My Siberian Forest cat Andrei died last week of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. The vet told me I should let the breeder know since HCM is a genetic disease.
When I called the breeder she was very offensive and said the vet was wrong, that breeders know more than vet's do and that there was some other cause for Andrei's cardiomyopathy. She never said anything about being sorry that our Andrei. She was horrible and my feelings are raw after speaking with her.
Worse, my 16 yo daughter was the person who answered the phone and the breeder started lecturing her about how HCM is not a hereditary disease and that our vet had given the wrong diagnosis. My children had drawn comfort from the knowledge that Andrei died from something that we couldn't have done anything about and here was this insensitive woman upsetting my child.

I never expected such a nasty reaction. I was only telling her so she would stop breeding Andrei's parents but she is in total denial. I hoped some good could come from Andrei's death by at least preventing more kittens being born With HCM but this woman seems to be only interested in profit. She was afraid others in N.J. would hear about this and that she would lose buisness.

My hands are shaking as I type this. We are still grieving for our Andrei and we had to also deal with this offensive reaction.

Sorry, I just had to vent.

Claire (Sarha)

The breeder is wrong. Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy studies are not yet conclusive, however they lean very strongly towards a genetic disposition for the disease since "families" of cats seem to have a much stronger predeliction for developing the illness.

You should do two things - One, talk to your children and assure them that your friends have looked up this disease extensively and that there was nothing anyone could do to prevent Andrei from passing on.

Two - find out if there is a breeder's association in your area and report that woman. Not only will she continue to breed those cats, but her conduct and aggressive behaviour was totally unacceptable.

And, as an aside, If she calls you again give me her number and I'll have a little conversation with her on the responsibilities she has as both a breeder of pets and a human being.

Dear Claire,
I am really sorry that you are going through something like this! It is not enough that you have lost a beloved member of your family --but on top of it to be "beat up" by that woman!..what icing on the cake!
I totally agree with DJ--the breeder needs to be reported. I would give it some time and then write someone a complaint letter. The pen is mightier than the sword in some situations! As a breeder she has to be accountable to some state agency, doesn't she?
The obvious reason she had such a poor reaction to your news is that she feels threatened. She is worrying that you want monetary compensation or want to sully her name. There can be no other explanation for her rude and unfeeling reaction. She treated you like your Andrei was a product at a store that you are trying to "return".
I had a dog years ago who had a birth defect and she required surgeries to repair it. I was told that it was due to poor breeding (probably in-breeding) ..The dog was an expensive purebred, the surgery was REALLY expensive and she nearly died over it all! (she was under 2 years old at the time!) I had bought her at a pet shop and I subsequently learned about "puppy mills". I wasn't able to do anything about my situation because the breeder was many states away and "disappeared". Breeders do survive mostly on reputation..and I bet that is indeed why your person was so defensive. I will be back to post about what I learn about regulation of breeders.
really sorry you are experiencing this on top of your heartbreak!
Love,
Patti

find out if your breeder is listed here---

FBRL
and if she is there is a complaint form
complaint form

The gull of some people.

I'm sorry to hear of your loss Claire.

Some good advice preceeding me and worth following up. Being Canadian, I'm not up on US regulatory commisions etc but I think there is a Better Business Bureau everywhere isn't there? Perhaps reporting her there would at least help you feel a little better about the situation. I recommend getting hold of the president of the breeding association also.

I have notified the Central board but this breeder seems to have a lot of prestige and I wonder if anything will be done.
I'm hoping that the breeder will look into the breeding lines and stop breeding the cats related to Andrei even though she wouldn't admit to me that HCM is a genetic disease. I also posted about this on the Siberian cat list so I hope that pressure from her peers will force her to take steps to determine which cats in her cattery are affected by HCM.
Her reaction towards my daughter and I was insensitive and, I guess, a panicked attempt to do damage control but I think that any breeder who would react like that to a grieving family should rethink her choice of occupation.

Claire

There are DOCTORS and THERAPISTS with that kind of "sensitivity deficiency", so she is not alone. I am glad to see you are aware enough to realize that the important thing here is your daughter's well being. My thoughts are with you.