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EILEEN PICKET COMPLAINT
The statement below is NOT an actual complaint towards Eileen Picket but more of a warning for future clients of things to look for when purchasing from her.
In February of 2009 I purchased a male White Blue Eyed Ragdoll from Eileen Picket. It was my first time ever purchasing from a breeder. After a month of having the kitten I noticed signs of deafness. When I took him in for his booster shots his vet. confirmed that he believed he was deaf. I took him for a BAER test which also confirmed this. (It showed interference in the left ear which had to be diagnosed as "partial hearing")
Eileen and I exchanged several e-mails and a phone conversation prior to the purchase. I had done extensive research regarding deafness in White Blue Eyed cats and found out there is a high percentage that would likely be born deaf or become deaf. I specifically asked Eileen about this and she verbally confidently ASSURED me that unlike other White Blue Eyed programs her White Blue Eyed cats were NOT deaf. She also originally had this stated on her website which she has since removed at my request, and I commend her for that. Although she advised me that if I had any concern about the kitten being deaf I should not purchase it from her, but I believed and trusted in her word and purchased him anyway.
I informed Eileen about his deafness and had asked her for a small refund which included the fee for the BAER test. She apologized for his condition and offered to have the kitten returned with a full refund. I told her that this was not an option bec. we had become attached to the kitten from the minute she sent us his picture prior to the purchase. I believe she took my request for a refund as an insult and that I was trying to devalue the kitten. She kept stating that the kitten responded fine prior to leaving her home, as if to blame me for his sudden deafness within a month.
I have two children who took the news of his deafness pretty hard. I tried to explain to her that the reason for my request for a small refund was that there was a principle. She assured me her kittens were not deaf and yet here I am with one. I told her that I would have preferred to have been told, yes there is a high percentage of deafness and that although the kitten was responding well at the time, she would not be able to guarantee that the kitten would not become deaf. If I had been told this I would have been able to better prepare the children instead of it coming as a shock. Being that Eileen doesn't have any children of her own I can understand why she wouldn't know what it's like having to explain something like this to them. She stated that if she had suspected deafness she would have told me. I explained that I didn't believe she suspected deafness but that with research showing such a high percentage of these kittens being deaf no breeder can suspect it or guarantee that their kittens are different or special no matter how long you've been in the business.
I would just like to advise future clients of Eileen Picket or of any breeder please make sure the health check is administered by a vet. Get documented proof. Eileen does her own health checks and administers her own shots. This should have been a red flag for me, but it was my first time. She is extremely confident in what she does and seems to believe she knows more than a vet. I also recommend when purchasing a white blue eyed kitten or dog to request a BAER test administered.
Lastly I would like to state that my family and I have no problem with the kitten being deaf. It is a handicap which we are all learning to adjust to. The final decision was on us to purchase from Eileen and to believe in her word. He is a beautiful remarkable kitten. We love him to death and his personality is beyond what we expected. If Eileen would have acted less confident about her work and admitted there was no guarantee of deafness, I would have purchased him anyway. We keep him on a high quality diet as she recommended and take him EVERYWHERE we can with us except the grocery store. We get compliments from everyone that meets him. He is a very sweet kitten and we wouldn't trade him for any price. We never intended to accept the refund from Eileen and she proved that she has a lack of compassion. She states that her kittens are her children yet she never made an effort to contact us to see how the kitten had settled in. We picked up the kitten from her home and had a six hour ride back. I would expect at least one phone call from a breeder who "loves" her kittens.
Finding it a little suspicious of all (3) who responded to the complaint became members and responded within the same time period. One day after the other. It's obvious they all know each other and are close friends with Eileen Pickett and have come to her defense. Unfortunately that makes their comments biased. Wondering how Mitzi found out Love's name, it's not mentioned on the complaint. Hmmmmm.
I don't believe how ignorant people are. Money has nothing to do with it. The cat turned out to be deaf! Ms. Pickett's website originally stated, unlike other WBE ragdoll programs, HER WBE ragdolls were NOT deaf. What part don't you people get. Ms. Pickett just got upset that her program had a flaw. If it's about the money it's on Ms. Pickett's end.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
We have a deaf cat purchased from Eileen. She was born in January 2012. Eileen was totally upfront with us, told us she was pretty posiitve she was deaf...she is the sweetest cat I've ever owned. I taught her sign language, i.e., to sit, come and follow. . My daughter loves her - she was not born until a few months after we got our lovely cat and they are great friends. No disappointments, just love. But overall, Eileen was great. I had two precious retiree breeder cats from Eileen prior, and with any problems or concerns she was out-of-the-way helpful. I'm sorry you experienced this, but given my experiences I felt I needed to speak up on Eileen's behalf.
Wow name calling and your a cop? Nice. Now who needs to get a life? Anyway...seems as if some people don't know how to read. Ms Pickett did not do everything right. The statement said that Picketts website stated her WBE ragdolls were not deaf. Why would she put that on her website and gaurantee them that she doesn't have deaf WBE cats without having a BAER test done on each one of them before the purchase. You cant even gaurantee that of a human child and it takes months to even find that out. If she knows soooo much about cats then she shouldn't have made that gaurantee and she should also warn a purchaser about how a cat may be severly traumatized by being shipped and that a pick up may be better, and even that cant be gauranteed to affect the cat. Because each cat is different and nobody can ever predict anything about them. So to give any kind of gaurantee would be foolish of the breeder. BTW a cat can be trained to come on command especially pure breeds. And for those who responded that they bought a ragdoll and not a WBE ragdoll, well there is a difference. I also dont understand how some people view this as slamming anyone. The person shared their experience and felt mislead. Put it this way... do you believe that every gauranteed product you buy does exactly what it gaurantees to do. Unfortunately these people did their research but where first time buyers and obviously also beleived she knew more than them and took her word. She made them beleive that there was something about her way of breeding where it was possible not to have deaf WBE cats. I think the moral of the story is a breeder doesn't know it all and dont beleive any gaurantees. Beleive your research and ask a vet. And hey bravo to all those who had a great experience. Hopefully all of her clients thereafter have had a good one too.
I purchased a ragdoll from Eileen about 7-8 years ago. She shipped him to me as a pet (and with shipping it was close to 1000). The shipping severely traumatized him and it took over six months to get him settled. During that time I had several emails and conversations with Eileen and she offered to take the cat back. I am glad we did not go that route, but I appreciated her offer. I would get another cat from her and although I am not at all in favor of shipping (I would pick up), this did not diminish my opinion of her.
If you children are crushed by a deaf kitten, I hope you never have a relative that has a disability. This is a great teaching moment. I think the fact that Eileen offered to take the kitten back with a full refund is enough. If you cannot deal with a deaf kitten, I feel sorry for that kitten. She should check in to see how the kitten is doing? You are kidding right? There is something wrong with you...not Eileen OR the kitten.
BTW- I am not related to Eileen, I have not spoken to her for about 7 years and I am a retired cop. Get a life! You just spent all this time slamming her when you could have spent it with your kids. Idiot is not good enough to call you...
I have two beautiful Ragdoll cats I purchased from Eileen 10 years ago as kittens. They are beautiful and healthy. Since that time we purchases two other ragdoll kittens from other breeders and both came to us sick. One died at only 2 years old of a blood cancer and the other came to us under weight and with a $2, 500 vet bill just to save his life. He is a very small 10 # male. We are still in touch with Eileen today. She is the most knowledgeable person we know when it comes to cats, their health and nutrition. My only regret is that we didn't purchase our other two kittens from her. Because we were looking for a Mink and a Sepia we had to purchase them from other breeders. I have nothing but good things to say about her. She knows more than most vets. She would have no way of knowing if a kitten would eventually become deaf, besides what differences does it make. My friends cat is deaf and because of it he is very calm and lovable, noises do not scare him and he is always relaxed and friendly. Love is not perfection, it's acceptance.
"I specifically asked Eileen about this and she verbally confidently ASSURED me that unlike other White Blue Eyed programs her White Blue Eyed cats were NOT deaf. She also originally had this stated on her website. " This statement clearly is a guarantee of no deafness at the time of purchase or in the future. Nowhere in the complaint does it say that Eileen Picket couldn't gaurantee deafness. I'm assuming the kids were young and it would probably be like having a broken toy. They don't know the difference, they just know it's not "normal". I think the small refund would be for misleading the buyer to think Eileen Pickets WBE cats were of a better line and not likely to be deaf, which is understandable. It's obvious they love the cat but don't blame them for complaining about being mislead.
Trying to figure out why your kids would be heart broken over a deaf cat, a cat is not a dog and they rarely come on command anywyas. I was 5 when we took in a kitten that was all white and blue eyed. We suspected she was sea and the vet confirmed. It in no way took from our mutual enjoyment if each other. She was the best cat. I think you are over reacting. I would have a deaf cat again in a heart beat. You realize fast enough that they "hear" through vibrations in the ground. When you buy from a breeder, generally they do not refund for partial payment, but just as she stated, full refund for the return of the animal. It's pretty standard and the risk you take. I think you need to reevaluate your love for the cat. I honestly can't imagine your poor review effecting this breeder, even by your own words she did everything right.
To whom it may concern,
My name is Mark, I am Rose Marie Zizzo's cousin.
I feel the need to explain to everyone who has posted comments
blogs and words of hate about my cousin the reason she is the way
she is and to warn innocent people of potential misery.
Rose Marie was always a troubled child but trouble turned to
tragedy when she was 11 years old Rosemarie had always exhibited
signs of mental instability however when she was 11 years old, we
were just kids and my cousin, who had always been obsessed with
cat's, ruthlessly poured gasoline on the neighbor's cat, then lit
it with a lighter she stole from my mother, I ran screaming to my
mother Rosemarie stood and watched with fascination.
My mother quickly called 911 but it took them over 24 minutes to
get to our home and sadly it was too late for the little kitten, it
was at that time my cousin was taken from our home and placed in a
mental facility. She lived out the next several years there and
was stabilized on medication for her Schizophrenia disorder, she
appeared to be fine when they released here but then she began to
collect cats in her trailer until one day a someone reported her to
the authorities for having over 75 cats in her trailer many of
which were severely sick and deprived of human compassion.
As the investigation continued multiple cat bodies were found
stored in her freezer, it was at this time that our family
discovered that Rose Marie had stopped taking her medication, she
was once again hospitalized for week in 1/2 and released. Having
all of her cats taken from her she turned her mentally deranged
mind to the Internet where she began a marathon of stalking cat
breeders building what appeared to be cat breeder consumer sites.
Because of her ongoing harassment and defamation of reputable
breeders, tons of breeders began to complain about Rose Marie to
CFA, they banned her from ever registering cats.
She was now banned from the world's largest cat breeding registry
and all of her cats she once owned were taken from her. One would
have thought this would have been the end of her brutal online
attacks against pedigreed cat breeders, it would have been in a
sound and stable humans mind but that was not the case with Rose
Marie Zizzo. Going on and off of her medication made her medical
condition even worse. She had become fixated on a woman known as
Melanie Lowery. Melanie was a cat breeder who had sold her a cat,
my cousin began to post comments that the cat was ill and Melanie
was evil, after enduring two years of vicious attacks from Rose
Marie Melanie had finally had enough and filed a lawsuit she won
this lawsuit in the amount of $7500, my cousin was found guilty of
Internet cyber bulling and wrongful defamation of character our
family had to scrape together the money to pay Melanie for my
cousin's wrongful actions.
This slap on the hand did not faze my sister, she continued to
widen her selection of cat breeders primarily consisting of Persian
and Himalayan cat breeders then quickly turned on all other
pedigree cat breeders. At this point Rose Marie had been kicked
out of CFA, lost a lawsuit, had a judgment against her to silence
her online attacks and all of her cats were taken from her, these
events continued to deteriorate her mental illness, as our family
we did not know what to do for psychological disorder which
escalated around the world via the Internet so we began to distance
ourselves from her and remind her we would not be here to bail her
out financially again.
Her family support network had been exhausted by her controversial
behavior and outburst which occurred on a day to day basis, her
irritable moods could be triggered from a certain food, too little
or not enough sleep. The one thing we began to notice was how the
simple glance at even a feral cat launched her into another online
tirade and violent declamation. Her wild words pushed cat breeders
to form an alliance against her, while some fought back others
ignored her demagogue, vehement ways. To this day Rose Marie
continues to build multiple complaint sites in which she uses to
feed her perplexed and delusion state of mind.
These web sites are as dangerous as she is, with no family no cats
and no friends only a computer she learned the dangerous skill of
installing malicious spyware and tracking malware on her sights to
see how many people were reading her disoriented post about cat
breeders.
The hazardous malware installed onto anyone's computer who dared to visit Rose Marie's complaint sites fell victim.
This became her new obsession. When people visited her site for any length of time her
websites installed invisible history tracking spyware, this
software enabled Rosemarie to track the future Internet surfing
history of people who visited her site, using this spyware she was
able to watch people go into their online banking and credit card
statements.
Unsuspecting cat breeders and everyday citizens reading her rants
fell victim to her watch full eye. Rose Marie was able to see the
login information and passwords breeders used to advertise their
cats for sale online. Breeders could not understand how personal
information stored only in their email boxes was being displayed on
Rosemary's websites. As Rose Marie read through the emails of any
and all who visited her web sites she posted personal information
such as income tax documents for the world to see, by this time
Rose Marie was no longer only targeting cat breeders, everyone was
a victim who was seeking phony complaints stored on her deceitful
websites. We as her family knew to never visit any of her sites
because she WILL obtain personal documents and private information
and post them on her website in hopes of getting a reaction from
anyone.
Rose Marie has hundreds of complaint sites with various looks and
feels to them.
The only safe, accurate and authoritative consumer review sites are
www.consumerreports.org
The Attorney General's Office (Per state)
The FBI has now been notified of her illegal online treacherous
behavior. Under no conditions should anyone be so drama driven
that they feel the need to visit one of her many websites, doing so
WILL compromise your computer and financial records to this
seriously ill mind. As ashamed as we are of the fact that Rose
Marie continues to fail taking her medication I feel that the
obligation to intervene in hopes of saving another family from
suffering distress and torment by my cousin's ruthless actions.
I do hope this glimpse into the personal side of Rose Marie Zizzo
will help to explain the torment and torture to all who take
admonish.
Earnestly,
Mark Zizzo
I don't believe any breeder. They are fiercely competitive. They back stab like crazy. If you go to one and switch, they bad mouth the other one. They lie a lot. I never will go to another one. Next time, I will go to the Humaine Society and save a kitten. I am now getting one that was deceptively advertised and I regret getting involved with any breeder at all. I do have to say that a white cat is a hybrid. There is no real natural throw of a white. They are artificial. For that reason, they can be a real problem. I had a white Persian. They not only can be deaf but are more prone to health problems. The best thing to do is to stay away from them. There are many Ragdoll breeders that do not believe in breeding them.
I am a proud owner of a Ragdoll named "Bella" from VillaRoyal and Eileen Pickett. She is the most beautiful cat with a personality to match which comes from the way she was bred and the way she was raised prior to me receiving her. Eileen Pickett has been wonderful to me and my family. Considering I was new to owning a kitten, Eileen answered my many questions and emails no matter how many times I had a question. She was extremely helpful and knowledgeable no matter what the concern. I have emailed her with questions a year after owning my baby and she promptly gets back to me every time. Which in return showed me how much she cares about her litters. She not only cares about who they wind up with but what happens to them after they leave her, which in my opinion, makes for a very good breeder. I have stayed in touch with Eileen, sent her pictures of my Bella which she enjoys seeing because she gets to see how they are doing once they leave her. I would not listen to any negative articles you may come across because they are most likely disgruntled people who are looking to get a Ragdoll for less money or for free because they are very pricey, but well worth it! Eileen Pickett is one of the best breeders I have come across and I was so pleased with my purchase that I am now talking to Eileen about my second one!
Honestly, you should all quit wasting your money, no offense to cat breeders, and just adopt a beautiful cat from your local humane society. They can be equally as personable and loving, if not more so.
Regarding comment from "Mitzi" BellaPalazzo Ragdolls:
Mindy Ferreira is friends with Eileen Pickett. They breed many litters together. www.bellapalazzo-ragdollcats.com...
I would like to respond to the person who posted a complaint on this complaint board regarding Eileen Pickett. The writer was smart to research the Ragdoll breed to know what to expect. Everyone should do that before deciding on a breed. But with that said, she was fully equipped with knowledge and knew that deafness or partial deafness could occur at birth OR after. Eileen, after hearing her concern, suggested that maybe she should not purchase him, because she couldn't guarantee he would not become deaf. She, of her own free will, purchased her kitten anyway. Maybe she should have had a conversation with her children BEFORE buying him, gently letting them know of the chance that he may become deaf and get their reactions. If she felt the children would be heartbroken and unable to handle that if it happened, she could have chosen another ragdoll of a different color.
I would like to discuss the first sentence of the poster's complaint, or as she calls it, "warning" to future clients...here is what you can expect and count on if you purchase one of Eileen Pickett's ragdolls. I know because I also purchased a white, blue-eyed ragdoll named Angel (who is not deaf after 7 years), a little over a year ago. You can count on the following:
When my husband and I wanted to purchase Angel, she had us fill out a detailed questionnaire to assure a "perfect match" between Angel and us. We emailed back and forth in order to be sure that when she was placed with us, there wouldn't be any reason to have problems that would result in Angel becoming displaced or sent back. She put Angel's well-being first and foremost at all times. Her love, concern and professionalism in our transaction and the transfer from Villaroyal to our home in Connecticut went smoothly. She prepared us every step of the way for what we would need and how to care for Angel and guided us in choices of food, litter, carriers for traveling, how to cut her nails, how to bathe her, etc. She has been literally "on call" for all questions and concerns we have. She also loves to hear our many stories of Angel's life with us and delights in knowing that she is stable, happy and most of all...loved! I am always amazed that I can reach her either by email or by phone anytime. She is so dedicated that she doesn't even take days off, vacations or celebrate holidays like the rest of us do. All the kittens and cats get her attention and their needs are met every day of the year. Unlike what you may have read by the woman who posted this "warning", she is very honest and trustworthy and professional in all phases of her business and she is very loving, caring and nurturing in all phases of the kitties lives. She is not a liar, and if she says she didn't observe any signs of deafness, you can believe her. I commend and admire Eileen because she DESERVES the admiration and praise I give here publicly. You couldn't find a better breeder. I understand the writer may be hurt and sad that her kitten is deaf, but like she says...she wouldn't trade him for any price. In the long run, isn't that all that matters? She has a beautiful ragdoll kitten with a sweet and loving nature. And part of that loving spirit he has is because he had a wonderful start with Eileen Pickett at Villaroyal.
Not sure what your real agenda is "love" but I have a pretty good idea. When I purchased my two Villaroyal White Ragdolls, (both of which are sound of hearing), Eileen was totally up front about the deafness issue and even about subjects that I did not think to ask about. She made every thing very clear. Her knowledge is immense. I can say without hesitation that she is also the most professional breeder that I contacted. I talked to many. Eileen continues to offer support, in addition to taking time to listen to my stories. She sincerely shares in my happiness. While I sympathize that your cat may be deaf, for you to insinuate that Eileen Picket deceived you in any way or does not care about her kittens is atrocious. She offered a full refund after over a month, what more do you want? Warn others? I'm not convinced. Both of my cats came with a health certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian. Telling others that Eileen does her own health checks does not add credibility to your story and is dishonorable of you. I personally appreciate and give credit to Eileen Picket of Villaroyal Ragdolls for enduring through this kind of malarkey so that the rest of us can appreciate and enjoy these precious angels.
Kyra Davis, your attempt to extort money from this breeder by threatening an online smear campain did not work.
You ADMIT she counseled you about the possibility of deafness in white cats, and you chose to purchase the kitten anyway. Your own Baer test does not indicate a deaf cat.
Upon your demands for money, Eileen Pickett offered you a FULL refund of your purchase price if you would like to return the kitten. You refused to return the kitten.
Eileen placed a healthy and in your own words "remarkable" kitten with you. This is how you thank her for that?
This is sad and pathetic for you to slander someone this way.
Kyra Davis, you should be ashamed of yourself.