Dated: 26.10.22
The first iteration of Pebbles’ story focused on the experience of Pebbles’ second owner. This iteration focuses on the experience of Pebbles’ first owner.
Rudycats claimed that the first breeder owner of Pebbles could not take her because of a car accident. This is categorically not true.
Pebbles was unwell from the time she was picked up from Rudycats, and we can see how unwell she was.
It is not normal for a young kitten to be leaking so much from their eyes and nose; quite the opposite in fact. Rudycats acknowledges that Pebbles is unwell.
True to form, Rudycats attempts to cover up the poor health of her kitten and then goes on to blame air conditioning or stress as the cause of poor Pebbles’ rampant illness. Rudycats then tries to pass off Pebbles illness as something normal and every breeder would understand. That is categorically not the case.
Rudycats rapidly changes their tune when Pebbles’ first owner shares Pebbles’ return to Rudycats on their own page.
Rudycats continues to encourage Pebbles’ first owner to lie about Pebbles’ health and reason for returning.
Rudycats then suggests that Pebbles’ first owner split the cost of the courier with her; not only has Pebbles’ first owner paid out for an unwell kitten, but then she is further encouraged to pay for half of the courier fee. Shocking behaviour from Rudycats, but not unexpected.
Rudycats then brushes off the illness and laughs at the suggestion that the kitten should be tested for FIV or FeLV.
Rudycats then attempts to blame Pebbles’ illness on vaccines on stress, claiming it’s “a bit of a sneeze”. One can see from the pictures of Pebbles that this was not “a bit of a sneeze”.
Rudycats also suggests that these viruses are “super common” in the cat population, an assertion that is grossly and dangerously inaccurate. Vaccination programmes cover these illnesses to a large extent, and therefore infection of these viruses suggest serious breeding malpractice.
A short three days later, Rudycats claims that Pebbles is “almost completely better”.
Rudycats now claims that Pebbles’ illness was an allergy. Anyone with an experience of feline allergies knows that allergies do not present like this in kittens.
Allow me to remind you what Pebbles looked like upon arrival to her first home.
Pebbles’ first owner confirms their vet’s diagnosis of cat flu which Rudycats immediately brushes off.
The suggestion from Rudycats that cat flu is not dangerous flabbergasts this author. Cat flu refers to feline herpes and feline calici viruses, as well as mycoplasma, chlamydia and bordatella. All of these illnesses when left untreated are killers of kittens, particularly newborn kittens of infected mothers.
These illnesses are not, nor have they ever been, “part of breeding”, and responsible breeders take these illnesses very seriously. In regards to herpes and calici, a responsible breeder will remove these animals from a breeding programme; bacterial infections can be cured with the appropriate antibiotic, viral infections are much harder.
I draw your attention to Rudycats’ suggestions to Matilda’s owner that they use Famvir, an antiviral used to treat herpes.
Despite all of this, Rudycats then sells Pebbles to a second breeder owner, completely omitting Pebbles’ health concerns.
This from a breeder who claims to be transparent.