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On September 11, 2014, I purchased a Siamese kitten from Cheryl Caradonna, owner of Baby Blues Cattery. On November 13, 2014, the kitten was diagnosed with FIP, a fatal disease, and euthanized. Despite phone calls and several emails to Cheryl, the breeder, I have not heard back from her. I paid $1000 for this kitten, and would like my money back.
When I purchased the kitten, it was fairly obvious the kitten, whom I named Hazel, was not in the best of health. Baby Blues Cattery is on the Cape, about two hours away from Boston, where I live. Hazel was unusually small and looked sickly when my friend and I went to purchase her. Cheryl told us she was the runt of the litter (if I had been told this before going to pick up her, I would have declined to purchase her). I did not see any of the kitten's siblings, and I wondered at the time if the siblings had been sold and Hazel was still available because of her obvious ill health. My friend and I both felt like the kitten was being foisted onto us by Cheryl because she couldn't sell her to anyone else. There were other kittens there at the time that looked much larger and healthier than Hazel, and my friend and I were both surprised when Cheryl told us that these kittens were younger than Hazel! Despite my misgivings, I purchased Hazel (having driven two hours to get her had something to do with that. I had also already given Cheryl a $250 deposit). When I got home, I found out that Hazel had persistent diarrhea. I took her to a vet, who couldn't find a medical reason for the diarrhea (it was too early to diagnose FIP). Eventually, the diarrhea went away on its own (it's common for FIP kittens to initially have diarrhea, that goes away without treatment).
As time went on, I fell deeply in love with Hazel, and adored her. Eventually, she stopped eating and developed a pot belly, classic signs of FIP. I took her to the vet, who confirmed that she had FIP, a fatal disease, and had her euthanized. FIP is a disease that most commonly occurs when infected females pass along the virus to their kittens, usually when the kittens are between five and eight weeks of age (Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine).
Needless to say, I am heartbroken. The fact the breeder refuses to even respond to me makes it even harder to bear. My vet warned me not to get another kitten from this breeder because all her kittens are at an increased risk of developing FIP. In fact, my vet thought the breeder should stop selling kittens while she tried to eradicate the disease from her cattery.
This is not my first FIP kitten. Twenty years ago, I bought another Siamese kitten that died of FIP. That breeder behaved entirely differently. She responded to me immediately, reimbursed me for the amount I paid, and was very heartbroken herself. Her response was a big help to me in dealing with my grief. Right now, I no longer have my beloved kitten, and am out $1000.
Another comment I want to add: Cheryl has wonderful kittens, and I am willing, and actually would like to obtain another kitten from Cheryl, despite the FIP. The chances of any subsequent kittens having FIP are small. Cheryl's kittens are very much socialized, which means that are very lovable, and sweet. This is the reason I fell so madly in love with Hazel. Therefore, if you are considering buying a kitten from Baby Blues Cattery, please do not hesitate, and don't let the FIP stop you. Even though breeders will rarely admit it, most, if not all catterys have produced kittens with FIP, if they've been breeding for long enough.
I cannot find the confirmation email you sent to my account, linda.knadler@comcast.net. I even looked in my spam folder. Would you send it again, so I can file my complaint?
Breeder has contacted me, and is willing to work with me. She is willing to give me a new kitten as soon as I provide the vet's info on the kitten's death. She said that she would have contacted me earlier, but a family member in another state is deathly ill, and she did not have access to her breeder phone. She actually emailed me on Monday, but I missed seeing the email. The breeder has never had a FIP kitten before (a breeder who has bred for a least 6 years can expect to have at least one case of FIP - University of California - Davis). So breeder shouldn't not be blamed at all. This complaint should not have been posted. I should have given the breeder more time to contact me, and hopefully, I have learned a lesson from this.
I am glad you both were able to work things out and hope the kitten brings you as much happiness as mine do! :-)
On September 11, 2014, I purchased a Siamese kitten from Cheryl Caradonna, owner of Baby Blues Cattery. On November 13, 2014, the kitten was diagnosed with FIP, a fatal disease, and euthanized. Despite phone calls and several emails to Cheryl, the breeder, I have not heard back from her. I paid $1000 for this kitten, and would like my money back.
When I purchased the kitten, it was fairly obvious the kitten, whom I named Hazel, was not in the best of health. Baby Blues Cattery is on the Cape, about two hours away from Boston, where I live. Hazel was unusually small and looked sickly when my friend and I went to purchase her. Cheryl told us she was the runt of the litter (if I had been told this before going to pick up her, I would have declined to purchase her). I did not see any of the kitten's siblings, and I wondered at the time if the siblings had been sold and Hazel was still available because of her obvious ill health. My friend and I both felt like the kitten was being foisted onto us by Cheryl because she couldn't sell her to anyone else. There were other kittens there at the time that looked much larger and healthier than Hazel, and my friend and I were both surprised when Cheryl told us that these kittens were younger than Hazel! Despite my misgivings, I purchased Hazel (having driven two hours to get her had something to do with that. I had also already given Cheryl a $250 deposit). When I got home, I found out that Hazel had persistent diarrhea. I took her to a vet, who couldn't find a medical reason for the diarrhea (it was too early to diagnose FIP). Eventually, the diarrhea went away on its own (it's common for FIP kittens to initially have diarrhea, that goes away without treatment).
As time went on, I fell deeply in love with Hazel, and adored her. Eventually, she stopped eating and developed a pot belly, classic signs of FIP. I took her to the vet, who confirmed that she had FIP, a fatal disease, and had her euthanized. FIP is a disease that most commonly occurs when infected females pass along the virus to their kittens, usually when the kittens are between five and eight weeks of age (Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine).
Needless to say, I am heartbroken. The fact the breeder refuses to even respond to me makes it even harder to bear. My vet warned me not to get another kitten from this breeder because all her kittens are at an increased risk of developing FIP. In fact, my vet thought the breeder should stop selling kittens while she tried to eradicate the disease from her cattery.
This is not my first FIP kitten. Twenty years ago, I bought another Siamese kitten that died of FIP. That breeder behaved entirely differently. She responded to me immediately, reimbursed me for the amount I paid, and was very heartbroken herself. Her response was a big help to me in dealing with my grief. Right now, I no longer have my beloved kitten, and am out $1000.