Heartfelt Bengals Karron Taylor, Owner TRITRICHOMONAS FOETUS INFECTED CATTERY - Karron Taylor is operating a cattery that is infected with a highly contagious parasite. I purchased a kitten for $950 that was infected with this parasite. Rio Linda, California

Tritrich and earmites are as common as tails in the cat world.

Earmites are easily eradicated by Ivermectin, not worth mentioning in my opinion.  There are many simple and quick cures available.  During hot summer months they do tend to be around.

Tritrich can be eradicated by Ronidazole, correct dosage a must.  It is not hard to administer.  Put it in something yummy and the cat will willingly eat it. It is possible that diatomaceous earth also eradicates it.  Yes, it is difficult to get rid of.  It dies very quickly once it is out of the cat.  Tritrich is hard to diagnose as infected cats  do not always have mucous and blood in their stools.   Tootsie rolls do not necessarily mean the cat's gut is clean.  We like to think so though.

I have purchased several cats and all came with something...because stress of rehoming allows bad things to get control...just like us. No breeders were attacked.  I took care of the issues myself.  I knew a kitten or cat from someone else would have problems of some sort.  Breeders give advice on how to introduce the cat to a new home and family to reduce the stress involved.  Cats really like the status quo to remain the same...just like humans do.

I do not know any breeders in the cat world who pay vet bills.  None.  Be blessed that she paid any of your bills.  You paid big bucks to solve issues most any breeder can handle  economically and correctly, you declined taking her advice...at that point you became responsible, when you choose to use a costly vet instread of the breeder.  She offered to take the cat back and treat it for you.  You should have trusted her.  She is a nurse and knows what to do. she is an honest ethical person. everything would have been better for both of you if you done whatever this breeder asked you to do.  The issues are not unto death, just irritating.

Vets are necessary but people breeding animals know a great deal about medical issues concerning the animals they own and raise .  Experience is priceless.

Karron Taylor has quality Bengals from excellent bloodlines.  She is an ethical breeder.  Her cats are well cared for.  She is also a very honest, kind and helpful person.  I would purchase a kitten from her in a heartbeat as I know she stands behind her kittens. 

I know you are frustrated and upset, I am sorry for that.  You should have let her solve the problems as she expected to.  Often bad things happen to good people.

I hope your kitty has a long healthy life, I hope you and Karron make ammends.  Life is short.   When folks refuse to forgive they are the ones being hurt.

I received email correspondence from Ms. Taylor's attorney stating, in part, "You also state that my client is ‘knowingly selling kittens that are infected'. While we acknowledge that their (sic) was an event that took place some time ago, that has been resolved. So what you are saying is not true which states that the cattery is currently selling animals with tritrichomonas foetus."

Per the above statement by Ms. Taylor’s attorney, he offers assurance that the event has been recognized and resolved. So, in good faith, I retract my statement that this cattery is knowingly selling kittens that are infected.

My other comments are based on my experience, the events surrounding the purchase of my kitten, the adoption papers/contract, subsequent emails with Ms. Taylor, and my experience as a humane officer and should be read and interpreted as such.

Anyone purchasing a cat or kitten from any breeder should obtain a veterinarian's health certificate. I’ve learned my lesson. Please be assured, if I ever do this again, I will do so. If the cat you are purchasing is in a high-risk group for this parasite, ask for certification that the cat is PCR negative and a written guarantee that any and all subsequent fees for treatment of this condition be covered. Most importantly, if you suspect your cat may be a carrier, get it tested. Make sure your cat is TF free.

I refer the reader to the guidelines published by Dr. Jody Gookin, the foremost authority on this parasite, as stated in her publication "AN OWNERS GUIDE TO DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF CATS INFECTED WITH TRITRICHOMONAS FOETUS" [Jody L. Gookin, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM (Internal Medicine) North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine] published and available online at http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/docs/jody_gookin.html

Hi my name is Karron Taylor. I am a Registered Nurse who has cared for the Bengal breed several years and has acquired a lot of experience and knowledge about them. 

Davina George and her husband purchased Jaz from me Dec '08 and I gave them a health record showing Jaz's Immunizations up to date along with a dose of ear mite medication as he had some symptoms. His stools were soft but some kitties have soft stools depending on their diet. I offer a written health guarantee and offer to stay on as a mentor/support for all of my families. I had no TF in my cattery that I knew of so didn't think about this parasite as being a problem. Davina ran up her Vet bill and I offered to care for Jaz, but she refused. Instead complained frequently to me of the problem. Until finally got a diagnosis of this parasite. The reccommended dose for treatment, Ronidazole, is 30-50mg/kg twice daily for 14 days. I called the family that bought the sibling and their Vet started treatment at 50mg/kg and in 14 days their cat was free of parasites. Davina took her cat in and the Vet refused to give more than 30mg/kg for each of the 2 week episodes and Jaz tested positive each time. I called her Vet to ask why she treated at the same dosage twice and stated she refused to go higher because of possible neurological side effects. Jaz still had not been able to get rid of the ear mites either. I told Davina I could give him the Ivermectin by injection as systemically it would rid him of this very quickly. I felt he was not being treated often enough topically for the ear mites as it had been over 2 months now that he continued to have them. I felt bad for the suffering that Jaz was going through for so long now, knowing this could have been shortened given the proper dosages.

We were in close communication as I felt if she wouldn't allow me to help her care for her sick kitty at least I could help her with advise per protocol of treatment. She consented to treat her kitty at a higher dosage against her Vet's advise, as she knew with 2 positive results now at the lower dose wasn't getting Jaz well. In treating at 40-45mg/kg just shy of 2 weeks gave him a negative result. I agreed to pay her Vet bills for both Jaz and Cinderella, her other cat and felt I was done as we were to go our separate ways until a few weeks ago when she emailed me and said he had the same symptoms that he had prior to the neg test. I wrote her back and said I would not be able to financially reimburse her any longer and to get another PCR test to see if he has converted to positive.  

After treating my queen, mother of Jaz, that was positive for TF, she tested negative as well as all the other kitties here. I take this very seriously as I am a very conscientious person and think of my kitties as my own as their health is very important to me. That is why I have medication on hand if needed in an emergency to administer at night if needed to save lives. I feel comfortable administering these meds from my past experience as a nurse and have spoken with several Vets on a professional basis, as they respect my judgement as a professional. 

I have had 99% of my customers respect my professional knowledge and appreciate what I have done in the past to help them, but there are always a few like Davina that want to do it on their own and reap the consequences. She did however allow me to watch Jaz while she and her husband vacationed for a week and he was without symptoms the whole time.

This lady gives a whitewashed version of events. The way I heard this story, she should be grateful Davina came along when she did.  It was Davina who researched and suspected her kitten had this rare parasite.  It was Davina who persisted, despite months of diarrhea, day in and day out, and insisted the vets in her area test for this bug, even though she was treated like the crazy lady, everybody thinking it was a long shot. It was Davina who contacted the vet in N.C. who knows about it, and it was Davina who informed this dumb owner of what was going on in her own cattery.  If she is so responsible and knowledgeable, how did all this escape her notice?  Right under her nose - get real!!  Something stinks here and it isn't cat poo.

This woman claimed to know nothing about it, until Davina's kitten was finally diagnosed, and then she suddenly became an expert.  Sounds fishy to me.  It was because of Davina that this lady's cats got treated as well as some other cats she sold.  If you ask me, Davina saved this woman's business.  If this is how she treats her customers, I sure wouldn't want to be one!

Davina is the most responsible person I have ever known. Because of her humane officer background, she has seen the worst of the worst. If she says it happened, you can bank on it.  This lady should thank her lucky stars that her business was saved.  She should be thankful her entire cattery wasn't infected - or maybe it was and she already knew about it when she sold those cats.  Do the right thing and give her her money back.

we purchased a kitten last year from Karen and we have had no problems, it was a great experience.  Unless things have changed in the last year, I suggest getting the kitten tested before purchasing in to make sure.

I am a veterinary technician who is looking for a kitten.  I saw this and other complaints while searching.  I checked out this web site and noticed the breeder claims to be Tritrich free and HCM free.  I find this doubtful because in order to make this claim, you need to perform PCR (DNA) testing on all your cats.  This test is around $100.  HCM is a heart condition.  In order to claim your cat is negative, you need to do a heart scan.  Our clinic doesn't even do these because it requires a board certified cardiologist.  The test runs about $500.  I can tell the legitimate breeders from the scammers by noting how much information they give on their web site about these conditions.  If they are legitimate,they will offer the scan and their vet's reference information on request.  Don't get taken in by these claims.  This is BIG business and you can tell the mills by how aggressively they market their kittens.  If they have numerous postings on the Net, be suspicious because that means they are breeding lots of kittens to saturate the market.  Good breeders are not in it for the money.  Kitten mills do not use vets or feed good food because that cuts into profits.  In fact, a good place to start looking for a kitten is to ask your vet for breeders in your area.  The breeder should provide a certificate of health from their veterinarian.  This is a big initial investment - get the most for your money and avoid the heartache.

I purchased my first Bengal cat from Heartfelt Bengals three years ago.  She is a gorgeous Silver Spotted Bengal.  She is the foundation queen in my breeding program.

Karron was and has been an absolute joy to work with.  Always helpful and I can tell inlove with her cats.  I called her the other day with a question and she answered her phone immediately and talked with me for 45 minutes on the topic.

We have acquired other bengals since and on one of them dealt with a truly wicked breeder (which is why I ended up on this webpage to begin with where I saw this report).

In reading this, I am saddened that the poster is accusing Karron of being a kitty mill, preying on an unsuspecting public and questioning the legitimate nature of her business.

Karron is a long term bengal breeder.  She stays with and mentors new breeders.  She produces beautiful cats, loving in nature. 

When I have buyers contact me and I don't have kittens ready for adoption, I recommend Karron as an alternative and will continue doing so. 

And, to the know it all vet tech, breeders advertise via mulitple channels in order to build up a waiting list of GREAT parents for our beautiful cats.  Not because they are kitty mills. 

How do you know you are in a kitty mill?  The owner won't let you see the cattery.  There is no health guarantee.  They certainly won't pay your vet bills.  The phone rings, but they never pick up (excuse is they will call you back).  Their kittens are under $400 - sorry, but Bengals kittens should be $500 or above unless you are rehoming them.  They don't interview you in addition to let you interview them.  They don't give you a copy of the contract you signed.  They don't give you a receipt.  They aren't associated with TICA (cat registry) or TIBCS or other bengal forums.  They can't offer references.  Remember, reputable bengal breeders want to be in your life for the lifetime of the cat they sell you. 

Karron Taylor is a reputable bengal breeder.