Back in March, I paid a deposit for a shorthair kitten from Sugarkatz Cattery in San Antonio, TX. The kittens run around $1500.
We had to wait to pick him up in September because the Breeder claimed the earlier litter's kittens were tragically eaten/killed by their mother .
When we picked up the kitten, he was noticeably smaller than his siblings. The breeder told us he had pink eye and sent us home with medication. A week later, the kittens' eyes were glued shut and I took him to his first vet appointment early. The vets there sent me home with eye drops and multiple medications because they noticed he had severe ulcers in his mouth and irregular breathing. In just two weeks. the kittens condition worsened to the point where he could not swallow and was in observable pain. Numerous emergency vet visits (and over $4,000 in medical fees) later, the x-rays from an internal specialist showed he had an abnormally shaped esophagus and the upper respiratory panel lab results confirmed it was due to feline herpesvirus.
The breeder was not honest about his health- what she told us was pink eye was really just a symptom of feline herpesvirus, which is incurable and can be fatal (as it was in his case). When the vets and internal medicine doctors explained his only chance at survival would be on a permanent feeding tube, endless pain medication, and overall no quality of life, we made the most difficult decision we've ever made and said goodbye to our sweet boy.
We only had about a month together with him, and not only was the financial toll overwhelming but the emotional hardship was even worse. I kept in contact with the breeder, but after all this mess she only offered us a free kitten. When I explained we wanted our money back (we only had our kitten for a little over a month), she refused and told me I was to blame, along with the "inexperienced veterinarians" who treated the kitten.
Sugarkatz Cattery should not be in the business of selling CFA kittens who test positive for herpesvirus. Nor should the breeder get away with robbing us of our money and happiness like she has. read more
