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CB Cat Breeders Review of Sphynx Kitten
Sphynx Kitten

Sphynx Kitten review: Unethical Breeder 12

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Author of the review
10:31 am EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I purchased a Sphynx Kitten from a Local Breeder. The Kitten was continuously Ill & I asked the Breeder to make an Appointment with their Vet & Pay for the Medicine she might Need. The Breeder made the Appointment with their Vet & met me there. The Kitten was Diagnosed with another Upper Respiratory Infection as well as an Eye & Ear Infection. The Breeder suggested that they give me my Money back & take her back. I said that would probably be for the Best & left the Pet Hospital with the Kitten in the care of the Breeder. Within 10 minutes I Called the Pet Hospital wanting to Speak to the Breeder, but they said she had already left. I then left a Voicemail Message on the Breeders Home Phone, I said that I was coming to get her. When I got to the Residence one of the Breeders was in the Driveway, but she did NOT have the Kitten, she had left it @ the Pet Hospital with her Sister who she Called & told that I was there to pick up my Kitten & proceeded to put me on the Phone & I was told "YOU ARE NOT GETTING HER BACK"! I said that I did Not Understand what I had done Wrong & I Never got 1 Red Cent from them. I Paid $900 for the Kitten & I am out a Kitten & $900 too. I told her that I would Call for the Police & she stated "OK" & hung up. I Called the Police & when he came he went inside to Speak to the Breeder who was already inside. He came back out & said they are going to Mail my Carrier & Money back to me. I did Not want to leave without @ least having her Documents. The Officer went back inside & again came out & said they are Mailing everything back & that I would Need to leave & take the matter up with the Magistrate & gave me the Magistrate's Name, Address, & Phone #. I tried again reasoning with the Breeder to give the Kitten back, but she was adament about Not giving her back. They essentially Stole her from me, I did absolutely Nothing Wrong & the Vet even said there was No Blame towards anyone. I Filed with the Magistrate's Office & I am Asking for the Recovery of my Sphynx Kitten. She is Bought & Paid for, I have Received No Money back from the Breeder & I Never Signed anything Relinquishing any of my Rights to the Kitten. I am absolutely Devestated! The Behavior of these Breeders is completely Unethical, I have Never in my Lifetime Experience such Abuse from another Human Being before & Hope to Never have an Experience like it again.

Update by Marilyn Sullivan
Jan 07, 2013 1:09 pm EST

Gladly, It's Virginia Lenkner of West Homestead PA.

Update by Marilyn Sullivan
Jan 07, 2013 1:10 pm EST

IT'S VIRGINIA LENKNER OF WEST HOMESTEAD PA.

Update by Marilyn Sullivan
May 20, 2013 8:41 pm EDT

I don't keep up with this Complaint Board & Apologize for Not getting back to you sooner. I ended up taking Virginia & her Sister Patricia to the Magistrate & got a Full Refund @ the time of the Hearing. It's a Shame that they apparently have gotten away with Selling Sick Kittens & it's too bad, but the only recourse you might have would be Court unfortunately. I'm Sorry to hear your experience & you are certainly Not the only one who has Contacted me regarding this Breeder. I went to the Police & even the DA to Pursue Criminal Charges against these women. Sadly my only recourse was a Civil Case thru the Local Magistrate & even the Local Magistrate Recused himself without reason & therefore delayed my Hearing another month. Ultimately though the Judge in my Case Ordered them to Repay the $800 @ the Hearing that I had Paid for the Kitten which included the $100 Deposit. I however did Not get my Filing Fees back because after I Filed the initial Case the Sister's Refunded the $800 by Certified Mail & I Refused it because I had already Filed the Civil Case & was Not willing to simply Accept a Refund after having to File against them. As a matter of fact I even subpoenaed their Personal Vet from Pleasant Hills Animal Hospital who also Appeared @ the Hearing & as it turned out was more of a Help to my side of the Case than their side of the Case, so it was fortunate for me that I indeed did Subpoena him.

12 comments
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imabratt
, US
Mar 07, 2018 9:13 am EST

Please help me! I'm ready to make a purchase but now i do not know where to turn to! Where should I NOT purchase from?

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Eva Campbell
, US
Aug 12, 2017 3:38 pm EDT

I recently contacted Citizen Kat and they have not respond tho they claim to respond in three days please don't waste your time with a person who cannot hold up their end of the agreement as posted on their web site.

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shpynxx2
, US
Oct 30, 2016 8:21 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Help I need advice on a good breeder. I just searched and found comments about one I was talking with. This is getting really scary. I can't imagine bringing home a sick cat.

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christie17
Buffalo, US
Feb 17, 2015 6:26 am EST

I am glad I read all of these because I was going to purchase a kitten from this lady. Does anyone know of a good place to purchase a kitten. I am from Buffalo, NY. PA is not far me. Thank you...

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Khaleesi
Pittsburgh, US
Feb 26, 2014 7:12 am EST

Its been nearly 9 months since I last dealt with Virginia Lenkner and her house full of sick cats. I just read that somebody complained on the scam report website a couple weeks ago. Reading this has brought up all of my anger and resentment about this woman and her horrific business practices. I reported her to the Humane Society and Animal Control offices in Homestead. Unfortunately, either they didn't think my issues were valid or they didn't care. In addition, Homestead has no rules or expectations about how many breeding cats can live in a residence. At the time I was visiting their stinky home, it was over-run with no less than 25 cats. There are cages of kittens upstairs all suffering from various stages of medical issues. I believe most of them are afflicted with feline herpes, although she likes to tell it differently! When I was in the middle of dealing with medical bills and a very sick cat, one that would NOT RECOVER, I contacted Marilyn Sullivan. She is one of the people who posted to this website. She had a horrible time trying to recover her losses from Virginia. She volunteered to testify if I took Virginia to court. All of the issues she had with her cat were the same issues I experienced as well. I don't know what needs to happen to shut this breeder down. I am considering contacting CFA and TICA.

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sphynxalive
Homestead, US
Jan 05, 2014 10:48 pm EST

Patricia and Virginia from sunshine sphynx are com artists. They bought all of the sick cats from Edna Crusan who was in Seward pa acrobat kitty. They have over 50 breeding cats and karma had finally bit them in the ###. They sell cheap Chinese shoes on eBay. They are scrum of the earth

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Eda Montgomery
, US
Feb 08, 2020 4:54 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Before you bash another breeder do you have 100 percent proof where they got their cats. Did you see TICA or CFA paperwork that shows who they got there cats from? Contracts proving who they bought cats from? If you are going on just their word well you see from these post their reputation. And it is Eda not Edna.

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Khaleesi
Pittsburgh, US
Jun 10, 2013 9:56 am EDT

******************************AVOID THESE BREEDERS******************************
People interested in adopting Sphynx and Devon Rex kittens would be better off seeking kittens elsewhere. All of the cats in her house are sick with various afflictions. You will NOT be advised that you have purchased a sick kitten. Spending hundreds of dollars at the vet didnt even keep the kitten well! Please consider going to another breeder; I have dealt with www.baldandpurri.com in Maryland twice and her kittens are beautiful. She charges a little more than this breeder but worth it in the end to have a HEALTHY kitten!

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ChrisLin
Olympia, US
May 09, 2013 4:18 am EDT

"The Breeder suggested that they give me my Money back & take her back. I said that would probably be for the Best & left the Pet Hospital with the Kitten in the care of the Breeder.

You said you didn't want the cat. Why did you call her and demand the kitten back? This doesn't make any sense

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sphynxandoriental
south central, US
Mar 24, 2013 8:06 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I had gotten a sphynx kitten from this breeder, in fact I am still on her "satisfied owners" section of her page. We fell in love with our baby boy. About a week later his behavior became different and he developed an eye infection. I took him into the vet immediately. It was eye herpes. The vet explained how common it is and issued a medication. I told Virginia. After no effect and the conditioning worsening my vet referred me to seek a specialtist. I took my kitten to a board certified specialist who attempted to correct the infection. The specialtist was fantastic, he tried everything he could to help. I kept Virginia informed and even sent a picture of my kitten to show her what was going on. I continued his care but he continued to decline. His eye infection was not just herpes. He had a high coronavirus (sp?) and the specialtist was worried. The specialtist told me that he strongly believed my kitten was suffering from FIP. A terminal disease. He told me there was no way to fully test for it until they pass away and are tested after. I called Virginia. She told me that my kitten had giardia in the past and it was probably back because she had only administered one week of medication when it should have been two weeks, ironic I had never heard of this happening to him from her nor had I been informed he needed more medication. I was beginning to realize she was not going to be much of a breeder anymore. Finally one day when we woke up with him he had lost majority of his body weight and he could not walk or move he was so weak. He couldnt even get in to his litter box or walk to his food dish. He was in horrible shape. I was in communication with another sphynx breeder who is amazing and I sent her a picture of his condition and told her I was taking him into an animal hospital since it was a Sunday. I rushed him in. The animal hospital put him on oxygen since he wasn't able to fully breathe at this point. They explained his condition and ultimately we made the decision to let him go. I contacted Virginia about it immediately after and could not get in touch after multiple messages. She had told me before if I was going to receive a refund I would have to spend even more money to have the after test performed. I would spend my last penny on my animals without single regret. But I spent overall 3, 000 dollars in care and expenses throughout my experience and in order to receive my money back for him. I called my specialtist after this happened and told him everything that was going on, he told me he does believe my kitten had FIP. Virginia said giardia which doesn't match any of the symptoms we went through. I believe my specialtist over all else in this case. I know any breeder can have this happen, I've since discussed my occurance with several specialtists. But what I can say is that... a breeder shouldn't have been so uninvolved when we were begging for contact and help as we battled this. She kept telling us she stands behind her kittens and loves them and is always there for the families, but funny thing is I could never get in touch with her after she knew he was sick unless I called every day for a week. After this went down and we were talking our last time she said to send the paperwork from the blood work and testing paper work from our vet and specialtist and she would call us when she got it, we sent her everything and never heard a thing. I do not suggest this breeder. I have since gotten a fantastic sphynx breeder friend who our newest kitten came from and since then its become clear that this is not a good cattery.

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Ryan Flanders
Rockaway Park, US
Mar 09, 2013 5:00 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I wish I had read your complaint sooner. I put a $200 deposit down on two kittens, a male and female. I live in NY so I booked a flight to pick up the kittens and return the same day. When I got to PITT airport I met Virginia Lenkner at the AA ticketing counter where I was to pay off my remaining balance of $1600 and receive the kittens. When I met her she showed me the kittens and I was horrified by the condition they were in. I began to question they're health as I was holding the male and she demanded them back and said "I don't want you to take them" "I don't want them in a home where they're not wanted". It was difficult to experience this and I'm crushed on top of spending money on a plane ticket, deposit and countless accessories in anticipation of their arrival. What's the update on your situation? Your story sounds a lot like what I would have gone through had i taken the kittens back to NY. I don't know how this person continues to operate.

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anonymous users
Tampa, US
Jan 07, 2013 12:52 pm EST

Can you post the breeders name? I had a similar situation with Emily Greene of Citizen Cat who acts like she is the best breeder in the freakin' world but is the rudest most arrogant narcissistic woman I ever met! I bet your cat was from her too wasn't she?