm

[/URL]
TICA cannot physically stop someone from breeding, but they can suspend that person from using their services.

I contacted the TICA rep in Washington State as the head office directed me there .