Ok, now I really have a choice to make about the Kittens, Help!

[jfulcer]

The lady that breeds the kittens says that the Silver male just had a vert checkup but has a heart murmur. He thinks it may go away but there's a chance that it won't and without saying it the lady implied she wasn't sure if the cat would be able to live with this problem.

for the kitty.

Thoughts:

1) If we get the Kitty, we could have it for a month or longer and it could die. That could devastate the family.

2) The Kitty could live but would require extensive medical intervention. That would be really hard on the family.

3) The kitten may live and be healthy well into it's senior years.

4) I have no way of checking to see if she's had 'other problems' like this with her kittens. She breeds these for a living, but I've searched BBB and can't find anything. But that doesn't mean anything.

5) And of course, the other cat she has left is a white male. Here's a picture: (remember she said they were similar temperaments)

What to do, what to do? Do you think it would be asking to much to ask for her vet's phone number to talk with him directly and get the facts?

I know, I know there are lots of people here that would take it no questions asked anyway, but I don't know how the loss of the pet would be on the family.

 

[Pooh67_68]

I would go with the white one.

 

[two4ruff]

Talk directly to the vet. He should give you a non-biased opinion.

I currently have a 13 year old cat that had a heart murmur detected at her one year check up. Hopefully, the little guy you speak of will be lucky also.

 

[helenabear]

Oh dear... that is so hard... knowing me I would try to take them both home. I am a fuzzy loving sucker. I would talk to the vet though and see what they say (if possible) and in all seriousness if they aren't sure of the outcome, I would try to work a deal with the breeder to take them both home... it's rough to lose a pet, but I would do all I could to take him in and love him for as long as possible.

 

[N.Bailey]

Are they willing to sell the silver one for less money? Maybe you could take them both if they're willing? I don't think it's asking too much to want to talk to the vet directly. I'd go with the white one though if they aren't willing to adjust their pricing. I don't know what these cats are selling for, I recently saw a Persian and they wanted $300 for it I believe, so I know it might be rather pricey.

 

[mommytotwo]

I would talk to the vet and find out all the questions that you may have, and then talk to the breeder again.
The white kitten is very cute. It reminds me of one of the kittens that we used to have named Munchkin.

 

[katerkat]

Honestly, I wouldn't pay for it if there was a chance it could die soon. (Of course, any pet could die at any time, but KNOWING...) I would try to take it to a vet yourself. When I got Tycho, the shelter thought he probably had Feline AIDs. (He was a stray.) They didn't have the means to test, but they told me to take him to a vet and get him tested. If he was positive, I could take him back to the shelter and get a refund - and I would have. I didn't have the means to take care of a very sick animal, and I didn't want to risk bringing a communicable disease home to Wedge. Thank goodness for all of us that he tested negative!

Anyway, if they won't let you take it to a vet for a second opinion, I would just go for the white one. White kitties are very lovely. Tycho says he's very special. (I think he's talking about himself, though, not about your kitty.)

 

[robinb]

I think you should ask the breeder for the vet's phone number and call yourself. You may want to walk away from the Silver kitten . No amount of a discount will make up for very expensive vet bills and loving a kitten that may die too soon.

BTW, does this problem occur in this breed? And ... do you really need to have a kitten from this litter?

 

[chell]

Talk with the vet yourself. It is very difficult dealing with a sick animal. My little baby is in the "hospital" right now because he is sick. We still don't know what is wrong. So I do believe it would be difficult on you and your family knowing he may not make it.

The white one is adorable.

 

[Snow Dog Mom]

I think you should go for the white one.

We had a cat with a murmur and everytime he had to have a procedure where he was put to sleep they had to give him a heart ultrasound to make sure his heart could take it. (Extra $250-$300 alone.) I thought you might want to know this before making your decision.

Good luck!

Kim

 

[preshi]

I just adore that white one... he is so beautiful!

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

Heart murmurs are unfortunately more common than I thought in male cats.

You know, the chances that the white one will develop a heart murmur at some point are probably very good as well.

I've known cats with severe heart problems, and the outcome is never good. But sometimes a murmur just remains a murmur, a minor nuisance and nothing to be concerned about.

Good luck with your choice....but were it me, I'd want one from a different litter...or a different breeder.

 

[phillybeth]

Murmurs are very very common in kittens and 99.9% of them are outgrown in the first year. I would talk to the vet and find out the 'grade' of the murmur- they are graded from 1-5 (sometimes 6), with 1 being the lowest grade. Vets usually are not concerned unless the grade is above 4.

 

[FroggyinArk]

jeff, definately check with her vet, and if possible try and get a second opinion , even if its just a chat about what the first vet tells you, our vet told us 6 yrs ago our cat had feline luekemia and wouldnt survive a month or 2 at themost,, shes still here,, still as playfull as ever and now shes 8 yrs old,, we have had several male cat soiver the past 10 yrs and the worst problem we've had was one that was very prone to cysts, we now have 2 yr old long haired black males that are 3/4 persian, and a litter of 3 fuzzy lil l;onghairs that need new homes if the vets give you an idea that it wouldnt be a good idea, tryasnd find another litter and breeder. if you cant and the vet gives the other kitty a better chexck up, take the white one. we love our old white spotted mama cat, and would love to hgave had one of her long haired kittens turn oiut to be white, but , all we ever got was black in the long haired kittys

 

[catsrule]

What the heck, take them both.

 

[Planogirl]

Originally posted by catsrule
What the heck, take them both.

I agree. The lady can't sell the silver one now with a defect as long as she remains honest (and kudos to her for being that way!) and she should at least consider giving you the silver one to go along with the white one. That is if you're willing to gamble on the silver one staying OK.

Trust me, cats are usually a lot happier and easier to deal with when they have a companion. Whether it should be this little silver guy who might have problems later is another question. But at the very least take the white one. He's beautiful!

 

[jfulcer]

I talked with the vet and he thinks the kitten has Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA). I did some research on that, and in pets if it is not corrected it leads to heart disease and early death in all cases. So he would be looking at open chest surgery to correct it at some point in the future. ($$$$$)

The doctor did not recommend this kitten for a family because of that. He said if it were just us, he would think we could handle it, but not with the kids.



So, I am going to take the white male.

 

[Rajah]

I'm sorry, Jeff. Good for you for talking to the vet.

BTW, can you PM me this breeder's name and info? I'll run it by my contacts and make sure this breeder is good and that health defects aren't *known* with this breeder.

 

[sixcats]

We've had experience with heart disease in kittens. In one there was no murmur detected during the checkups. At about 4 months old, she suddenly had trouble breathing. Two days and close to $2000 later she had to be put down. It turned out to be a heart valve problem.

We bought a ragdoll for our daughter in December. A heart murmur was detected at his first checkup. The breeder insisted that it would be gone within a month and it was. It was a very hard month not knowing.

I'm happy that you chose the healthier kitten. Hopefully in a month or so the silver kitten will get a clear bill of health and find a wonderful home too.