Farout Bengals - Kismet Watson review: Sold us a kitten with FIP 13

So sorry to hear that Kismet is still up to her old tricks. These cats are living feeling creatures and how she has gotten away with this for 10 years really puzzles me. You would think the authorities would have shut her down by now. My Bengal, Elsa, was also diagnosed with FIP and IBS. I have been posting updates for 8 1/2 years now. This year she started to have loosening stools and was gradually headed back to diarrhea again like she went through as a kitten. The vet put her back on a very low dose of prednisone every other day to go along with her daily flagyl tiny tabs. The vet says this is because she now is getting older and her immune system is too. She will be on these meds for the rest of her life, but the vet says that could be many more years. She is still energetic, a real jumper, loving and doesn't know she sick in any way. She truly acts like she is still a kitten! I am one of the lucky ones.
I was told I could sue Kismet for ALL Elsa's vet bills and ongoing medications over these 8 1/2 years. I think all these people that have bought kittens from her should join together and do a class action suit. We could all force her to honor her health guarantees. Maybe a court order and judgment would stop this horrible woman from breeding sick kittens! Count me in.

I bought 2 female bengal kittens from Kismet Watson in August of 2013. The kittens were litter mates. Both cats have had significant health issues. First, Kismet told me the mother had a bacterial infection so the kittens were never nursed by the mother and separated right after birth. The one kitten was diagnosed (around 9 months of age) with chronic bladder cystitis resulting in bladder infections requiring antibiotics and pain meds on a regular basis. Very painful, crying when peeing, peeing blood, uncontrolled peeing everywhere. I was told this was a chronic condition and nothing could be done. Now age 5, the one kitten has been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on her bladder, lungs filling with fluid, she's not eating and totally lethargic. The vet has recommended that she be euthanized! I am devastated! The other sister is now exhibiting the same signs; bladder infections, uncontrollable urination AND chronic diarrhea and blood in her stool.

When I went to see the bengals she was selling, there were multiple litters, at least 6 or more housed in a mobile home. 4 - 6 adult bengals were in cages outside of the mobile home. I should have left right then and there!

DO NOT buy bengals from this woman! I am going to file complaints with TICA.

Thank you for the information. Elsa turned 7 this month on the 3rd. Maybe I will contact TICA and see if they can help me get her papers from Kismet for her birthday, LOL.

If issues exist with a breeder, a complaint may be filed with TICA. Information is available on their website with all of the specifics regarding a complaint. This would also apply to a breeder's failure to provide the appropriate paperwork on the cat to the client.

I am well aware it is a mutation. That was probably the first thing I learned about the situation. !0% of cats that carry the corona virus will mutate to FIP, either as a kitten or as an elderly cat, but when the immune system weakens. It mutates when a kitten is under stress in it's environment IE: Plane trips or living in a cage for 2 months both were Elsa's situation. When I got Elsa she had never walked outside a cage or even been fed by a human hand. She was under such stress that her whiskers had even fallen out!
You need to look up the experimental drugs they are trying on FIP cats and the testing. They go by the test results and symptoms. They do test for a high count in the blood and shedding in the stool. At death they biopsy to make a final determination, I do understand everything she came to me with...Corona virus, Mutated FIP, IBS, and giardia, Only thing she didn't have was socialization and whiskers! Everything is fine now except SHE STILL DOESN:T HAVE HER PAPERS! Karyn

I'm in shock that any of you actually believe there is a "test" for FIP. Are you really all that misinformed? There is a titer (blood test) which tests for exposure (past or present-it will not tell you WHEN) to coronavirus- NOT FIP. It's a useless test, other than when used as tool with many other tests done in the hope of ruling OUT fip! Nearly every cat/kitten who comes from a shelter, rescue, etc... will have exposure to coronavirus. It is easily spread through shared litterboxes- even well maintained ones. Coronavirus is usually not a big deal- UNLESS a cat is in the small percentage that has the virus actually mutate into FIP. I volunteer as a kitten foster and my heart breaks for anyone who encounters FIP. Been there. So you know, there is NO WAY for a breeder, shelter or rescue to KNOW that the animal you adopt has FIP. It happens. It happens silently. It is caused by a MUTATION, not a disease. There is NO definitive test for it, and coronavirus is VERY common! If your vet told you that there is a definitive test for FIP, DO SOME ONLINE RESEARCH and then find a new vet!
In a nutshell, coronavirus is common, typically not a big deal and contagious. It can mutate (rarely) into FIP. FIP does not spread the way that coronavirus does. FIP is also 100% fatal. If you think your cat recovered from FIP, you are WRONG, and your cat did not have FIP.

Correction. Elsa was born April 3, 2010. Need anyone with info. on that litter to help get Elsa's papers from Kismet. I have attached a photo of Elsa's father, AJ, and one of Elsa's mother, Exotica. The picture of Exotica was taken just before Elsa's birth. Need to know the owner of her to contact. I also have attached a baby photo of Elsa taken by the owner of Exotica. Thank You, Karyn Ard

Can't believe she is still in business! My cat., Elsa, from the posting above, is still alive and well. Still needs flagyl with every meal but she made it through her FIP medical ordeal. The vet called her "The miracle cat". She is about to turn 5 in a couple of months and I still can't get her papers! Her father was AJ (Apple Jack) and she was born April 5th 2010. If anyone reading this has any information on this litter born that day, please contact me. I don't know the mothers name but I know she belonged to someone other than Kismet. Would love to contact that female's owner to ask for help getting Elsa's papers.

Kismet stole a Bengal kitten from me! She also sent kittens home with me that had Coccidia. She is a thief and a scam artist and sells cats she claims are "show quality" at a high cost but are not. She sold someone I know a cat with a heart defect that died. Her place is a complete dump and smells terrible. She smells of cat pee.

Wow. Are you ever misinformed, RNJen! First of all my contract did not state anything about the leukemia vaccination (I believe her newer contracts do.) Second, I never asked for a refund on my kitten. If you read my statement above you'll see I never mentioned I gave my kitten a leukemia vaccination. Kismet must be sitting there telling you what to write. I kept contacting Kismet to inform her I was dealing with problems over and above the parasites (Giardia) she sent me home with. She was nice enough to include a bottle of flagyl for treatment. She did say she had quite a problem with them and was in the process of replacing her floor because of it.
As for you statement about me not being educated about my cat...Anyone sold a kitten with Giardia, IBD, and FIP (a mutated form of the Corona Virus) becomes very informed quickly trying to save the kitten. I READ EVERY PIECE OF INFORMATION AVAILABLE. My vet was as determined as I to save Elsa. She told me she went home and read every new piece of studies being done she could find. 3 years ago PREDNISONE WAS being tested as a drug to try with FIP. It is you that isn't very informed on the subject. However, you are correct about it helping with the IBD too. You are also correct about it being fatal in most every case. It's only by the grace of God and the determination vet and myself to not give up, that my little sweetheart is here. I only got threats from Kismet and told she never had a kitten with FIP before. Seems to me she's had quite a few, She never said she was sorry, offer encouragement to save her, or support of any kind. She did tell me that to test positive for FIP is normal and not a big deal. I did find the video of judge Alex interesting. She tells the judge all those kittens from the other breeder came to her sick with the corona virus and all died. She argues first one way, then the other depending on who she's talking to. I'm starting to wonder if this could be the reason I couldn't get Elsa's papers from her. You see, I purchased my kitten because I was told all the kittens were hand raised by her in her home and not in a typical kennel setting. I found out later Elsa and her litter-mates, although fathered by her cat AJ, their mother was elsewhere and the kittens were brought into Kismet's home just a day or two before I came to pick Elsa up. Interesting...Almost sounds like the Judge Alex situation.
Finally and the most sad of all, you are defending a woman that has no regard for these lives she's creating, the hearts she breaks, or the financial hardship she places on those that try all they can to save them. To this day I can't bring myself to tally up the total cost of all the testing of every kind and medications. She was weaned off the prednisone over a year ago but a small dose of flagyl with every meal is on going for just a small touch of IB. Do You know this woman sent me home with a kitten she KNEW had the highly contagious corona virus knowing my sister had just got a new kitten herself. Kismet KNEW we planned to raise them together in the same household!
Thank God I kept them separate for two weeks while I fought the Giardia. After I got the tests back on Elsa I paid again to have my sister's kitten tested for corona then immunized against it. She could have killed off my sister's kitten too!
Karyn

I also wanted to point out that this person has made several accounts with different names. Here is another post by the same user with a different account.

Far Out Bengals — Sold me a kitten with FIP

I bought 2 kittens from Kismet Watson of FarOutBengals and would buy more. I have owned several Bengal cats over the years and have found Kismet's cats to be the most healthy and well-socialized cats I've owned. I am a nurse practitioner and know that Kismet is extremely knowledgeable regarding illness and disease in cats. In response to M. Reilly, I don't believe that your cat was diagnosed with FIP as you claim it happened. I have also read another post you made in which you stated you are a cat breeder and you live on a farm where animals can be exposed to everything. It would be a shame if you are only making this claim against another breeder that you see as competition.
As a cat breeder, you should know that FIP is caused from the Corona Virus. Not all cats exposed with Corona Virus develop FIP. That being said, diagnosing FIP is extremely challenging because there is currently no test that can distinguish between the harmless intestinal coronavirus and the deadly FIP coronavirus. The only definitive way to diagnose FIP is post mortem with a biopsy. If you had read your contract with Kismet as I have done, you would have seen that all she requires is the vet report with the biopsy results. Since you failed to provide her with that report, I support her in the decision not to compensate your claimed loss of a cat.
As far as the Judge Alex court case you referred to, the clips of the video only show his claims, not the outcome. In that case, those cats did not belong to Kismet. They were HIS cats that he asked her to sell for him and they came to her already exposed with the Corona Virus, not FIP. He was also a breeder who realized the business was too difficult for him.

I have very little response to KarynArd as it's obvious to me that she is not educated regarding her cat. First, Kismet's contract clearly states that the contract is Null and Void if the leukemia vaccination is given. Testing for leukemia is enough. Feline leukemia is a retrovirus with is basically carried on RNA which is somewhat like your DNA in reverse. There's no guesswork with that test. The virus is either there or it's not. This poster also stated that the FIP test was positive which I have explained previously is unlikely and her vet is unsure if the corn, wheat gluten, or parasites is causing the diarrhea. Vets can diagnose a cat with a parasite. A common parasite that animals pick up is called Giardia and even people can get it from drinking water infected with Giardia. Check out your next report from your water company, they even list it on there. Giardia can be found by testing for the antigen or visualizing the spores under a microscope. A frequently misdiagnosed parasite is "Tritrichomonas Foetus" because it requires a special test. Often it's misdiagnosed as Giardia or irritable bowel. Flagyl is a broad spectrum antibiotic and is used to treat several symptoms. Prednisone is a steroid that is also used to treat intestinal inflammations. These are not the medications that would have brought her kitten back from the brink of FIP. Fortunately for her, if her cat really had FIP, she most likely would have died because in most cases, FIP is fatal. There is no cure for FIP and the treatment is palliative.

I was sold a kitten by "Farout Bengals" diagnosed with FIP also. This was 3 years ago. My kitten, Elsa, is doing very well now. She started a combination of prednisone and Flagyl medication, I was able to wean her off the meds 1year ago. Don't feed these Bengals ANY corn or wheat gluten! That is a key factor with the diarrhea issues. Kismet's kittens also are sold with parasite problems. When All these issues are combined, it's hard to tell if FIP positive test what they are reacting to.
I have page after page of e-mails back and forth with this woman. She refuses to even send Elsa's Papers! In the beginning she refused to acknowledge the FIP positive situation. Told me it was my fault she has it because I gave her a leukemia vaccination! She said she never has had a kitten, from her, come down with FIP. I never followed through on my threat and intention to take her to court because I was too busy saving the kitten. Elsa is now just over 3 years old now and is 12 healthy lean, muscular, pounds of love and energy! My vet did such a great job that Elsa never even seemed to be aware she was sick.
I still have all the e-mails and threats from Kismet for any interested party to read, if they are interested. I sure would like to hear from anyone out there with the same history with this woman.