Pro Pics

Since I've inundated you with sadness, as per my norm, I thought I'd share some good news...

This is my boy- he is now a Double Grand Champion! Whoever says black cats aren't beautiful is a fool.

And this is my baby- he took a lot of best of breeds and I'm very pleased with him. He is going up north to a friend's cattery soon, but I will miss him...

Hello, Goodbye

I promised ML that I would share my story of Harley on here for those still left around... I would say if I didn't have bad luck, I would have no luck at all, but I'm going to go with a friend's theory that certain kitties are sent to me because they just need love for a little while before going to the Bridge... This is one of those stories...

Two weeks before the Arcadia cat show, a kind person posted three sweet Selkirk Rexes in Northern California for adoption. I had been looking for a JE kitty for my son to show and my heart was tugged towards the rescues. I am always a sap when it comes to hard knock cases…

So I ended up emailing the rescue and learned about Harley, a sweet longhaired black and white Selkirk, and Lightning, a chubby mellow Selkirk Rex, that loves attention. I wanted Harley- but his personality was sweet, but shy. My son needed an outgoing kitty, which would be Lightning.

We compromised- I decided to adopt both. Yet, we still needed transport since they were in Northern California and round-trip, it would be an 18 hour drive. With the persistence of wonderful friends, I found a ride for our curly hitchhikers...

We rolled into Arcadia late in the evening and as soon as we unpacked at our hotel, we drove to pick up ‘the boys’ as I called them. Lightning was already trying to charm with his jelly-rolls of love (he is a big boy- shall we say ‘Garfield’ with curls?), but Harley was shy as to be expected. I was so thankful for Kitti for driving the boys down to me!

At the hotel, I had the perfect set-up. I had a downstairs master suite with a door- so I situated the boys with me and the kids had the other kitties upstairs with them. Lightning did not take any time to decide he wanted attention; Harley, at midnight, was up at the foot of my bed, purring and wanting attention. I had to sigh in happiness- Harley would definitely come around easier then I thought.

We came home and the boys went into quarantine. I bathed first Lightning and then waited a day or two and bathed Harley. He was so patient and so sweet, but that’s when I noticed that his tummy was very round… I thought perhaps worms since the rescue vet had just deformed him, but I emailed his rescuer immediately and she told me that he had always had a pot belly- so I tried not to worry.

But I needed to take the boys into the vet for a check-up anyways and Harley seemed dispirited. His coat was also very harsh and broken up- nothing like a Selkirk’s.

Today, one week from adopting ‘the boys’, I put Harley to sleep… He had full blown wet FIP- although I know only a necropsy can truly diagnose it- his entire abdomen was filled with yellow thick viscous fluid, he had a horrible heart murmur, and he was suffering.

FIP is a horrible disease; there is currently no cure. It is caused by the basic cold virus in cats that mutates into FIP; there is no rhyme nor reason for FIP and rescues, shelters, and breeders cannot guarantee against this horrible disease. Harley's rescuer did nothing 'wrong'; chances are- he had a vet exam the day before we adopted him. Stress probably pushed the wet FIP into full blown production and that is why his tummy went from 'kinda pot bellied' to extremely bloated in a matter of days.

Together, as cat lovers, we must encourage more research and learn about as much as we can about FIP. We will vanquish this disease- just not in time for Harley and many, many others...

So for our sweet Harley, hello, sweet boy, and goodbye… May you live happily at the Bridge and I am glad you are suffering no more...

Kitten with Aberrent Left Subclavian Artery

I received a short email recently from a lady who ran a fundraiser blog to help a kitten receive surgery to correct PRAA. The beautiful, sweet kitten is doing great and please- stop by her blog and say hello!

Edited to add: Clive didn't actually have PRAA, but "Aberrent Left Subclavian Artery, which basically causes the same problems/symptoms as PRAA, as the left subclavian artery constricts the esophagus and trachea, similar to the PRAA, and also requires corrective surgery" per Debbie, the blogger who alerted me to his story and ran his fundraiser via his blog.


http://www.clivekittenssurgery.blogspot.com/

Needless to say- I'm thrilled. And really, really, really sad...

I know nothing can change the past- but Neala was supposed to have Clive's future. We did everything right- how could things have went so wrong?

Response 2 to Naysayers on Delta's Kitten Death

A commentor wrote, "WRONG! How many of you have shipped kittens? I amazed that Delta took the kitten. Did you realize that animals must have a health certificate to travel and it states to what temperatures the animal is acclimated. Why in the world a vet sign off on this thing and why would anyone ship a kitten in such cold temperatures?? . We have gotten kittens from Moscow Russis in late December. That breeder ONLY used KLM because of the heated,climate controlled holds. There is information missing.... something that we are not being told. I don't think we are getting the whole story. I suspect the buyer was so desperate that they bullied the breeder in to shipping the kitten. If I had been the person shipping the kitten, I would have told the buyer, shipping is "
delayed because of temperatures. NOTHING would have changed my mind- period."

I've shipped kittens! Perhaps the fact that I bred Sphynx has slipped by here- but I've shipped Sphynx in all sorts of weather since I live in the desert and our heat can reach up to 115 degrees in the summertime! (However, I choose to ship Continental because they have climate controlled vans that transport to and from the cargo hold and they have the better track record. They also have no weather embargoes because the animals are not exposed to the weather during shipping- and therefore, you also do not need an acclimation statement. After this incident with Snickers, however, I am rethinking shipping at all unless airlines have a CONTINGENCY PLAN IN PLACE for emergencies.)

Once again- I challenge you to call Delta and tell them you have a 12 week old kitten to ship and ask about their procedures.

Let's go through your post... First, you state that "There is information missing..." Since when are we, as an animal loving community, so skeptical? The sad thing is- there is no information missing. My own mother just went through almost this same scenario within the last month. She went to pick up a kitten flown via Delta (and this was a six month old kitten!) and when she took him out of the crate, he was literally shivering, wheezing, and COLD. Our local temperature was probably over 40 degrees since we don't reach freezing- but it was still cold out. My Mother watched the transporters unload three other sets of cargo from three other planes before they unloaded Aidan's crate! That kitten never should have sat for three planes to be unloaded! Continental has a saying, "Last on, first off" for their pets in cargo. It appears Delta's saying is, "We'll get to it when we get to it".

Let's then go to Sara's story that she relayed to me recently. She had a kitten shipped to her via Delta and while he was in a climate-controlled environment, there was a mechanical malfunction and the plane was shut off. Which meant the kitten sat in the cargo area, without heat. Sara's kitten also died! Basically- this is the same situation as what happened to Snickers, except Sara's baby was probably 3-4 pounds at the time of shipping and fully furred. Delta NEEDS A CONTINGENCY PLAN.

It was also stated, "Did you realize that animals must have a health certificate to travel and it states to what temperatures the animal is acclimated." How many times have you shipped? Because most vets have a preprinted, pre-filled out acclimation certificate. Delta does require an acclimation certificate to fly. Therefore, once again, if they felt it was too cold to ship- that is when DELTA steps in and says, "The weather is too cold to ship." I'm not sure what your point is here- are you saying the veterinarian was wrong in signing an acclimation certificate for this kitten? Perhaps. But no one expected the kitten to sit in freezing temperatures for an hour waiting to be unloaded on that plane!

Another quote, "That breeder ONLY used KLM because of the heated,climate controlled holds". Really? Because if you call Delta- you will be told the same thing. That they have climate controlled cargo holds- that isn't the issue! The issue is- once the plane is shut off and depressurized, the heat/air conditioning SHUTS OFF. So you should count your lucky stars that you, like most people, received healthy animals! You know- I think quite a few people could rip you apart for shipping cats in from Russia when you can find any breed of cat within the United States with patience and research- and even if you couldn't- there are plenty of breeds that are just as gorgeous as your Nebelungs here. Yet, you won't find that here- you had the choice to go to Russia and import and I support that. I don't support bashing other feline lovers after they have suffered a terrible loss.

Finally, I want to conclude with the silliness about FORCING the breeder to ship. I shall call bull on that one. Plain and simple. A good breeder cannot be forced to ship- and a veterinarian cannot be forced to sign an acclimation statement and the airline cannot be forced to load that kitten into cargo. Plain and simple- hogwash.

I cannot believe the people who take the time to slander Heather and her family for the tragedy they have underwent. To call them liars, to make them out as pushy, nasty people when they were simply what so many people are- even today- a happy excited family picking up their kitten from what they THOUGHT was a safe shipping facility.

Kitten Dies After Delta

By now, I am sure a few of you have read the horrendous story that is circulating through the web- it details the loss of a Sphynx kitten after it is flown via Delta cargo and then stuck within the cargo area for an extra 50 minutes upon landing. The owner is basically handed a hypothermic, near-dead kitten that dies as she rushes her to the emergency hospital...

So you know the story and I'm sure it has made most of you stop and pause and consider your shipping options if you ever want a new kitten, puppy, or critter that you simply cannot obtain locally.

I'm not interested in rehashing the exact details of Snicker's story. I was one of the first people to read about the tragic loss of this kitten and I am a very avid supporter of the owner, who underwent not just a horrific loss, but under the eyes of her two young children as well.

What I'd like to discuss today is why Snicker's story has touched me and why it has also angered me. It has reignited an anger that has laid dormant since my loss of Neala...

It never fails... Whenever I see Snickers' story posted, I always note many sympathetic people, almost in tears over the story and the kitten's death, yet I also always note one or two snide commentators that have to prove that they are superior to the rest of us lowly human beings and they go on a rampage about how 'Good breeders would never have done XYZ' or even, 'I blame the owner for being so selfish as to allow the breeder to ship, etc...'

This attitude of superiority crawls under my skin and I can feel flames starting to shoot out of my eyes every time I read/see it!

We are all human beings! We make mistakes! We learn from those mistakes! As a rescuer- I cannot even detail the number of mistakes I have made that probably cost kittens their lives! From learning how to tube feed to simply knowing that 'this color' poop means 'this bacteria'- we all learn from our experiences. The breeder had always shipped kittens at 12 weeks and had shipped through Delta for twelve years! The owner trusted the breeder- and shouldn't she? If you have a good rapport with a breeder, that's usually a wonderful thing! The owner did not stop to question the breeder's decision to ship and the breeder did not question Delta's rules about shipping in cold weather- both the owner and the breeder believed Delta when they stated that the kitten would be in a climate controlled area!

I challenge anyone who questions this to call Delta cargo and ask them about shipping an animal. I throw this gauntlet down in challenge! Although you may say, "Well, I would never!"- plenty of people trust the PROFESSIONALS.

In fact- you trust the professionals every single day! I trusted a professional veterinarian surgical center to operate on a tiny Sphynx kitten in July. I trusted them to keep her warm, keep her nourished, and that they would do everything within their power for her survival. I was wrong! Neala DIED because I laid my trust, implicitly, with PROFESSIONALS. Yet, no one blamed me for going to the surgical center to save Neala's life! Why not?

Yes, you can say that the breeder chose to ship- so that automatically makes her culpable. But really? I chose the surgeon for Neala! You can say that shipping was optional- so was Neala's surgery! Sure, it gave her the optimum chance of a good life, but the breeder believed shipping this kitten to its new owner would give this kitten the optimum chance of a good life as well!

You can blame the owner- because she allowed the breeder to ship Snickers, but once again- the owner trusted the BREEDER (in her eyes- the professional) who in turn trusted the airlines (in her eyes- the professionals).

When you push the blame of this horrible accident off onto the breeder or the owner, you negate the death of this kitten! You lose the importance of the message being spread- which is that wintertime transport of animals needs to be stricter. Perhaps it's simply the hairless animals that need a more stringent rule for shipping. After all, the brachiocephalic breeds (English Bulldogs, Frenchies, Persians, etc) of pets have stricter laws in place! Maybe there needs to be stricter laws in place for Sphynx, Peterbalds, Rexes, Chinese Cresteds, and the American Hairless Terrier! Yet, how can one go forward with this issue when people are not blaming the airlines, but pushing the blame onto those who trusted the professionals?

Yes! Snickers' Mom would say right now- she made a mistake shipping Snickers in the wintertime. Perhaps even Snickers' breeder would say the same. Yet we all make mistakes and we must live with them. The fact is- the airline failed in their duty to safely deliver that kitten from point A to point B.

I cannot tell you how disheartening it is to see people point the fingers anywhere, but at the airline! DELTA FAILED! DELTA KILLED THE KITTEN! Snickers is dead not because Snickers' Mom allowed her to be shipped nor because the breeder chose to ship during the winter months- the kitten died because Delta had an issue and no contingency plan in place for said issue when it occured!

It sickens me to the pit of my stomach when I read the nasty comments about Snickers' owner as well as her breeder. I don't know either person personally. I still don't know what cattery Snickers came from, but I don't think this knowledge will validate or invalidate the loss of Snickers! This kitten was a valuable life! Her loss should not be in vain!

Unfortunately, as humans, we are prone to trusting the professionals and that is the only MISTAKE Snickers' Mom made.

Holiday Update

Well, I tried to keep another blog and just got bogged down- the Daily Kitteh ended up on Facebook, though, and I did post pictures for 50 days straight! Anyone wanting to watch Bug as he grows up can see him here...

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=lf#!/DailyKitteh

Other then that, I thought I might have happy news to share with everyone. In fact, I won't downplay it- I have WONDERFUL news, tempered with sobering news, to share...

My gorgeous Cole baby- my curly coated boy- became a Grand Champion at the beginning of December at his FIRST weekend being shown as an adult cat in TICA. I am head-over-heels proud of him. He is my gorgeous, sweet tempered, lazy boy and I am always charmed by him...The sobering news is that his breeder, a wonderful, compassionate woman who does more for her cats then most people I know- had the need to bring in a couple of her cats to a cardiac clinic because they had heart murmurs. She was knowledgeable enough to realize that one heart murmur probably wasn't odd, but three in a cattery is impossibly high odds.

The news she received were devastating. All three of these cats have HCM. This breed is NOT KNOWN FOR HCM. Cole's sister, from his litter, has moderate HCM at 9 months of age.

This means I will have to neuter Cole. Although I was originally planning on neutering him, he has done wonderful in the show ring and I know that his genes in regard to conformation would be a benefit to the breed. HOWEVER, HCM genetics being what they are- I cannot risk passing those genes along.

What this means ever moreso though is that Cole might be carrying for HCM... He may be a ticking time bomb, my beautiful sweet soft kinky coated boy. We will have him scanned, but unfortunately, negative means nothing when it comes to HCM. A negative for HCM just means... until next year, hopefully, we are safe, but there are no guarantees. In six months, a negatively scanned cat can have full blown HCM and you may wake up to them suffering from partial paralysis or even dead.

This news has devastated me. It just breaks me to my core. I walked away from the Sphynx breed because Neala broke my heart and this particular phantom, HCM, haunted me with each litter of kittens born to my cattery. HCM IS found in the Sphynx breed and the incident of death is very very high. Unlike Maine Coons and Ragdolls, Sphynx breeders have yet to find any DNA markers that indicate HCM or anything that would make testing more effective. Like I said- you can test a cat year after year and get negative and at year five- have the cat have HCM. What about the litters it's produced to that point? HCM is hereditary. Even if you research the cats' background and purchase from the best breeder that has tested the past umpteen generations, you still never know. A fellow cat lover just had her THREE Sphynxes all diagnosed with varying degrees of HCM.

So where does this leave us? This leaves us loving our Selkirk Rex- no more-no less. But we will cherish him every day he is with us, whether he develops HCM or not. We will neuter him, I wish I could set aside this health issue, but I personally cannot. But we will love him- like each day is his last.

On another short note- last night, we had a Christmas rescue. We live in a highly populated city in the desert and it has been raining. Endlessly... For days... There is flooding, there is water everywhere... And last night, we came home from shopping and on the crisp cold night air, I could hear the tiny sound of kittens... Crying... Screaming... Cold and miserable and outdoors.

The desert is cold. People do not realize that, but wintertime is crisp and cold and with the rain, it becomes bitterly cold.

My husband pinpointed the sound as coming from the backyard of a neighbor's across the street that we did not know. I went and knocked on the door, but no one answered. I then went and knocked on the next-next door neighbor's and the poor senior citizen lady who answered probably thought I was nuts. I just wanted to know if they realized there were babies freezing next door and if they knew where the house owner was... Of course, she did not know about the kittens or know where the owner of the house was...

So my Hubby, bless his soul, took it upon his own to scan the backyard, locate the kittens with a flashlight and probably right before he was going to jump into this stranger's backyard, the older man returned home.

He claimed he had no clue there were kittens in his yard, BUT he had a Hav-a-hart trap set out, which is what contained the two screaming kittens. They were not sheltered from the environment and they were sopping wet. Hubby pulled them from the cage, was promptly bit for his kindness, and for now, they are in my garage with a space heater, food, and water. After they settle, we will regroup and figure out where to go from there.

So that is where we are as of today... This is what I ask of you this Christmas season... Love your critters and family members like each day is your last with them...

We're here...

Hi Everyone,

We're here- it's just hard to keep this blog updated because I feel like it, along with Neala's blog, are rife with sadness...

During our time with Neala, one thing I really enjoyed was taking daily photos of her and sharing them with her, so I have decided to make a photo blog- I may actually write on it as well- but for now, it's just a few photos...

You can see us at...

http://www.dailykitteh.blogspot.com