in need of advice

About two months ago... my family bought a munchkin kitten from a breeder in Texas... when the little guy got here, we discovered that he had fleas and an upper respitory infection... both of which we were told he did not leave with..... We had him treated for both.. and he appeared to be healthy... almost two weeks ago he became very lethargic and stopped eating.... we took him back to the vet.. they put him on clavamox... he responded well to it... and was acting like a perfectly healthy kitten... a week has passed and he is heading back down hill.... they have run blood work... and he has very low white blood cell count... possibly distemper or fip..... i truly cant decide if I should put him through anything else and hospitalize him or just let the poor little 2 lb. guy pass..... any advice would be so much appreciated!!!

Hi and welcome to TCS.

It's always such a hard decision to make - whether to try and save a kitten or cat that is suffering so much. You'll read stories here on TCS where kittens litterally at deaths door have made a remarkable recovery and are now happy and perfectly healthy cats. If you have the financial and emotional means, and a good vet, it may be possible to bring this little one around, even with a possible diagnosis of Distemper or FiP. On the other hand, if you feel he is suffering badly, if he doesn't have any quality of life in that he is not eating, drinking, using the litter box, can't walk or is in great pain, you may have to consider letting him go.

Good luck with him, please let us know how he goes.

Hello, welcome to TCS from me also!

Sorry to hear about your Munchkin. I sure hope you get onto the breeder about this, whatever you decide to do with him - all the best.

Sam.

Do you know if he was properly immunized at the breeder? He shouldn't be susceptible to panleukopenia (distemper) if he was. And where would he have been exposed to it? The incubation period is only 2 to 9 days. I would guess FIP is more likely. The vet can make an educated guess on that based of the protein levels in the blood. You need a definite answer, though, and as sorry as I am to have to bring this up, you will need a necropsy done to find exactly what it was. If it is FIP, this is something he got at the breeders, through no fault of theirs, but that is where kittens get it, from exposure to the feces of a carrier cat, usually their mom. And they should replace the kitten or refund your money, whatever the contract specifies. I am sorry you kitten is so ill. Becky

oh my, this is always such a hard call. You obviously love this little guy very much. An elevated white blood cell count is one of the first symptoms of FeLV (leukemia) and chronic URIs go along with it, as the red blood cells are slowly onslaught with the cancer and can't generate the antibodies to create a wall of immunity in the kitty to fight off intruder infections, etc. How old is he? If he is a young cat, many times the immune system hasn't had a chance to mature and it's best to allow them to rest in peace in heaven, instead of prolonging downhill hope and seeing him suffer. Purebreds are not any more immune or stronger to leukemia than any others. I would go see a specialist in your area if you can....and it might just be that the breeder had no true idea and was indeed honest....the stress of the environmental change to your kitty can cause stress which then sets off a dormant situation that quickly rises to the surface and now you are seeing it. Every now and then a blood test can indeed miss a marker in the blood. It does happen.
My heart and prayers are with you,
Elizabeth

Thank you all so much for your advice and your support..... You are all so kind.... I hate to admitt this poor little guy came without any shots..... I guess that should have been my first warning sign.... but I figured they knew what they were doing.... I have another munchkin.... 8 months old.... that I got from a different breeder.. he came with his shots and he was 100 % healthy..... it wasnt until I found the fleas on Murphy that I began to question the breeder... to find out he hadnt had any shots.... and any emails that I sent after with any questions... I was told "he must have picked it up there"..... however... Spencer (my other little guy) did NOT have fleas and luckily didnt get them from Murph... and was already vaccinated so I assume he didnt "pick it up here"..... I am kicking myself now... and will be very cautious in the future... Murphy is just resting peacefully on the couch now.... I am going to see how he does through the night.. he is still drinking and managed to eat some tuna, which the vet suggested I try.... he looks so sad and pathetic... and my kids are so upset... we just put out 12 year old dog to sleep less then two weeks ago.... I guess when it rains it pours... Again... thank you for the respones... and I will keep you posted....

I have no advice but I read your thread and I feel so sorry for you and the kids. I hope you find the best solution, but it does sound as if this breeder was very irresponsible all round.

Did you get Registration papers with this kitten? Do you know the fancy that the breeder is registered with? This needs to be reported, unless of course it's a BYB!

I agree with what Sam has said - this certainly does need to be reported...

please know that our thoughts are with you & Murphy at this time - I unfortunatly can not offer any advise to you but I can be here for any support that you may need please pm me if you need someone to talk to

please keep us updated

Morning.... What is BYB??? and thank you again for your thoughts... Gina

Back yard breeder. One that just raises kittens for profit, not for improving the breed or for showing. Usually they don't take cats to the vet when needed, don't immunize, don't feed quality foods, and just generally take too many shortcuts. They often don't do the research on feline health and nutrition that responsible breeders do. They may sell kittens without adequate research into the buyers and without a contract. Becky

Dear Gina, what a heartbreaking situation. I am sending positive vibes to your kitten, and prayers for you and your family. I hope that if this kitten IS registered, you report this breeder without delay. Good luck.

How was he delivered to you? Was he shipped or did someone drive him up or how did that work? Did you have any contract either written or verbal? If so, what does it say as far as your recourse in this situation? I am not a laywer, but when you buy something you are entilted to a healthy animal. Clearly to me at least, if the animal showed up flea infested and sick, that happened BEFORE you took possession and you noticed it right away. That means it DID happen at the breeder as far as you need to be concerned and not at your home. He IS responsible. You even contacted them and made them aware of the problem so it is not like you had the animal a month and out of the blue called them and said it was defective. Instead of them offering compensation or a replacement animal they simply denied responsiblity. That is bogus to put it nicely. I would not only report these people to whomever would care, IF they are really registered, but I would take them to small claims court if they are not willing to make things "right". They should not only pay your vet bills but replace the cat at no cost to you or give you that much value in return, assuming your willing to give up the one you have since you cant get a replacement or value for something you want to keep. Of course, I do not really know the inner details of everything that happened either, so I am guessing a bit at some of the details, but I do watch a bit of People's Court when I get a chance. If you do end up sueing, be sure to dot your i's and cross your T's. If you have any witnesses, bring them with you not a signed statement. Some judges will not allow those to be considered because there is noone there that can be asked questions or be determined to be truthful. If you have any phone bills showing calls, or notes made with times/dates, recorded messages from answering machine if they left any.. contracts if you had them, pretty much anything you can think of to prove your case if always good to bring with you.

I doubt you will end up sueing, as it just does not sound like that but no matter what course of action you take I wish you all the best with the kitten and my heart goes out to both of you. Good luck!

im very sorry for you to have to go through this... it is very painful to have to sit back and look at this sick kitty that you cant do anything for... it breaks your heart... i wish you all the best and i am praying for you and murphy... i went through the same thing when i brought sara home, she was less than 8wks and they had spayed and declawed her all at once at the shelter... and her little body couldnt handle it(she came down with a URI)... i took her to the vet and he flat out told me she is probably not going to make it... so i brought her home, gave her medicine and layed down on the couch with her wrapped up closley to my chest... i cried all the time and i prayed all the time.... at her worst, she weighed a little less than 2 pounds, didnt eat or drink and didnt go to the bathroom, and you could just tell she was fatigued, she couldnt move very fast... it took two weeks, but i stayed right next to her 24 hours a day( i slept on the couch with her) i hand fed and watered her, carried her from place to place and kept her really warm... i took her to a vet every few days to get sq fluids and another antibiotic shot, she made it through and today is happy and healthy and very hyper and we are attached at the hip
i just wanted to tell you, like Kumbulu said, there are lots of situations like this, with lots of very happy endings... and i hope yours turns out to be one of them...

I guess it was my own ignorance too.... I did not sign a contract.. and Murphy isnt registered.... I did go back and do some reasearch... the breeder is listed on quite a few different sites... and I suppose I could email them and give them a heads up.... Murphy is going back to the vet this afternoon to be hospitalized overnight.. but the vet isnt very optomistic... he is looking so skinny... Thank you again for your support and advice... Gina

Hi Megan... That is the sweetest story... put a big smile on my face which is a pretty big deal right now.. I was just on the floor with him trying to get him to eat something.. he is still drinking.. I try to sit with him,, but it seems he prefers to sit close but now be held.. I am wondering it is painful to the touch... Last night he followed us up to bed.. and climbed in... which he really never did.... I keep looking for some kind of sign, which I am sure is silly..... Thank you for sharing with me... Sara is adorable... can i ask what you were feeding her at the time? ... Thank you Gina

I am so glad that I stumbled across this forum.... the support is overwhelming... and honestly I am somewhat overcome with anger at this point.... All of the legistics that you pointed out are all going through my head.... and when all is said and done... I will do what I can.... I dont even care about the money.... I dont want this to happen to anyone else... I dont think some people realize the info you can get on the internet.. and this specific breeder in our past emails (which luckily I saved).. treated me like I was somewhat ignorant.. which honestly in these cases I am.. but the answers are only a few keys away... Murphy was shipped... from Texas to NJ... with suppossedly a clean bill of health and certificate.. but I wouldnt have known the difference if it was signed by a real person or not... Unfortunately, I am very trusting.. and these things never entered my mind... I will know better from the future... and if this poor little guy cant pull through and after I am done being sad.. I am sure the anger will help me pursue whatever I can to prevent this from happening to another family..... Thank you again... Gina

Gina,

I just wish this little one well, and hope you can have your miracle.

Not to you specifically, but to anyone reading this thread...please...if you want one of the many pedigreed breeds of cat, buy from a reputable breeder..one who has a registered cattery, who shows and cares about the health issues and breeding to the standard of a breed. One who is dedicated to raising healthy, well adjusted kittens that aren't sold without shots, at under 12 weeks of age, without a vet exam pre-sale. There are some really decent folks out there who dedicate themselves to a particular breed for years...find one of them, talk to them, go see them at a show, research them thoroughly. Be sure you have a contract and that it spells out what will be done should there be a health issue with your kitten.

ps or consider an adult from a breed rescue group, there are purebreds who are dumped in will-kill shelters, removed by rescue groups, who then need and deserve a new "forever" home (as does *every* cat of any background, mixed or pedigreed)

There is a website that I can't find the link for at the moment, but it talks about the red flags that go up in a transaction such as yours. Unfortunately on the Internet, it makes pet marketing quite easy. Some people, emphasis on some believe, kittens, puppies and birds are a great way to get rich. Any ethical breeder would tell them otherwise. The road is hard, paved with many a dissapointment, and because they keep up with vet care, they tend to lose more money than they make. Even once they are established, they don't get rich. They do it for the love of the breed, not the love of greed.

In a situation such as you were in, you took a chance, you trusted this person was on the up-and-up. Chances are good all her kittens are sick, her males are not in good health and the queens are suffering as well. If she is a registered breeder- follow the proper channels and report her through the registry. They will investigate and they well take action if she has been found lacking in the areas they try so hard to uphold.

I have had a couple of kittens that we raised that were seriously ill. They did not live very long, but while they were with us, they knew love for the first time in their young lives. Their mom had distemper and died giving birth- both kittens were born blind and brain damaged. They died before their first birthday.

You do what you can and if the little one is clearly suffering, then you do what you must (but you do the one action you don't want to do) you release the kitten from the pain.

I wish you the best of luck, and I commend you for not blasting this breeder's name out in public. Keep it private between yourself, and the registry that she is associated with. If there is no registry, then the best you can hope for is small claims court to recoup your losses.

I hope this little one makes it- he certainly has the right person in his corner right now!

Gina - we are all rootin' for this baby. Please do know you have our support.