Hi,

A few months ago I had put down a deposit on a Bengal kitten. Unfortunately there were no breeders in my area who I was happy with so I ended up talking with a breeder out of province. Things seemed great so I put a deposit down immediately. Last week the breeder told me that he may have an upper respiratory infection. I talked to my own vet after this and started having doubts. After talking to the breeder again, she claimed he was not sick (she hadn't taken him to the vet) but he most certainly had the virus. I had decided to not go ahead with purchasing the kitten as even though an upper respiratory is nothing serious, it was possible additional vet bills that I was not anticipating.

My question is if this is enough to get my deposit back? She certainly doesn't seem to think so as he "is not sick", but it was something I didn't sign up for, even if it is a minor sickness. Had I known her cattery all had the virus, I would have just gotten a rescue cat and saved all those additional funds for a cat that may have had the URI virus from the shelter.

Thanks :)

Hi Aly. There is no easy answer to your question. It depends on the contract with the breeder. It should spell out the situation with the deposit. Some are non-refundable no matter what. Others will refund or offer a different cat if there is a serious health issue. An upper respiratory infection is extremely common in catteries. It is easily treatable. My concern is that your breeder is doing a self-diagnosis on the cat and not having the condition properly treated which can result in a lingering illness. A good breeder wants satisfied customers, so many offer to transfer the deposit to another cat. However, you don't know if the URI is running rampant in the cattery and affecting other cats.

I always recommend that one does extensive research on the breeders. If there are complaints -- they are usually found online. Second, one should always visit the cattery. Good breeders don't mind a visit scheduled in advance. This allows you to see the facility and at least the mother of the kittens. Many times the stud is there as well.

It is possible the breeder might help with the vet bills to cure this cat, however, as time goes on, untreated, this can be a real issue for the kitten's health. All you can do is read your contact, see if the breeder will refund your money. At this point, I don't believe you are looking for another kitten from this breeder. If all that fails, you have lost your deposit.

You have to decide if it is worth taking the kitten and getting the treatment and the URI gone. This is not the little one's fault and he will need a good home. Please let us know what happens.

Unfortunately there's nothing in the contract about the deposit itself. The breeder is out of province and I didn't have the additional funds to fly there to visit the cattery, so that was my bad.

I could not find anything negative about the breeder online which is why I thought I was in good hands. And yes, these kittens are 10.5 weeks currently and have yet to see a vet so she is doing a self diagnosis. I just wish I had known about the virus ahead of time to at least prepare myself better.

She is adamant that the kitten is healthy (virus or not) so I don't believe she would be willing to help out with vet bills. I could be completely off, but everything is currently pointing to her caring more about the money than anything (kittens only seeing a vet once, not getting spayed/neutered before leaving, thinking he may have had a URI but not taking him to the vet, and she said the kittens are allowed to go home at 10.5 weeks (I had asked that mine stay until 12 weeks)).

I'll just take the loss and move on. Thanks for your help.

Even if there isn't a provision about refundable deposits there is generally a health guarantee, right? So just tell the breeder that you want to pre-emptively activate that. But honestly I'm not clear on why you have soured so much on this. Unforseen vet bills? And you are accusing *her* about being all abount the money. She might very well be looking out for the kitten's interests quite frankly, you on the other hand are making this about the money.

Look, kittens that age have undeveloped immune systems so there are often issues. All 3 of mine had URI's within the first month of coming to me, and I think I was very fortunate after listening to 6 years worth of other people's experiences, including so many with TF. Whether you get this kitten or another you have to budget for that and expect it. What difference does it really make whether the kitten gets a cold and gets well before you take him home, vs taking him home and getting sick then? If you are worrying about it being a "tip of the iceburg" kind of thing, then just tell the breeder that, make sure there is a reasonable health guarantee in place, make sure you take your kitten to your vet the first few days (you should do this regardless) and think carefully about getting pet insurance.

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The little monsters 3

My kittens were in and out of the vet office every other month their first year. I had them on pet insurance because I didn't know what to expect. Now that they are adults their health has stabilized and they only go to the vet for annual shots pretty much. I think you have to expect frequent vet visits during a kitten's first year.

If you want to private message me the name of the breeder/cattery, I can see if I have any information on her.

Just know that this issue is not uncommon. When one spends good money to purchase a purebred cat, then one must have budgeted the money for care and treatment. A vet visit within 72 hours of the cat coming to your home may be a requirement to keep a health guarantee in place. A vet visit immediately is recommended, period! Get a medical record going on the cat. Back in 1986, I adopted a cat from Animal Control who days later, showed signs of a URI. Once it was treated and gone, the cat was fine until she developed diabetes and kidney failure in her later years. One hopes that annual vet visits are all that may be required, but that rarely happens.

It sounds as if you are going to take the cat regardless, so a vet visit will be mandatory to make sure your kitten is healthy and any signs of the URI are gone. Your vet will check for a heart murmur. Do not be alarmed if one is found in your kitten. They are common in bengals due to the inbreeding and the kitten may grow out of it and, based on the Grade of the murmur, can live a long, healthy life. Mine has had a grade 2 to 3 since birth. Not trying to panic you as all may be well with your kitten. It's just we have many on here who are stunned to learn their bengal has a heart murmur.