Nothing Like a Trip to the Vet

[xastion]

Well Isis went to the vet today for her sneezing and running nose. And good grief, poor Isis.

Isis has a severe upper respitory infection and the vet cautioned that she could be, quote "full of viruses and infections from being from a breeder". ....ummmm I thought breeders took exceptional care of their litters seeing as that is the differance of making them money or not...

also, when we got Isis kitten the breeder told us that she was spayed. It was twice the amount of money to get an unaltered kitten. But the vet told me today that there was no signs that Isis had been spayed. Are there special ways to spay a kitten that doesn't leave the tell tale signs of a recently spayed cat? The idea that she isn't spayed is kinda surprising, jus because I would think that they would be very careful about this...unless they sent us the wrong kitten...

 

[maui]

*Reputable* breeders DO INDEED take exceptional care of their cats. On the other hand, breeders who earned the moniker "backyard breeders" do not.

Your vet wasn't doing much a service to you by maligning breeders in general. (I am not a breeder, but have one purebred cat.)

How did you find this breeder — newspaper? cat show? (Please don't name the breeder on this forum because it might get the forum in trouble) Does this breeder show her cats actively at CFA shows? TICA shows? Known among other breeders? Does this breeder raise cats exclusively in cages or underfoot? Did you visit the cattery? was it clean? Queen and stud have full papers?

These are the kind of questions to ask to determine whether the breeder is reputable or not. You definitely should notify the breeder that the cat appears to not be neutered. If the breeder IS reputable he/she will look into it immediately. Ask for the breeders vet to send records of neuter to your vet. And of course ask the breeder if you got the correct kitten. You should be refunded for the amount that was supposed to be for neuter if indeed she was not spayed.

Whether a cat has a virus or not could simply be coincidence and may have nothing to do with whom the breeder is.

Hope Isis feels better soon.

 

[xastion]

Isis's owner did most of the searching for the breeder in question. He really wanted a silver Egyptian Mau and wanted one asap, so he looked around for breeders in the area and called around. The breeder in question was the only one that responded to his calls.

Being that she lives in another state we never saw the cattery, but felt confidant in her services. She constantly sent us pictures of the kittens and e-mails. On her website she says that each kitten is raised with individual care and concern and that they are raised underfoot. We did get papers for Isis and both her parents are registered with the CFA. I am not sure if they are in cat shows or not really...

 

[angelzoo]

Hmmm. I would start to question who this breeder really is.

As Maui said, not all breeders are good and reputable.

When's the last time you had contact with this breeder? Kittens can be altered as early as 8 weeks, any time before that can be very risky. Do you have the vet papers showing of when this cat was fixed? You should have a copy of ALL the vet records on your cat since birth.

However, the reason this cat is sick may have nothing to do with the breeder. I would be in contact with the breeder and voice a few concerns, ask her/him if any other kittens from that litter have fallen sick, if you don't have the vet records from the breeder then get them as well.

 

[xastion]

Last time we talked with her was the day that Isis was shipped to us, ten days ago.

Yea, the vet was pretty sure that the reason Isis was sick now was not because of the breeder, but he seemed to imply that there could be something even more wrong with her like hidden viruses and bacteria because she was from a breeder. He did a basic treatment for worms without a sample because her belly was a little swollen, and he wanted me to bring in appropriate samples so he could do more tests when I come back with Isis in two weeks. He didn't seem too enthused when I said Isis was from a breeder.

I kinda believe that Isis might be ill from traveling from a very nice warm climate to a up until recently wet and cold climate. I know I don't adjust well when I do trips like that, I can't imagine what it's like being a little teeny tiny kitten.

As for the spaying...we have records of her shots, we have her records from the CFA, but we have no records of her being spayed. I am really beginning to wonder if they accidently gave us someone else's kitten.

 

[angelzoo]

Personally, with my experience, most breeders who ship are not the best breeders in the world. I'm not saying that every breeder who ships doesn't know what their doing, not at all. Just a majority of "breeders" who do it, seem to like it that way.

Shipping can be dangerous for the animal, you or the breeder go through all this stuff, basically to have to have no garuntee that this animal will not die in transport. It is very stressfull, the climates during transport can be extreme!

I remembered when I wanted to fly Asim and Isha up from VA to ME, they had to go to the vet and get a clean bill of health certificat, etc, or else the air lines would not accpet them out of fear they would chance dieing more easily then a healthy animal.

 

[maui]

Xastion,

How old is Isis? Most breeders sell their kitties 13-15 wks old. They aren't tiny anymore and they have been properly socialized by then. I'm worried that Isis is still a baby when you say "teeny tiny kitten".

Yes Angel brought up a good point. . .most good breeders of pet-quality purebreds want to meet (in person) and thoroughly interview prospective buyers and do not want to ship their pet-quality kitties. It's not uncommon for breeders who have SHOW/BREEDER-quality kitties (not pet-quality) to ship to another breeder who is out of state.

If Isis' daddy is comfortable with this vet then that's good. Personally I'd be concerned that the vet has such a strong bias against breeders. For some reason it just makes me uncomfortable for a vet to paint a picture that a purebred is going to have a whole host of problems. I'd want a vet who I have confidence that s/he is knowledgeable about treating the normal kinds of things, but one that doesn't scare me at the "get go" on the "what ifs" — I mean what the point of scaring a new kitty owner?

 

[xastion]

Yea, I do agree with you Maui, it seems a little extreme to talk of all the problems a kitten may have before actually going through the trouble to find out if they have a problem. It seems odd.

I am tempted to go out of my way to a friend's vet that lives forty minutes. It may be a little bit of a ride, but my friend has three cats himself and has lived in the area longer so he has had a chance to check the vets out. He said that his vet saved his cat's life after it had been shot by a neighbor and doesn't recommend unnecessary shots.

Isis is ten weeks old btw. She is teeny all of 2 lbs.

 

[maui]

If Isis is 10 wks old now then she was shipped at approx 8.5 wks — she was still a baby, poor thing. She was sold much earlier than recommended.

Angelz said earlier that spays can be done as early as 8 wks but not much earlier. If it was done at 7 weeks, there would be a shaved spot on her belly, maybe stitches or a little bump under the skin at the time she was shipped. Any person without vet training would be able to see. I'm beginning to really worry about this particular breeder. So maybe the vet is right and she was not spayed, and the vet is seeing signs of bad breeding practices (selling too early) and wanted to give Isis' daddy fair warning?

Many reputable breeders demand a vet check within 48 hours after receiving kitty to verify health. If the vet cannot give the all ok, money is refunded or kitty is replaced — it protects both the buyer and the seller. Could this have been the vets way of saying run don't walk to get a refund?

If Isis' daddy wants to find a new vet, maybe a neighbor that seems to take good care of their pets might have a recommendation of a vet closer. I used to live in the boonies and took my kitty to a vet that was 45 minutes away. . .it was a loooong haul — at least it was for me and mewling baby.

Also I don't know if 2 lbs is normal at this age. . .maybe someone else might know. . .

What does Isis' daddy think of asking breeder for spay record to be sent?

 

[xastion]

He has e-mailed the breeder about this, but we haven't heard a reply yet. This is so bizarre. And yea, she has no signs. The belly is still very furry, there are no bumps, no stitches. I just kinda overlooked it.

There are many things that we took for granted figuring that the woman selling us Isis knew what she was doing. I never questioned Isis's age that she was sent to us (we were just eager for the kitten and thought that she was ready) and as for shipping in the air it seemed that every other Mau breeder on the internet shipped by air so we didn't think twice about that either. things one learns...

I have a friend that has three cats, but he lives forty some minutes away. Long car trips with the kittens are not exactly fun - both Mischief and Isis cry quite a bit when in the car. Close by he knows of none except the one I went to.

In better news Isis is feeling much better today. She's zipping around the apartment like a little fireball.

 

[maui]

Of course you took it for granted that the breeder knew what she was doing. . .and of course you would be excited just to have kitty in your hands — anyone would be. That's what makes it all the more frustrating to hear that someone wasn't following good practice at the expense of an innocent consumer (and innocent kitty). I just don't understand some people.

Now that you have Isis, and making the best of the situation, the more she is exposed to various critters the better. The time she is missing out right now is time she would have spent with her litter mates, learning what is appropriate play behavior or not. If you have another kitty in the house, then that's all she really needs — humans and other critters to teach her good kitty manners. Always introduce visitors to her and let her interact if she wants. And of course she needs lots of love and play time.

 

[xastion]

Oh Isis gets plenty of play time. The little sweetie is the most fearless of all the cats in the apartment. It's so cute! The funniest thing is that my alpha cat just really has no idea what to do with her. She doesn't hiss at her anymore, and in all honesty Niko is a push over and Isis walks all over her. Sometimes literally. My roommate and I had a fit of giggles when we found that Isis had claimed the top of the cat tree! The cat tree that Niko won't let her sister Mischief get anywhere close to. But Niko refuses to do anything to Isis while Isis pounces on her and takes play swipes at her. She's soooo adorable. That's why it's so sad to see her ill. She's jus too small to be sick, and to learn that she might not have been appropriately cared for in her first few weeks of life is upsetting.