I recently acquired a male kitten from a breeder in the North of Scotland. I will not mention who the breeder is as I know that is against policy.
I got the kitten at a discount price and the breeder was very nice, very informative and very understanding. They answered my questions quickly by email and offered advice.
When I went to collect the kitten I didn't spend any time with him at all. He was kept in a cage and I didn't get to touch him or look at him very closely. When there the breeder was eager to show us (my parents and I) round the property and show us her many other cats.
I was a bit concerned that I didn't spend time with the kitten but was excited to get him home so didn't voice my concerns. When the breeder put him into the carrier I noticed he hissed and was obviously scared. I questioned the behaviour to be told he could not be "scruffed" and that's why he was asking like that.
When I got home the kitten was very timid and scared. I kept him apart from my other Bengal and introduced them very slowly. I had noticed he had diarrhoea but assumed this was because I was introducing new food into his diet. He was still very wary of people when he was microchipped and because of this my vet didn't get a very good look at him. By this time I was beginning to worry, he was however getting on brilliantly with my other Bengal so I emailed the breeder saying how he was settling in fine but was a bit unsociable. She replied he'd soon calm down.
Three or four days later I managed to get close enough to the kitten to check his claws, they'd been cut very short and many were bloody. I should have let the breeder know straight away and contacted the vet but I felt so sorry for the little chap I didn't. I was beginning to wonder if the breeder had neglected or mistreated him and I didn't want him back in that environment.
Two months on and he still has diarrhoea most of the time. I have tried everything even foods recommended by the vet. No improvement. He is still terrified of humans and very, very distructive. He toilets everywhere and the smell in my house is awful. I have to wash my floors and scrub my carpets everyday.
I contacted the breeder today as quite frankly I am absolutely at the end of my tether. I no longer enjoy my cats as the smell of urine and faeces in my house is unreal. The kitten is scared of me even though I have never displayed any threatening behaviour towards him. He is feral. I genuinely believe he was not socialised with humans at all and probably neglected and mistreated.
The breeder has offered no advice, just denied wrong-doing and accused my other cat of passing something to the kitten.
I realise I should have contacted them much sooner but I've been trying everything to try and help the kitten. I thought he'd improve after castration and as he got older but he's getting worse. I know I'm not entirely blameless.. I should have insisted on spending time with him before buying him but I was naive and far too trusting. I knew they'd just ask me to return the kitten to them and I was unwilling to put him back somewhere he'd be neglected.
I'm just on here to vent basically. I don't know what to do, I've given all I can give. I'm financially and emotionally drained and Im beginning to resent the cats. I have no bond with the kitten but my other cat does. I just feel deflated and I'm wondering how much more I can put up with.

Jamie, I'm so sorry you're going through this.

I know you said you're drained financially, but have you considered something like Feliway? I wonder if that may calm the kitten a little?

You mentioned you introduced him to a new diet shortly after you got him. How long did you give him to transition to it? Or did you change it straightaway?

You mention "feral". Do the pedigree papers you receive (if any) state a good bloodline?

It seems to me that if you have suspicions, you'd be able to report them to some place like TICA? (I'm new to the world of Bengals, so forgive me if that was an ignorant suggestion) I mean, if the breeder is registered, he/she doesn't want a bad name I'd imagine.

You stated a terrible smell of feces and urine, etc. How often are you changing the litterbox? Is the kitten going so often that the litterbox is constantly filled?

I do hope things work out for you.

Hi,
He is TICA registered and from a very well known breeder. I have however spoken with other breeders who have told me that they are known for having dirty conditions and they're sbt bengal kittens are known to have behavioural issues as they spend most time on the higher generation kittens.
I have tried feliway, I've got a plug-in just now and although my other cat is chilled out and mellow it doesn't seem to relax the kitten at all. I'm emptying the litterboxes once a day and emptying them conpletely and cleaning the boxes with cat-safe antibacterial twice a week.
He has a habit of pooing on himself and leaving brown footprints all over my carpets and sofa, it's disgusting.
As for the diet change, he was fed by the breeder on whiskas which made him gassy and smelly.. I changed this to a raw meat diet over the space of 2 weeks starting with just a teaspoon of raw food in with the whiskas pouch and increasing it every 3-4 days until the whole meal was just raw food.

I've considered building an outdoor enclosure for the cats so I can put them outside while I'm at work, but that is even more money. I've spent about £1,000 on the cats in the last 3 months on cat trees, toys and feliway to reduce the distruction of my house and litter boxes with filters and expensive foods to reduce the smell but I'm still miserable. Today my expensive wallpaper that I'd saved for months to buy was ripped off the wall and my sofa which took 8 months to pay off is scratched to peices. I've lived in this house for 18 months and bought everything new. I've had the new kitten since Feb and almost everything is destroyed.

I'm so sorry...how disruptive and disheartening!

It's okay, there's nothing you can do about it. It's awful, I love my other cat but it's made me seriously think about whether I'm the right person for the cats. I can't afford to give them what they need and because he's acting that way he can't be happy with me. I know I need to consider finding a home for them where the person can spend the time looking after them properly but I have such a strong bond with my other cat, Rasputin, that I can't even imagine doing it. I thought about finding a home for the kitten and keeping Raz but he was miserable when he was alone..

Consider getting your kitten tested for tritrichomonas foetus(TF) as it is a common parasite in catteries and can lead to prolonged diarrhoea.

Get a normal stool sample sent from your vet and a separate 24 hr sample sent for a PCR test to detect TF.

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=3876

Raw feeding will temporarily mask the symptoms of TF but it is not a solution and he may also infect your other cat.
The pooing and leaking is often a sign of TF.

Do not waste time in changing diets as if it is TF you are best to get both treated ASAP.

This is also a good resource http://bit.ly/IpeAdD - pdf document AN OWNERS GUIDE TO DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF CATS
INFECTED WITH TRITRICHOMONAS FOETUS

Good luck.

Well, right now it sounds like your emotions are raw...and emotions can sometimes (too often) cloud thinking. If you and Raz were happy... then it makes little sense to re-home him. Throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

I'm sure there has to be some solution; and the very least... I'd be reporting the breeder to TICA (if that can be done). Perhaps that may not help YOU in your current situation, but maybe it will help future customers and/or kittens.

To me, silence, in this case, is the same thing as approval. Don't you wish somebody BEFORE you had taken action? Who knows... maybe you wouldn't have had this happen.

But SERIOUSLY think about keeping Raz.

And just because THIS kitten isn't a good match for you...does not mean there is NO GOOD match for you? It's akin to saying, "Gosh, that clothing store had NOTHING in my size. I think I'm going to give up shopping for a shirt."

Wish you luck.

Oh dear, that really does sound like what the poor kitten has.
It just gets worse :-/

And thanks guys, I'm going to give him another chance. If he's ill he maybe doesn't want to be handled and it wouldn't surprise me if he does have TF.. The breeder had a lot of animals of different breeds.. I'll be really upset if he has infected Raz, thankfully they tend to stick to separate litter boxes so hopefully he's alright!
As for the breeder I've considered contacting the SSPCA.. The thing that worries me is the breeder having my address and phone number, I live only about 30 miles away and would be scared of repercussions. Something definitely happened to poor Archie before I got him though, his claws were such a mess and he's terrified of people. Sometimes I just look at him and want to cry.. I can't help but resent him for causing such a mess all the time and then I feel guilty for resenting him.

So very sorry to hear about your woes, it sounds like you're both miserable.

I guess the question is what do you want?
Do you want to persist and see what happens or do you want to give the kitten back and get a refund.
Because honestly, if I was in your shoes I'm not sure I would be as forgiving as you have been. Did the cat come with a health guarantee at all?

Don't doubt your abilities as a cat parent, you're doing a wonderful job, it's just that the circumstances are far from normal and thing have been really difficult for you both.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Hi, I'm so sorry to hear about your situation and to be honest, it sounds like you've made a huge amount of effort to try and help the little guy, so you have every right to be frustrated at the situation, and it's inevitable that some of the resentment will spill over onto the kitten - even though you know it's not his fault. You mentioned that you contacted the breeder - what did they say?? I would be interested to hear what they have to say for themselves about knowingly offloading a problem kitten on to you!

If they are indeed a reputable breeder (and from your location, I can almost guess which breeder you are referring to..) then I would consider suing them for breach of contract and getting some form of compensation for the damage and vet bills you've racked up!

I agree that if you do decide to rehome the new kitten, then there is no reason not to keep your original bengal. Give it some time and you may eventually consider getting a new friend for him, and this time armed with all your knowledge and experience. Although I would definitely wait until they are both tested for TF before making any decisions.

I think everyone makes bad decisions once in a while, and how you've dealt with this situation is very commendable!

Jess

Ack, yea, that's terrible. I think maybe you should contact the breeder right away, explain things, and request that they take the kitten back (even if they don't offer a refund). My hope would be that you don't sour on cats in general because of this experience, but understand that selecting the right cat is important, and must be done carefully. Socialization, health, and good litterbox habits should be at the top of the list when selecting a kitten, much higher than looks. I think that if you were to do this over again, and select your next cat more carefully, you'll have a much different (and better) experience.

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The little monsters 3