Questionable Breeder...

bengalbella

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Hello, I'm new to the site, but I recently had found a Bengal kitten (about 6 months) and when I went to pick him up... the woman's house and the environment concerned me. She had about 5 or 6 dogs, at least 15 cats running around and more in her basement. She allowed the cats to run outside and none of the kittens had had their shots. They were very cheap (compared to the $600+ they usually are) and when I brought the kitten home, he had fleas and borderline pnuemonia with a fever of 103. She told me that she would have the papers for the kitten in two months and would mail them to me. Everytime I call her, she never returns my calls and I called her and told her about the kitten's health and she acted shocked that he was sick and I told her the vet said it's common with cats and she didn't know that. He said it's very contagious and I told her that as well, she said she would keep an eye on her animals but I'm very concerned for them.. They look like theyre being fed, but she lied about the cat food she sent home with the kitten.. it was very generic when she told me it was Science Diet. I'm not familiar with breeders and have not dealt with one before, but talking to a co-worker who has a Bengal as well said that her methods and care are very questionable. Should I do something or maybe the question is, can I? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!
 

siameseohio

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Do you know what cat association she is involved with? You could contact them. If you were told you'd receive registration papers for your cat and haven't, it is probably likely she has done this to someone else.

What was your kitten's diagnosis? What is the contagious illness? What is frightening is that if it is something that is that contagious, someone could take a kitten home and their other animals could be affected as well.

I'm sorry this was a difficult lesson to learn. I believe there is a current thread on this site concerning questions to ask a breeder. It has really good advice on how to recognize a questionable (bad) breeder. Unfortunately people let their hearts do the talking when they see kittens when conditions are obviously not good. Or people are looking for a bargain and in some cases they end up getting what they pay for (not suggesting that this was the case with you).

I hope your kitten is doing better and that you get some resolution with this breeder.
 

tiffanyjbt

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Sorry to hear this. Almost the exact same thing happened to me when I got Duke. I was very ignorant to the cat world and the real cost of breeding. My baby had fleas and wouldn't eat for a week. He was also only six weeks old when the lady sold him to me. Thats considered animal cruelty, so I called animal control on her. Maybe allowing all those cats to just roam and carry contagious diseases is considered cruelty as well. Maybe thats an option for you?

I don't know what ever happened to that lady. I can't change her, but I can educate myself and try to help educate any other potential cat owners.

I hope your kitten is doing better too.
 

tiffanyjbt

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Originally Posted by siameseohio

Or people are looking for a bargain and in some cases they end up getting what they pay for (not suggesting that this was the case with you).
That was precisely the case with my husband and I. Not that we couldn't afford to pay more (if you only knew how much my two bengals cost me! LOL!) We just didn't understand how a person could charge so much for a cat. I mean, breeding can't be that hard, right??? So totally WRONG!!! I learned this lesson the hard way. I love Duke with all my heart. I won't even entertain the what if's. I could have bred Duke and been a BYB myself. My husband and I actually considered it. Then I started doing the research and realized that breeding was something I was NOT prepared to handle! Its a LOT of work and heartache involved! I also learned that the really good breeders rarely, if ever, profit financially from their efforts. Because of this, I have a TON of respect for the breeders here on this forum and the responsible breeders everywhere. The price they pay for me to be able to cuddle with my little purrbuckets is insurmountable!
 

goldenkitty45

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Sounds like a backyard breeder. NO way should you sell a sick kitten to start - how old was the kitten when you got it. A GOOD breeder will give all shots and neuter/spay now before leaving.

IMO, if you really felt uncomfortable, you should have passed on the kitten. Hope he's better now and in the future, do some more checking before putting your money down. $600 is dirt cheap for a pet bengal!

Kinda like the "price too good to be true" measn you should walk away.
 
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bengalbella

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Nikko is doing better now he was sneezing a TON when we brought him home, so I took him to the vet a couple days after we got him and the vet told me he had border line pneumonia and gave him a shot and some antibiotics for 5 days. Since then he's stopped sneezing and he's better now. But the vet told me that it was very contagious so I had to bring my other cat in for the shot as well. When he told me this I started thinking of all of the other kittens that he could've either spread it to or gotten it from and I bet money she hasn't done anything about it since I called and told her about it. Here's a few pics of him though he's about 6 months old.
 

jen

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Thats too bad. Horrible breeders can really screw innocent people over can't they? No question that you bought from a backyard breeder. That is the kind of person who gives a bad name to all the really good responsible breeders out there.

If your first instinct was bad then you should have walked away and not given her a single dime to support what she is doing. I hope all goes well with your kitty. I honestly wouldn't be suprised if he is inbred if she allows all her cats to run around and mingle together like that. Not to scare you but just give you a heads up to the reality of this. I highly doubt you will ever see any paperwork and even that you can guarentee for absolute sure that he is a pure Bengal even.

Good luck and good luck with your kitty! Hopefully you get him neutered asap!
 

tiffanyjbt

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He's Cute! The peachy undertones and pale markings make me think he's a blue cat. Just keep a good eye on him and enjoy the wonderful experiences he will enrich your life with!

Welcom to The Cat Site, btw!
 
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bengalbella

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Originally Posted by tiffanyjbt

He's Cute! The peachy undertones and pale markings make me think he's a blue cat. Just keep a good eye on him and enjoy the wonderful experiences he will enrich your life with!

Welcom to The Cat Site, btw!
Thanks, she did say he was a blue one. I had my heart set on a brown one but the only one she had was terribly scared and shy I needed a social one and he was such a sweetheart since I laid eyes on him I had to take him home and I havent regretted it even with all of the issues with him he's been worth it
 

tiffanyjbt

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I know what you mean. When I went to get Duke, the lady told us that one cat was really smart. She didn't say much about the other. I picked up the 'smart one' and he was fine with being held. Of course, I was having a hard time making up my mind (because I wanted both!). Well Duke decided he would make up my mind for me. While I was reaching to pick up the 'smart one' again, Duke crawled in my purse... several times! I HAD to take him home with me and I have not regretted it since.
 

kai bengals

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I'm sorry you had a bad experience getting your bengal. Unfortunately, because of the bengal cats popularity, there are a good number of people who think they are breeders, out there selling bengal kittens.

The short story is: It takes alot more than a couple of whole bengal cats who mate and produce a litter, to be a breeder.

I have a short list of buyer bewares to offer:

(this is bengal specific but may well apply to other breeds)

1. If the breeders bengals all run and hide when you enter the home....politely excuse yourself. You don't want a cat from this breeder.
Bengals are at a minimum so curious about strangers that they will stick around. Usually they are all over the new people and that IS a bengal trait that we have bred for.

2. If it smells horrible in the home or cattery, consider leaving. Cats deserve a clean healthy environment to live in. It's not that hard to keep things sanitary. It shouldn't smell like no one ever changes the litter box, or something is rotting.

3.If the breeder even shows you sick kittens....leave. Every breeder experiences sick kittens from time to time. These little guys should be away from stress and be taken care of. They should not be subjected to strangers until they are healthy. If you are asked to buy a sick kitten...leave.
No caring breeder will allow a sick kitten to leave their cattery. It's bad for the kitten, and that's the end of the story.

4.When you visit a cattery, the breeder should not be pushy to sell you a kitten. Breeders should never feel they "must" sell a kitten and buyers should never assume that since they have money that the breeder is obligated to sell them a kitten. Buyers and kittens should be able to interact, giving the kittens a chance to pick who they may want to go home with.
Be wary of the breeder that is trying to steer you to only one specific kitten unless you are sure she/he has yours and the kittens best interests in mind.

5. Regardless of how in love you are with a kitten....if there is no contract, no health guarantee and no guarantee of reg. paperwork....walk away. There are so many responsible caring bengal cat breeders out there, you can find the kitten you want from one of them and have your peace of mind as well.

Research is the key!
 

bengalbabe

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good post Nial.

In looking at the pictures of your cat, although he is beautiful, I don't think he's a purebred bengal. And with the way they lets the cats roam outside there's a huge chance that he's not. He does have lots of glitter though! Great glitter pics. =0)

I was going to say the same thing as Nial but he beat me to it. All catteries experiance sick kittens (especially URI's) from time to time. You can vaccinate for it but you can't vaccinate untill they are 8 to 9 weeks old and sometimes they get it before then. Vaccinations won't guarantee a kitten won't catch it either. I don't care how clean your cattery is and how well you feed, kittens will sometimes get colds (just like people).
Now this is not an excuse if her cattery is dirty, there's no excuse for that.

A major problem is how she delt with it. She let a sick cat go, which shows she is not thinking about the welfare of her kittens. She really should have treated the cat at her place untill he was better and then let him go home with you.

There's probably nothing you can do about it now. Did you get a contract from her?

Unfortunately you might have to chalk this up as a learning experiance for the next time you want to get a pedigreed cat.
 

goldenkitty45

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bengalbabe, I'm glad I'm not the only one to question her bengal. It just doesn't look right (granted I've never seen a blue, but I've seen yours and kai's cats and it really doesn't look like a bengal).

I'm guessing its either a very poor quality (from 2 poor pet quality bengals) or a mix - part bengal; being passed off as a bengal. I'm sure there are byb and kitten mills that might have bengals too - just to be on the bandwagon.

Not EVERY spotted cat is a bengal or an ocicat, or an egyptian mau - but people claim them to be "exotic" - take a look at the so called "oci's " on Petfinder!
 

tiffanyjbt

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Originally Posted by bengalbabe

In looking at the pictures of your cat, although he is beautiful, I don't think he's a purebred bengal. And with the way they lets the cats roam outside there's a huge chance that he's not. He does have lots of glitter though! Great glitter pics. =0)
Phew! I've been on glitter overload this past week, so dared not mention that! Glad I'm not the only one who noticed it though.
 

goldenkitty45

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Seeeee I told you we all were looking for "glitter" in every cat's coats - even Ling has some "glitter" in her black coat.....
 

epona

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Seeeee I told you we all were looking for "glitter" in every cat's coats - even Ling has some "glitter" in her black coat.....
Glitter must be 'the new black'
Radar doesn't have any glitter, I hope he doesn't feel left out
 

goldenkitty45

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Well you can always "accidently" leave some silver glitter on the table and it spills when Radar walks by.....
 

epona

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Well you can always "accidently" leave some silver glitter on the table and it spills when Radar walks by.....
No no no, that cat makes enough mess and chaos as it is
He doesn't need this season's fashionable glitter, he has the fur of a tiny soft baby rabbit and that is more than enough for me
 

tiffanyjbt

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Seeeee I told you we all were looking for "glitter" in every cat's coats - even Ling has some "glitter" in her black coat.....
Ohh! Ohh! Do you have pics!?!


And Radar knows he's just too cool for fads!
 

goldenkitty45

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Not really, Ling is black/white but sometimes when the light hits her coat in the right way it kinda looks really shiny/glitter. There really is none there. And I did find a description of the bengal glitter - supposed to look metalic sheen.

Charlie has a sheen to his coat but he has no glitter (someone mentioned it looked like it).
 
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