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To all cat breeders,
Please do your homework..Stop inbreeding; stop overbreeding (no more than 2 to 3 times in 2 years should a Queen be bred). Otherwise, it is animal abuse. Stop commingling kitten litters. Keep each kitten litter separate. Early weaning the kittens from the mother (coronavirus carrier), then separate the kittens. Keep your breeding program small, no more than 5 or 6 cats. Have multiple litterboxes (only allow a couple kittens share litter box(littermates share only)). Clean and disinfect. Keep litter boxes clean. Over exposure of the coronavirus increases chances of FIP mutating. If your program produces a FIP kitten/cat, shutdown your program and start over. Clean, disinfect and get the breeder coronavirus carriers out of your program immediately. Stop putting in contracts that diarrhea, sneezing or runny nose is normal in kittens when re-homed. Stop saying coronavirus cannot be controlled because it can, other countries have eradicated the coronavirus with diligence. Stop saying your breeding program is FIP free (that is probably true, because the cats/kittens are either already dead or re-homed). Stop saying the kitten contracted the coronavirus after it left your facility, because more than likely it came from your facility, because FIP usually doesn't show up until around 6 months of age and it can take several years to show up. What about your breeding program being coronavirus free?
You and your vet have started the stress and weaking the immune systems by deworm, vaccinating, early spay/neutering and sending the kittens home all within a short period of time. Yes, these three things are important, but should be spread out. The more stressors within short period of time can weaken the immune system especially adding the major stressor of re-homing.
Coronavirus free= No FIP.
On behalf of all the kittens and cats that have succumbed to this disease and the pet parents that have lost their precious kitties. And kittens/cats currently battling this virus.
Please do your homework and be responsible !
You might not think losing 1 to 2 kittens per year from your program to FIP is a big deal. But, l can assure you, it is a big deal to the kittens and young cats affected and the pet parents facing this awful disease.
@pennygirl12_ do you know if it's true that when kittens are weaning from the mother, it's common that they have a little swelling and redness of the eyes? I've tried researching and haven't found anything that states this. I'm looking for another baby as Zakk's brother is so sad and lonely. I thought I found one and now I notice she has 3 litters going on at the same time, with a 4th on the way. She sent me a video and there are 3 litter boxes in the room, they all look like they need to be scooped badly, and this is looking at the video on my phone. I'm terrified after what I went through. Zakk had the runny eye thing going on and had it all of his short life. Any information you have would be greatly appreciated. I am gong to call the vets at the University to find out more, also. Thank you!
I'd be happy to pay more for a baby that I knew was from a breeder that was 100% honest. After what I went through, trust me, a couple hundred dollars more would not make a difference. I'm just really afraid to trust again.
Thank you!
You make these demands on all breeders and generalize, but who are you to make these demands such as how many cats we can have and how often we breed them? You fail to acknowledge that rescues and shelters are well known for adopting out cats and kittens with FIP. Most shelters are overcrowded, cramped and in noisy, smelly, dark places . As a standard practice, they spay very early, vaccinate early and adopt out much earlier than I would for my kittens. Knock on wood. we've never had a single case of FIP positive cats within my cattery, so stop assuming that ALL breeders are dealing with this problem None of our kittens that have left us had a case of FIP. I don't deworm because I use Revolution as a preventative, but I fail to see how deworming would cause so much stress as to cause the corona virus to mutate! It's absurd to suggest such a thing. I don't believe in early spay/neutering because I think it's too risky and so do my vets! My contract reads no earlier than six months of age for spay/neuter.
This is a completely closed cattery and I do not move breeding cats around from one breeder to the next like you think we ALL do! I don't do any inbreeding. I aim for a zero coefficient in my pedigrees and I've imported from as far away as Thailand to keep the genetic diversity that strengthens my lines and I have had to put with a LOT of abuse from other breeders out there for doing so.
Not all breeders do the same things!
If the above does not pertain to you, then that is great! I mainly wrote the posting to the breeders on this site that keep making excuses about the coronavirus.
The info above was not my personal demands; it is based on research. Too many cats makes the environment more susceptible to coronavirus lingering on for years and years and years. Actually, researchers studying the coronavirus say 5 or 6 cats only at one time in a breeding program enivronment ( and that number includes the kittens). Because everytime the coronavirus sheds out of one cat and goes into another cat it mutates. And the more times the cat is exposed to the virus, the viral load increases.
And yes, deworming is an anti-parastic which is a toxin and flea treatment is a toxin being put into the cat which are all stressors on the body. I was not saying deworming alone weakens the immune system. I am saying an accumulation of stressors within a short period time increases the chances of the virus mutating into the deadly form. The toxins including the vaccinations, then early spay and neutering, then re-homing the kitten along with the stressors of overcrowding from the breeding program is now increasing the incidences of FIP. Cats are not pack animals, so overcrowding is an internal stressor to them. Just spreadout the stressors and not do everything in a month or so timeframe.
Also, keep having the mother cats having multiple litters throughout the year is producing weaker kitten immune systems, not only for the coronavirus, but even other health issues. I am saying to breeders that are producing weak kittens to just be responsible and do their part in prevention.
Actually, research is showing the queens/ mother cats should only be pregnant once per year or every other year. Too many pregnancies is weakening them and is hard on their body. And not to run the breeding program based on money and greed.
And yes, shelter cats can also have the coronavirus and those cats can also get FIP. However, l specifically wrote my posting to the breeders on this website that are denying their part in this horrible disease and blaming it on factors outside their breeding program, because the downward spiral starts with them.
The breeder l got my kitten from totally denied there is an issue within their program and is on this website. She has about a dozen female breeder cats and 4 or 5 studs, and is producing multiple litters per year. The coronavirus isn't getting a chance to be removed from that environment. She is continually using one particular stud that has produced kittens that end up with FIP. And has female and male cats that have left her environment and is now in breeding programs across the country. So now, those breeding programs have that particular strain of the virus.
Not only that, a young breeding program now has a stud that came from her program. This male cat was a littermate/playmate of my kitten.
Researchers are also saying to help prevent the chances of the coronavirus spreading within an environment, is to not intermingle litters. Yes, it is cute to have all the kittens play together and to help with "socialization". However, mixing kittens from different litters can spread the virus from one infected litter to a litter that was not originally infected. Because they share litter boxes and/ or grooming each other. Which is spreading the virus. That is another reason why the incidence of the virus can be high in breeding program.
I wrote my posting also to help and educate potential pet owners on the virus and FIP. Because anyone that has experienced their cat or kitten that ended up with FIP, knows how devastating it is. And the sad thing is, it could have been prevented.
Not only can feline coronavirus potentially cause FIP, but it can also cause gastrointestinal issues for cats such as acute or chronic diarrhea. How comfortable is that!
You should have directed your comments strictly to the breeders you mentioned, which are the ones having a problem with FIP. A few other things you need to bear in mind are the following:
When you say 'researchers, ' you need to give a link to those 'researchers' and they published research.
FIP doesn't go away from a cattery just because a breeder limits their numbers of cats in a breeding program. I know of a breeder in France who had a total of two whole queens and zero stud cats. She took her one imported Korat to a very reputable breeder to be bred. Her first litter came and went to all their new owners only to have them all die very shortly afterwards of FIP. So just because they limit their numbers means absolutely nothing because when you have FIP in your cattery, it's there forever. She spayed the queens, kept them and then brought in more queens into the SAME environment, so you had better believe the new queen is going to get it too and the cycle continues.
Having multiple litters a year is not a cause for kittens getting FIP! It's completely unrelated! I have multiple litters a year and I want to stress the fact very strongly here that NONE of my kittens or cats has ever been diagnosed with FIP or even close to something like this.
Raising two litters together that are born very near each other is not a contributing factor at all to FIP. There's nothing wrong with raising two litters together, especially if one litter is a singleton or there's only two and the queens are bonded so they help raise each other's kittens.
It is every potential pet buyer's responsibility to research every breeder they are considering to determine if they have a problem with FIP. I NEVER get asked and pet buyers act like they have never considered this a problem. All they seem to care about is price and this is really stupid! What good is it to pay slightly less for a kitten from one breeder just to end up with huge vet bills and a dead FIP positive kitten when they could have paid slightly more from a good breeder who runs a cattery that has never had a positive case of FIP ever!?
@pennygirl12_ Im so sorry you had to go through this too. It is the most heartbreaking experience. I had a family member tell me to adopt a cat, not a ragdoll. I had an orange tabby before Zakk, who lived 15 years, and was so swee. He'd follow me, he knew If I was sad, and wouldn't let me cry. I thought I'd never find another like him. It took two years and I read about this breeds personality, so that's the reason I wanted one. He was definitely a sweetheart, but the 4 1/2 years of heartache, nearly killed me. I want another as I have another ragdoll from the same breeder, 2 months younger, supposedly from a litter that one of her customers didn't pay breeding rights for, so she told her she owed her a kitten. Who knows if that's true, I doubt it. When I orintinally called her to inquire, she had no kittens and a few weeks later, she called me and said someone put a deposit on one of her cats and couldn't pay the rest now. When I went to her home, she came out with him AND his sister. She was clearly quite a bit bigger, but I couldn't afford the two and I fell for the little guy.. That should have been my first red flag, don't know why I didn't say something to her! After a month of calling her with all of his issues, she tells me she had another cat, the one from her customer. I actually still thought she was being nice and felt bad, but a friend of mine now said she probably knew my little guy may not make it, so she gave me another to placate me. I'm terrified to take him to get tested for HCM, I would litterllay die. He's lonely and don't think he'd do well with a different breed, but your right I see red flags at many, idk what to do. There is a few in the northeast that look legit, but I would still have a new one tested immediately at the university for piece of mind. Im terrified. Hang in there, are baby's are playing together. I'll let you know if I find someone I feel comfortable with, š
My baby at 4 months after 1st surgery, his poor little runny eye, never went away. The breeder said he had little allergies as it was spring, and you know they all get it. Yeah bs, old witch!
I'm sorry. The Breeders seem like downplaying the eye viral issues as "allergies". I have trouble sleeping too and terrified to get another kitten. My kitten did not seem to have any health issues except the weepy eye, then one day it was BAM! full blown FIP, out of no where. The virus is sooooo cruel.
Some people say, "well, that is what you get for getting a purebred cat from a breeder". But, it doesn't matter, shelter cats and kittens get it too among other illnesses.
Dr. Addie has some good advice on her website catvirus.com.
I just wish l had known about the coronavirus; l had never heard of it or FIP until my cat became sick.
Now, l feel like l am on high alert. Every breeder website seems to have red flags. It has caused me not to trust anyone.
I should have known the red flags of my kitten being smaller than the rest of her littermates, having watery eyes before and after spraying and ever so often throughout her short precious life.
I have beaten myself up daily for months now.
All the while the breeder continues to breed and produce, sell many many kittens, going on like it is nothing.
All the while, my kitten has lost her life and l feel completely shattered over this.
Typo. I meant before and after spaying.
It is awful, Ordinarily I wouldn't think of getting another anytime soon, but my one remaining is so lonely as he was two months younger than Zakk and has never been alone, he is still so sad too. I'm terrified to get another. I know no matter what a pint breeder says about testing, I will bring any new baby straight to the university for my own testing, no matter the cost for my own piece of mind. I've been so traumatized, I'm still having issues sleeping. Sending prayers and good vibes your way to help you heal, I'm so sorry you had to deal with this too. I hope to find an ethical breeder soon, I will travel wherever to find one.
Thank you, I hope breeders will listen..I just lost my little boy at 4 1/2 years. He had chronic renal failure, HCM but the first year of his life I thought he had FIP, and may have had the dry form. He had so many issues as soon as I brought him home. Got him on a Saturday, brought him to my vet Monday morning, and he was just asking his head. He knew me so he wasn't going to tell me to bring him npback, as soon as he was in my arms, he was my baby. He didn't think he'd make it to 2 years. Of course he had calicivirus, coronvirus, he was on herpes mess and everything else at. Such a young age, I'm sure that hurt his kidneys. He had a runny eye when I went to get him, first red flag. The B***h that sold him said they all have allergies! It never went away his entire life. Then diarrhea a lot for first few months. Her response, "oh they all have it that young." They all have little viruses. I went broke for him and would have done anything for this baby. It's not even the money, i Brought him to UofF, considering a transplant, don't have that money at my disposal, but I would have found it somehow. Of course with HCM, he wasn't eligible. They think he may have had cancer too, nothing we could do, unfortunately. I would anything in the world to save him, I'm heartbroken beyond belief. He died in my arms 6/25/2017 and I still cry everyday, sometime just randomly while working. Just knowing he suffered so much kilos me. This was Deanna's ragdolls in Crystal River, Florida Stay away.
I am so sorry. I understand your pain. I had to put my beautiful Ragdoll to sleep, and l cry everyday too.
I am so sick and tired of breeders saying the coronavirus in their breeding program is no BIG deal. And saying that weepy eyes and herpes virus is no big deal. In fact, the herpes virus can weaken a kitten's immune system making them susceptible to the coronavirus mutating. So it is a big deal.
It is a shame that some of these breeders are so careless, they will eventually cause the entire Ragdoll breed to die out, what a shame to do that to a wonderful breed, because of being money hungry and greedy.
They continue to swap around their studs and queens amongst their breeding programs, constantly infecting each other's facility. I love how they say they have closed catteries and not just anyone can come see their kittens/cats because they do not want viruses to come in. However, they already have viruses in their home/ facilities especially the most deadly viruses.
One can only hope the virus does a real crazy mutation and start infecting the careless, irresponsible breeder/cattery owners. Then, let's see if it is a big deal to them.
I saw where a new breeder that has only been in business for less than two years, and l noticed one of their new breeder studs is a cat that came from a known coronavirus/FIP source. I recognize his picture from both websites. So now, their program is infected with this virus too. Just keep on infecting all the breeder programs across the country.
The instances of FIP is actually on the rise. Like l said, they will eventually cause Ragdolls to become extinct if they keep on having a large number of cats/kittens in their breeding program and having the coronavirus circulate throughout. Also, not allowing the momma cats to rest, before they bred then again, causing them to weaken and produce weaker kittens.
How cruel.
What a cute picture of your little Ragdoll boy with the rotisserie chicken and birthday candle. I am so sorry fir your loss and everything your boy and you went through. I miss my little Ragdoll too, she liked rotisserie chicken too. I miss her everyday too, to think what she went through battling FIP.
To all the breeder owner [censor] and [censor] that knowingly sell sick kittens...they (breeders) can go to hell.
Oh, how incredibly heartbreaking. I'm so sorry for the loss of your kitty. He's beautiful.
Thank you, I cry every day still.
Here is some homework for you:
Scenario # 1
Kitten with coronavirus
Overcrowding of cats at the breeder = stress = kitten weakened immune systems = increases chance of coronavirus mutating = FIP
Scenario # 2
Kitten with coronavirus
Overbreeding queens= stress = weaken immune system in kittens = increases chance of coronavirus mutating = FIP
Scenario #3
Kitten with coronavirus
De- worming, vaccinating, early spay/neutering (all are stressors) = stress= weakened immune system= re-homing to pet owner = more stress= increases chance coronavirus mutating = FIP
Too many stressors within a short period of time increases chance of coronavurus mutation
Answer: all of the above scenarios increases the chance of developing FIP which equals dead kitty and heartbroken pet buyer.
What common factor can be taken out of each scenario besides limiting stress.
Answer: Get rid of the coronavirus in the first place.
No coronavirus = No FIP