Chris Dahleen Calcatta Cattery pet buyers beware Bakersfield, California

I am Christina, the owner of Calcatta Cattery.  I am sorry that these people feel they had poor experiences with me.  I'd like to point out that in both cases, I followed my contract 100%, refunded their money and accepted the kittens back. 

I no longer breed bengals, but I'd like to share that I never was a "business".  I have always worked in a job, not raising animals.  I raise and show cats as a hobby only.  I still have a full time job and I also facilitate and volunteer at an organization that helps people in my spare time.

My goal with my cat hobby is to preserve and improve the breed that I work with.  I also show select kittens and cats from my breedings.  The few remaining kittens are sold as pets only, for a very fair price, that only scratches the surface of what it costs me to raise these cats, there is no profit.  I do it because I love and enjoy the cats.  I want to share that love and joy with others.

The reality of raising animals is that Stuff Happens!  No matter how careful we are and how many health screening and tests we have done, nature is not 100% controllable.  There will be kittens born with health issues that may not show up until they are older.  It is an unfortunate fact of nature.  Just like we humans cannot control getting cold, having blue eyes instead of brown, or having a child born with a defect, the same thing happens with animals all the time too.  That's LIFE!  Because I know these things happen, I am willing to take any kitten or cat back if someone does not want to keep them. 

It is always an emotional experience when this happens.  It's emotional for the adopter and it's emotional for me because we are all invested in the care and life of this animal.  It is sad and disappointing.  Some people handle these emotions differently than others and I think that is what is reflected in these complaints.

It has been several years since this all happened and I have grown personally and emotionally since then and I hope that I have improved with age.  I am sorry that these people feel this way towards me.  But again, I did fulfill my contract and did what I was supposed to do. 

I do have to say that I am disappointed with this website that has "rules" about what people can say and they are supposed to stick to facts about "business".  Apparently they don't bother to have people adhere to those rules as some of these people's comments are very personal and quite slanderous about my personal life that has nothing to do with "business". 

My experience with Calcatta and Chris Dahleen is completely the opposite!  I adopted two adult cats (a bonded pair) from Chris in 2005 and they've been the most amazing cats I've ever owned. The cats were retired breeders and were both raised by Chris.  They are incredibly well socialized, have had impeccable litter habits and have had zero health issues.

I have remained in touch with Chris via email and have never found her to be anything but courteous and helpful.  She is a VERY responsible breeder. I wouldn't hesitate to do business with Calcatta or Chris Dahleen.

I just felt like I should add my own experience with Calcatta Bengals, and Christina.

I got a bengal from her probably 13+ years ago, and when he was around five - he got cancer.  I *loved* this cat very, very much and did everything I could to try saving him, but he sadly didn't make it.

I let Christina know what happened, and she was extremely sweet, and immediately offered a new kitten if and whenever I felt like the time was right.  She did not need to do this.  What happened to my other bengal wasn't genetic.

A month or two later (I think - this was several years ago), I decided to take her up on her offer after she sent a photo of an absolutely adorable male kitten.  At her loss, she drove out to an airport to have him shipped to me.

I still have that same boy today - he's now seven years now.  I'm very, very thankful to Christina for her kindness and for introducing this boy to my life.  

I also adopted a kitten a very long time ago from a rescue, and the cat developed ringworms shortly after getting her home.  I let the rescue know simply in case they wanted to screen their other kittens.  I did not expect anything from them.  I adopted the cat, so her health issues were my responsibility.

The rescue actually mailed me a check for $100 to offset vet costs, but I voided and returned it.  Again, my cat, my responsibility.  

It seems like you are upset and now are trying to slander the conditions of Chris's cattery.

1. She took the kitten back right? So she took responsibility.

2. Heart Murmurs in cats:
http://cathealthissues.net/cat-heart-murmur.html
Quote from link: "It is not unusual for a kitten to have a heart murmur at birth, and have it go away on its own within six months. And just as in humans, many times a heart murmur does not require any treatment"

In response to the reply stated from a friend of the breeder in question- I'm glad to hear that you think she is a great person and breeder. My family unfortunately did not have a good experience with Chris Dahleen who was extremely unprofessional. Thank you for the links, except they are not needed. As a long time cat owner and pet lover, I know how to care for cats. I also know that ringworm did not come from nor spawn from a kitchen bowl of water for indoor cats. Since the time I have posted this, I have received contact from another woman who was also sold a sick kitten. Below is an except of one of our emails:

..."Within just 2-3 days, I visited my vet.  I had the little booklet Christine had given me re: vaccinations, etc., along with the dates she had visited her vet.  Immediately upon exam, my vet sadly told me the kitty had a very distinct heart murmur, one that no vet could have missed!
He wanted me to wait on the neutering a bit longer just to see if this heart murmur would go away.  
So one mo. later I ret'd and sadly the murmur was still there.  He said most vets won't put a kitty under anesthesia with a heart murmur, soooooo, I would have to see a "cardiologist" to give clearance for the neutering.  I called Christina with the news.  She started telling me all kinds of info about cardiology, telling me to get this test and that test and scans and ultrasounds, etc.etc.etc.  I got so mad, Kim, and told her she should never have sold me a kitty with a heart murmur, and did she expect me to pay these costs, ie like over $1.000's of dollars.  She then claimed the kitty didn't have a heart murmur.  I ended up having to show her proof that I mailed with signed copy from the vet. She claimed she never rec'd.  Then I called my 1st breeder, and she said she knew of this booklet Christina had given me.  She explained to me that it was from a company that "SELLS THE VACCINATIONS" so that you don't have to even see a vet.  My old breeder was sad for me, she said it's not that it's wrong to vaccinate the kitties yourself, but it is WRONG, to never bring them to a vet.  Those kitties SHOULD have had at least 2 vet visits, but they NEVER even saw a vet once, which explains why of course, no one knew there was a heart murmur.  It's unethical and illegal to do what she did and misrepresented care and sold an ill animal!

Finally, she agreed to take him back and give me my money back, but Kim, I didn't trust that she'd really take care of him.  We were so attached by this time, and he was so so good and cute with everyone. So I couldn't send him back to her.  I demanded the money back, because I would need it to now pay for his care.  She initially refused.  I confronted her on the fact I knew she never did go to a vet.  When she realized I "caught her in a lie", she started the "sob story"  She was going to lose her RANCH that she lived in bakersfield, because she had no job and no money.  She was selling the business, and her utilities would soon be shut off, so she didn't have a way to pay me. She said soon I'll come up with it. I kept in touch with her on and off, mostly she didn't return my calls.

Kim, did you know she had a ranch?  Did you know she raised dogs, and I think had other livestock. I bet you didn't know that.  I remember from your report your bengal got some kind of worm, like ringworm or heartworm, what was it again?  Didn't she accuse you of having livestock, when it was her that was on this ranch.  I can imagine it was filthy dirty, Kim!  I also found out months later that my kitty had mites, something like dexomites sp? I'm not spelling it right, but that cost me 8 weeks of special baths, and of course I then had to treat my other singapore as well, as they are obviously contagious to the other cat.  Fortunately, not contagious to humans.  More and more ordeal"...

And it continues. I agree that the kittens are not actually taken to a veterinarian prior to being sold. Any vet would have noticed the ringworm on Ricky. The other woman who had a similar experience stated how nasty Chris Dahleen was while communicating with her and how difficult she was. I'm sorry, but as a business owner you should act professional. She was ranting and raving so loud that it was impossible to even try to talk with her and Chris Dahleen was downright scary. 

As far as pricing, $500 is a good price for a nice quality Bengal from a reputable breeder. There's no disputing that. However, paying $500 and receiving a sick kitten from a bad breeder was a rip off. As well as being lied to and yelled at repeatedly- I don't think anyone should have to go through that while adopting a kitten. All of that undoubtedly, wasn't worth a penny of mine. Nor was all the stress that my family and I had to endure because of Chris Dahleen. 

Look at the facts:

1. Cats can get worms from standing water.
2. Cats take a while to adjust to new places, and may change litter box habits.
3. $500 for a kitten doesn't mean the breeder is ripping you off.

Cats can get worms from standing water, which means if the water has been left out for too long. Isn't it a bit harsh to tilt blame and assume we know when and where the cat picked it up?

Yes, cats do take a while to adjust to new places, if you have two other cats that they can smell probably even more so. It is best to give them their own space, maybe not in your bedroom when they first come home (a hiding spot that can be their own is sometimes best). Give the cat more time. Were you using the same litter as Chris? Changing different litters can also cause the cat to have problems.

A good read, The cat-to-litter box ratio:
http://www.petfinder.com/cat/litter-box-101-how-many-litter-boxes.html

Taking care of a new cat is a huge responsibility, one that includes vet fees, etc...  Don't take your frustration out on Chris.

$500 Dollars doesn't even begin to cover the cost of the birthing of a kitten:
Cost of shots, neutering/spaying, pregnant mother eating spike, litter for mother and litter of kittens, any toys, scratching furniture (these get trashed fast), birthing bedding (throw away, one time use), extra vitamins that are added to mothers food, the time it takes to care for the mother and kittens, food for the kittens when they start weaning and more.

It really hurts to see a fellow reputable breeder talked about like this, or that they have to go through misunderstanding customers. If Chris really did get upset with you, it is obvious that she was frustrated with the situation and didn't like being blamed straight out. Chris takes time to make sure her cats have top pedigrees, sweet temperaments, and are high quality cats. In my opinion $500 is under-priced for the Bengals that Chris provides, I'm sure she wasn't trying to scam you or rip you off. It probably is more of a misunderstanding.