Breeders code of conduct..., Illnesses Options

[coco05]

I am very very annoyed/angry so i apologise if i am not very diplomatic, and i dont mean offence to any breeders...

As alot of you know, Max our new addition came to us 3 weeks ago this friday, and my husband and i were very very happy.

Max had what i am sure is, catflu. Muck in his eyes, nose, sneezes.... I nursed him better, cleaned his eyes lots of warm blankets u know. I was really annoyed at the breeder that he delivered him to us in that condition...not only that but he was riddled with fleas and covered in flea dirt.

I confronted our breeder, i wont mention business names, and he apologised and all...but now, our other little girl Coco is sick! Im really anoyed that this is because Max was given to us while he was affected and now i have to hope coco is not going to have a serious bout of it because she hasnt ever associated with other cats so i dont know what her immune system is like...also she is due for her yearly vaccination so i dont know that she is going to have any vaccine in her system, does that make sense?

What do i do?

Hope you can help out.

Eliza

[Sobriquet]

Nurse your kittens better, find some flea treatments that are safe and effective. I like frontline but not with a small kitten. Visit the vet sooner rather than later if you are worried.

Was this breeder registered, if not there is a lesson there, if they are put your concerns in writing to their registering body.

[Jess S]

Gee that really sucks - too bad if you were like some people with 5 - 10 or more cats, and ended up with all of them ill!

I hope Coco is better soon!

[Lushbaby]

It really is disgusting to send a kitten out in that condition.
For future dealings it is always best to visit the place your kitten is coming from in person.
registered or unregistered unfortunately this sometimes happens. Not good enough at all I can understand your anger. I also had one sent a few years ago in shocking condition. My hand actually got dirty when I stroked her.

[Shantaleah]

I am sorry to hear that you have recieved
a sick kitten..

I hope Max & Coco are on the road to recovery..

[ragkit]

I make no excuses for anyone, but I think most Breeders do try hard for their kittens to leave home in top condition.

Fleas, there should not be any - but remember how some flea products work, ie they do not kill fleas but render them infertile so they can not reproduce. This stops the spread but does not kills them immediately. Fleas have a very short life so they will disappear in a few days. Different areas have different flea problems and the weather can play a hand in the outcome and what product is best for use in the different areas.

Sneezing, runny eyes etc, again no one would like to see these, and again there is more than one reason for them.

These symptoms are a sign of stress and as we all know stress lowers the immune system and our suseptablity is then greater than usual for an illness to take hold. Imagine if you were a five year old child and taken from your family and place with a new family in a different environment how scared and frightened would you be? It is the same position this little kitten is in.

Another reason for flu type symptoms is that kittens are usually given a F3 or F4 vaccination not long before leaving and their immune system is only just starting to kick in, which happens around 14-16 weeks of age.
Their little bodies are busy building anibodies to a vac, under stress of moving it is little wonder that this can happen.

Unfortunately, the perfect answer for a kitten leaving home would be sixteen weeks of age, but everybody wants them as early as possible, little and fluffy.

So try as they might Breeders, do face alot in getting their little babies ready to leave during a vital stage of their development.

If a Breeder said they would like to hold onto your kitten for an extra two weeks most buyers are not happy with this. So who wins. No One.
The kitten should be the focus not the date of collection.

No Breeder, maybe I should say most Breeders, most certainly do not want a sick kitten to go leave for a new home.

[wrinkles]

Here here Ragkit, well done. It is difficult for the public to understand what goes on behind the scenes for the first weeks of life.
This breeder may not have bred from that particular cat before and once a cat contracts cat flu it becomes a carrier and will pass it on to it's offspring (mother, not father) and while the kitten is with it's mother it seems just fine, but at home time the stress will bring out the flu. I once bought a burmese kitten from a breeder for breeding it was with me 2 days and broke out in the worst cat flu I have ever seen, just terrible. The vet diagnosed cat flu (A breeder specialist not a pet vet) and the breeder was genuinely shocked because the kitten was clear when she left.
The fleas well yes it should be free of them.

[kata]

We had the same problem with a breeder last year where we ended up with the runt of the litter who had to have antibiotics every month. Then she developed some sort of virus in her digestive system and had to be put to sleep. the vet said she may have been born with it. We were heartbroken but even for the short time we had her she was a beautiful and cuddly kitty. And very happy with us too.