Breeder opinion

[Foodgoddess]

Is it common practice and considered ethical among breeders, to sell cats with the intent for them to be bred, even if they possess any form of defect, be it congenital or other? For instance, I purchased a brother and sister from a breeder, who bred an F3 female, knowing full well she was born with an anal prolapse. The breeder, naturally, never told me of this defect, until she was literally pushing the one kitten into its carrier. She explained to me the mother was born with the prolapse as well, but not to worry, it goes away on its own. I had already paid for the kitten, was in love with her, and a complete novice to dealing with breeders. I will shamefully admit to believing the idea of a breeder belonging to Tica meant, they possessed the knowledge and proper experience to breed healthy animals. Yes, I will state it for you...I was quite ignorant and foolish. That being clarified. Just curious of the general opinion and policy of the reputable breeders on this site.

 

[admin]

Is it common practice and considered ethical among breeders, to sell cats with the intent for them to be bred, even if they possess any form of defect, be it congenital or other? For instance, I purchased a brother and sister from a breeder, who bred an F3 female, knowing full well she was born with an anal prolapse. The breeder, naturally, never told me of this defect, until she was literally pushing the one kitten into its carrier. She explained to me the mother was born with the prolapse as well, but not to worry, it goes away on its own. I had already paid for the kitten, was in love with her, and a complete novice to dealing with breeders. I will shamefully admit to believing the idea of a breeder belonging to Tica meant, they possessed the knowledge and proper experience to breed healthy animals. Yes, I will state it for you...I was quite ignorant and foolish. That being clarified. Just curious of the general opinion and policy of the reputable breeders on this site.

Anal prolapses do happen, but they need to be taken care of if they don't go in on their own...usually a procedure called pursing works, but sometimes it does not. You should have been told, but as I said anal prolapses happen.

No - unfortunately, TICA is a genetic registry and any breeder or pet owner can register kittens..any breeder can form a cattery if they pay... that's it :-(

 

[Pam Flachs]

From my understanding, a kitten is not born with a rectal or anal prolapse. The prolapse is caused by straining to defecate or urinate; a parasite infection, giving birth, among others...although I'm sure a kitten could be born with a predisposition to a prolapse, especially if the mother was reported to have one as well.

Anal or rectal prolapse is not to be ignored as a severe prolapse can lead to a chronic condition, tissue death or even death of a cat.

http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/digestive/c_ct_rectal_prolapse

It is not a common practice among ethical breeders to breed cats who have defects, diseases or conditions that may or may not pass on down to their kittens. It's not a good sign from the breeder of your kitten to tell you of this while shoving the kitten in the carrier for you to take home. To me, that is the sign of a breeder interested only in a sale...

Did you get a contract covering health issues from this breeder? Is your kitten exhibiting any signs of a prolapse, and did you have her checked out by your vet for your peace of mind?

TICA is a registry only. Being a TICA registered breeder does not mean a breeder is experienced, knowledgeable nor ethical....

 

[Foodgoddess]

Yes, thank you for the response. She is now three years old. This was when she was a kitten. She did have the purse string procedure. This didn't work. She then had a more in depth surgery to deal with the prolapse, called a colopexy. I had always wanted to ask a reputable breeder, since I was curious if this was a common practice. The breeder seemed to find no problem with breeding a cat such as this. I assumed my baby had been born with it, as this was the impression the breeder had given me, in her explanation.

I have of course learned much in the ensuing years. She is under the care of an internal specialist, and a vet I trust greatly. Her prolapse had an underlying issue, and the prolapse didn't go away on its own. She is fine now. It was just my curiosity. My one daughter and I spent a great deal of time researching and educating ourselves, with the help of our veterinary professionals. It certainly helped, that my daughter works at this particular 24 hr. veterinary hospital, while she is putting herself through college. Thank you again for the input.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I'm not clear from what you wrote, did your kitten come with an anal prolapse as well as finding out the mom had this issue? It seems very unfair to only learn of that issue when you were receiving the kitten.

It is not common for cats to have anal prolapses. As mentioned above, generally it happens with bouts of either diarrhea or constipation in kittens. I fostered a British Shorthair kitten with it and his case was linked to constipation that we had to work for some time to control so that it could resolve. As also said above, it is not common practice with good breeders to use anything but the healthiest of stock. There's an adage in the cat fancy that you breed for "health, temperament and then type"...

Now health issues happen to any breeder, it is how they deal with it that determines how ethical a breeder they are. A kitten should never be placed with a preexisting condition without it being disclosed before the kitten leaves and the buyer having the option of withdrawing from the sale.

 

[Foodgoddess]

Yes, she did come with the prolapse. As I mentioned, the breeder quite literally showed the prolapse to me, as she was pushing my girl into her crate. Of course, I questioned her, only to be assured it was an issue that would most definitely resolve itself. She said' "Dont worry her mother had it when we bought her and hers went away" I had no indication there were any issues with the kitten, until this point. In addition, I had previously purchased my kitten's older brother from a previous litter. He does have different health issues as well. Although, we have a great vet, and have worked through all issues, except his teeth. He was missing a lower canine when we purchased him, and we didn't realize it until I arrived home and was able to examine him more closely. He lost the other lower canine, not long after. We had his teeth examined by the vet, while he was under sedation, and it seems he has teeth that never erupted and are deformed etc. The vet stated this was probably from poor breeding. Yes, I was foolish, but I'm am glad we were the family, for these two cats. I don't think there were many who would put in the time, effort, expense and love we have in helping these two thrive.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

Agreed. I think sometimes it is fated that we get the pets we do. I don't know many that would have done what we have with our first SV nor our beagle...

Did you get the brother as an adult cat then? As if one got a kitten with a missing tooth you'd just think it would grow in as an adult tooth... so guessing he was adult when you purchased him? It really should have been disclosed.

I guess if this breeder had purchased a kitten that came with a prolapse they then assumed it was no problem. Doesn't say much for the mentoring that breeder got with their purchase either :-(

 

[Foodgoddess]

He was ten months old. She had kept him, to see if he would possibly be able to be a stud, on the one percent chance he was not sterile. (He is an F4) He was not at all socialized, and it took a long time working with him. He is a lover though. He is my sweetheart, and despite the first two years of trials, with the two, we love them dearly.

She disclosed nothing, and then attempted to blame it on our care. We had them both under the care of three vets. They are doing great now. It is quite a relief, as you know personally.

 

[Patti]

Wow - I have nothing to add except to reiterate that your kitties are very blessed to have landed in your home and under your care!

 

[Foodgoddess]

Thank you, but as you are aware, it is our responsibility. We are their only advocates. I'm not pretending it was easy. It certainly wasn't. I made the commitment, and wasn't going to make them someone else's problem. I belong to SV Rescue, and see how many poor babies need to be re homed. Thank you again for your interest. I admire the dedication of the SV Rescue group. I was surprised, by the sheer number of Savannahs the group helps. It is fitting to not allow the breed to go unsupported. After dealing with my situation, I admit to having a rather negative attitude towards breeders, until I stumbled upon Savannah Cat Chat and SV Rescue group, both of which are such worth while endeavors! It is refreshing to realize there are responsible breeders who not only care for the cats they bred, but other cats as well. I appreciate what I have learned during our experience, and at some point may be able to help other cats the way I was able to help our two.