We got two beautiful kittens from them last November (2024). I was surprised and suspicious that the owner Nick seemed in a rush to send them away quickly. One of the kittens was only 2 months old and it seemed that he was too young to remove from his mother, but the kittens were adorable and my daughter deeply felt for them.
Our nightmare started shortly after arrival. The two month grey old kitten named Flynn by the cattery and Puffy by us started having diarrhea, which got worse after he was given antibiotics for an upper respiratory infection. At one point he was so dehydrated that he was near death and we had to take him to a local vet for subcutaneous fluids. Through a stool test, he was diagnosed with tritrichomonas. We treated him with Metronidazole, Tinidazole, and one vet had Ronidazole (the preferred medication which is banned in the US for being carcinogenic to humans). He never really overcame the infection and we still live in hospital-like environment with chucks on all surfaces and daily pooping outside the litter box. He just turned 1 year today. He is very kind and loving but never knew a day without diarrhea and anal irritation. We are still battling this. We changed his diet and are still awaiting another veterinary visit with an internal medicine veterinary specialist at a local animal hospital because the other vets have bas said there is nothing they can do and the infection usually resolves by the time the cat turns 1 or 2. Well, he is 1 year already and still sick and who knows how he will at 2. For now, we continue nursing a sick cat. I should also say that he is positive for feline coronavirus which can eventually lead to the deadly FIP, so we live day by day with the thought that his life may not be for more than several years should he develop this. But at least he is alive for now. I should mention that I recently visited the breeder's website and they are not testing their cats for tritrichomonas, although Puffy's mom quietly disappeared off the site as one of their breeding cats. Anyone getting a purebred cat from catteries should know to look for this infection in the cats they get. While this infection is asymptomatic in some cats it leads to chronic foul smelling diarrhea in others.
Our second cat from Silvertales, named Walda by the breeder and Fluffy by us, was amazing. They came from different litters. She was a beautiful orange and the most patient and affectionate cat I ever met. Always with her tail in the friendly question mark position and falling to the floor for a belly rub and caressing, she purred her way through life always settling on my lap when I was home. I was deeply attached to her. She also tritrichomonas from her kitty companion Puffy but she seemed to be relatively asymptomatic with normal bowel movements and a great appetite. She was always happy, very inquisitive and "training for the marathon" in our small apartment. She had a somewhat flatter face that Puffy and did have some episodes of congestion and panting. The panting occurred in situations when she was stressed like going in the car for a half hour to the vet and sometimes after running, but she seemed to have good exercise tolerance otherwise and was very active, much more so than Puffy, so we made nothing of the panting. And then yesterday, disaster struck! At The tender age of 1 year 1 month, I came home and opened the door. Puffy ran out as usual but she was not there! I saw her lying down in the living room in a position that cats never assume. My heart filled with panic and disbelief but I knew that this was the end. I rushed to her side and saw a slightly open mouth and saliva drooling it. Her paws were outstretched like the spokes of a wheel and her body was stiff in rigor mortis. She seemed to have died suddenly. There was no sign of trauma, no outward injury. I can't get over this loss. I keep crying now for several days. My whole family including my kids are grief-stricken after losing such a dear pet. I went on the cattery's website yesterday and saw that they say that the parents of this kitty are negative for HCM mutations. Hmmm, I wonder given how this owner has lied and deceived many people over the years. What else could she have died from suddenly at such a young age?
I hope my post will help others who are considering adopting from Silvertales. These two adorable, beautiful, and kindest kitties have been the love or our lives for the last year, but they have also come with tremendous emotional pain. read more
