New kitten is very sick. Seller will take no responsibility

[Sp3849]

So Friday evening I purchased a little sphynx kitten. When I got there it was clear the kitten was underweight but apart from being boney and dry skinned she was playing and inquisitive. I was told she was in good health was given her vaccine record. She was born very small and was 11 weeks old needed her second vaccine this week. I Asked to see mum and she explained that she had bought this kitten days before and had to sell her due to her other cat not liking it. She showed me pics of the kitten with mum and gave me the vax records with breeders details on. As soon as we got home she had bloody diarrhea I contacted her straight away and she seemed genuinely shocked and concerned. Said it was most likely the stress of journey. By Saturday evening the dhe diarrhea had continued all day and she wasn't eating. The lady wasn't responding to me. I Contacted a vet who said it was most likely the stress of the move and too keep her hydrated. I still didn't feel happy so tracked down her breeder on Facebook and she was shocked she had been resold and was very helpful explained she had been weaned onto a raw diet and was used to that and the biscuits the lady had been feeding her were probably the cause. I went straight out and bought her the recommended food and some fluid replenishment drinks and she ate fine after that, the diarrhea eased and became less runny and bloody. By Sunday night she devoloped bad eyes and was sneezing. This got worse throughout Monday she stopped eating agaim and I rang the vet. The vet explained she was severely dehydrated and that she had an infection. I had to go again yesterday and I also have to take her back again today. It is costing a fortune. Which i don't mind but the woman I bought her off is denying she was ill saying she had diarrhea but was fine! That she didn't have her long enough to make her sick and that this is my fault and she won't take her back (I wouldn't of taken her back to her anyway) she won't refund me and she won't contribute too vet fees. I am more upset about what she has done to this poor kitten. The photos the breeder sent me of the day she left hers it's just heartbreaking too see how much weight she lost. It is touch and go at the moment and I am just angry. I feel she should take some responsibility for what she has done. Am I being unreasonable to expect her to contribute? Where do I stand with this? There is a good likely hood this cat may not live and I have spent 1300 on it so far and not to mention my children and how upsetting it all is

A lesson learnt for you but pleased that the Kitten is now a bit better.
There was a similar thread on here recently with a sad outcome- unfortunately especially in the last year or so there are far too many suspect breeders around trying to make a few £££. Both women sound seriously dodgy and you’re right to report both.

@Sp3849 - So pleased your little kitten is getting better and you are definitely doing the right thing in reporting the breeder.
Are you still feeding her raw food?

@zigzog44 not at the moment the vet has put her on specific digestive support food as he says it is more palleable for her and has extra enzymes and electrolytes etc for her recovery. I have never fed my animals raw before. I didn't know a great deal about it until this little kitty came along there is so many mixed opinions and research about deficiencies and lack of nutrition in it especially for developing kittens puppies. I am going to have to research it alot more but at the moment I am taking the vets advice and as long as she is eating and it is doing her well specific digestive support it is 😁

I tried a raw diet for my cat who has colitis. After a small amount she had diarrhoea and then it turned watery and bloody, to the point she couldn’t control her bowels, I had to rush her to the vets and she literally emptied her bowels inside her cat carrier on the way to the vets. I immediately stopped the food, as advised by the vet too and she’s been fine ever since, I would be very careful with raw.

The original al breeder has flouted GCCF code of conduct and guidelines which advises kittens should be at least 13 weeks before being sold and must be fully vaccinated as in the pic attached.

You can report the breeder to the GCCF via their website.

Op I think you’re asking a bit much. You have not done your research when buying this kitten which is irresponsible in itself. You should not be surprised they do not want to cough up. You bought a cat on a whim from a stranger, who admitted she’d already bought the kitten herself so didn’t have any history, you didn’t see the mother etc. Buy more responsibility next time. I hope kitty is better soon

The woman you bought the kitten off has broken the law. You cannot sell kittens If you have not bred them yourself.

She told me she never lets her kittens leave this young but this particular kitten was doing so well and she let the lady have her as she knew the lady she had had puppies of her in the past and she is also a breeder of dogs and felt that she would take adequate care of her having knowledge of rearing pups.

This is not a reputable breeder, dogs and cats, it's a mill operation and still the alarm bells are not ringing for you.

It's worrying you've prioritised not disappointing your children above the well-being of another living thing.

I'm sorry for the cat and I'm sure this is upsetting for you but you ignored all the advice about buying pets responsibly because you wanted the cat now.

I really feel for you OP

@FOJN OK not that it makes a difference I realise I have made a big mistake now but when I said I don't want to let my children down my son is aspergers (autistic) he was counting down the days for the kitten to arrive when the breeder pulled out i don't expect you to understand that but maybe other people who have children with asd may. Our sphynx marni passed away a few months ago (old age we had rehomed him at 7 years old he had diagnosed heart issues when we took him on) and had him 6 years. Him and my son was inseparable and he just hadn't coped with his death. After months and months of him being so sad I just wanted to make it better. So no I didn't want to disappoint him, he had so much focus on it. He has been through so much in the past year. His routine has been thrown out of the window. He has had to adapt to home schooling. All his support groups and asd clubs have been cancelled and then his little friend died. I am sorry if that makes me a bad person and not once have I neglected the kittens needs. I will do anything it takes to make sure she is well and if that cannot be I will ensure she doesn't suffer. I am so upset about it all and angry with myself. I have learnt my lesson. It wasn't so much wanting a cat now. I got burned by one breeder. Everybody wants a good 200 to 500 deposit now some of these litters aren't even born! Some seemed dodgy. You aren't allowed to go look at the kittens because of covid. They just want you to bacs a deposit over. I was looking for one that was available because I didn't want to bacs transfer to a stranger because everyone wants a pet at the moment prices have massively increased and you cannot find any available kittens. The original lady was a breeder I had know for years and I was happy to leave a deposit with her thinking she would return it. Still waiting on that! You have to bacs your money over and hope they don't con you. I bought her thinking she was from a good place I honestly thought she was a little skinny because she wasn't fussed on the food they was feeding her. But rest assured people. I will never buy another animal again I will stick to rehoming older cats.

Moggies are much healthier than pedigrees, overall. Rescues are heaving with unwanted cats and kittens.

Just saying.

I've rehomed a kitten. I'd gone looking to take home an older cat and was surprised to see so many kittens in need of a home. Sadly litters are found abandoned and then are rescued. Costs about £90
I don't know why anyone would choose any other route.

How is the kitten doing now?

I got my kitten at 8 weeks and that is the minimum age you should take a kitten from it's mother. How old was the kitten

We all make mistakes btw I think some posters were way too harsh! You clearly wanted to do the right thing and the breeder yes she paid the bill but she did that only to stop you reporting her! The vet sounds wonderful also and your doing a good job! I am a cat lover and this is my Tilly when we got her in Oct

She rules to roost now even over my 5 year old boy cat

@Sp3849 thanks for the update, hope the kitten continues to improve under your and the vet's care.

Its a good job you bought the poor kitten, who knows what would have happened overwise. With all your care you are providing fingers crossed the kitten gets better soon and goes on to have a long lasting happy life with you and your family. I rescued a 9 month puppy who had two owners before me and she has had many issues including separation anxiety and also needed a very large op as was riddled with arthritis. Have spend thousands but wouldn't have it any other way. She is family and loved deeply. Keep us updated OP X

The only thing anyone in a similar situation is going to learn from this thread is not to post on MN about it. Some of you are awful. Not everyone wants a moggy and that's up to them.

I hope your kitten continues to improve OP you sound like a very caring pet owner who has had some bad luck and got burned.

I'm glad she's doing better, but I still fail to see how you would think 'she was from a good place' and that, knowing her age and being as knowledgeable about cats as you say you are, it was OK that she was skinny and it was just 'because she wasn't fussed on the food they was feeding her.'
I do hope she gets better. I hope the breeder and seller get their comeuppance too.

How is the kitty doing today? It sounds like it’s been a very harrowing time that you’ve had.

OK not that it makes a difference I realise I have made a big mistake now but when I said I don't want to let my children down my son is aspergers (autistic) he was counting down the days for the kitten to arrive when the breeder pulled out i don't expect you to understand that but maybe other people who have children with asd may.

You've made a significant assumption there. Your child's disappointment is understandable but I still don't think it's appropriate to ignore all the advice out there about how to responsibly acquire a pet. I would imagine your child's disappointment would be magnified if the kitten died which I sincerely hope, for all concerned, that it does not.

Scammers lie. That's the problem. They know people don't want to buy from puppy and kitten farms but they want the money that comes with high turnover.
So you get a shadow operation behind a 'reputable' breeder.
The breeder has litters coming through their official route and then they sell their other stock through the unofficial route. Either third party like here or sometimes the 'unexpectedly available'. Unexpected animals can be associated with an existing litter. You think you're buying that, what you're actually buying is hidden away out of sight churning out more stock. Sine will be healthy, some won't.
As both these people breed I suspect they've played this con quite a lot. If you keep your eyes on your local sites you will find them doing the same thing. They change names, photos of parent animals etc but they don't change the story.

Hopefully the kitten pulls through and has a great life.

I'd also be dragging both the breeders names through the mud on social media if on it.
Fuck them.

This is why people should get cats and dogs from shelters and approved rescues.