How I Almost Bought a Sick Kitten — and What It Taught Me

I want to share an experience that turned out to be very instructive for me. I found a kitten I really liked from beautiful parents in another country and reserved him. Everything seemed perfect.

When the kitten reached the age to travel, a courier picked him up from the breeder and brought him to their home. The next day, the kitten was supposed to fly to the US. But when we checked him, the courier and I noticed worrying signs: heavy breathing and frequent sneezing. The symptoms pointed to a herpes virus infection, which was later confirmed by testing.

The next day, the kitten was returned to the breeder. It was unpleasant, of course, but on the other hand, I was grateful that I had arranged a courier — it allowed us to check the kitten’s health before he traveled.

Right now, buying kittens can feel like a gamble. You never know when you’ll get lucky and when you’ll risk everything. Feline viral diseases are highly contagious and can affect all residents of a cattery.

This case became a wake-up call for me: never risk the health of your cats. A cattery cannot remain static — breeding animals need to retire, and fresh bloodlines are necessary from time to time. That’s why I created the Healthy Cattery Association. Currently, it includes just five catteries personally vetted by me. In these catteries, either all or some of the animals come from my lines.

These are beginner breeders who are learning from me and trust my guidance. I’m not rushing to expand the association; I’m comfortable with the current members. In the future, it will likely grow, but only under strict conditions focused on protecting the health of all animals in the Association.