Rock Creek Ranch Cattery Jane Balter

Oh dear. Ms. Balter "talked" us into taking an older kitten, one of which as described in a post below. We wanted to give him a good home and weren't concerned that he was not "show quality" due to his markings (the reason Balter says she couldn't sell the siblings). He apparently had an unadopted sibling, as well. She also stated all her kittens were "spoken for", until old enough to be sent.

Adoption day: We walked in to meet our little one and were greeted by no less than 25 kittens, three adult cats and a dog. My husband and I were somewhat startled given she said she only had a few kittens. We did inquire to the number and she responded by stating that she was "helping out a friend who was also a Breeder." She also went upstairs to get our Ragdoll, who she stated was sleeping in another room. Hmmm...?

He 'was' adorable, loving - a perfect companion for our other two healthy cats, and a wonderful addition to our family. Unfortunately, he carried the cat herpe virus (verified) and sickened our cat family, including landing one in icu...$3,500 later. Note: I have left Ms. Balter several phone messages during the course of the past several months: She never returned my calls.

Since adoption, we have had expensive vet appointments to treat the cats. All records show our cats were healthy prior to adoption of the kitten from Ms. Balter. It has been a flipping nightmare since we went through her. Her contract states '30 days' for a health screen - blah blah blah - but as the Vet said, 30 days is not enough to see if an animal is truly a carrier, or sick with certain diseases. In our case it was just six weeks after adoption when the poop hit the fan.

Last week, our kitten became sick with a flare, was treated, but there must have been an underlying condition (something that she is hiding - hence pushing our beloved kitten AND his sibling (free of charge) if we would take it). We declined and adopted him, only. We thought, "oh boy, here we go again. The monthly, rotating "flare"." We never saw what was coming.

Meanwhile, after months of unreturned calls and emails and being pressed for answers on his mother's records and reason for death "after childbirth", did I send a rather poignant email last week, asking for answers ASAP. She responded - sort of - but not in a morally responsible way: She says she will not give info by email - and that I need to call. OK - one last chance. Not only do I need answers, but our vets do, as well. So, I have called; again, she does not return messages or answer the phone. She must be afraid of incriminating herself.

To add insult to injury, yesterday, while I was at work, my son called me stating our kitten was very quiet. An hour later, he called back for an update and I told him to take him to the ER. I called the Animal Hospital to advise and instructed them to call me at work upon diagnosis. The Vet did, only to tell me that he was DOA. He apparently had a seizure of some type. Shock, is how we all have felt. I have never, ever had to go through a fiasco like this as we have since his adoption.

You can be assured that my family and I are going to make sure Ms. Balter is breeding cats responsibly and not selling sick pets to anyone, anymore. Her behavior, along with hindsight, sums it up. Thankfully, my husband was with me during the adoption process, and have all pet records and emails.

My suggestion: Do not adopt from this woman. She is deceitful and has no morals. Please do not put your pets in jeopardy, nor become attached to a kitten/cat who may one day pass away from concealed health history. To all the legitimate Breeders: Please do your best to keep your cats and kittens healthy. You have an obligation to release information on health histories on the pets you sell and/or give away. We know that not every Breeder (i.e. Ms. Balter) is unscrupulous, but want to emphasize the responsibility you have to the animals, and us human parents.

The worst of this situation: We have always rescued our pets prior to adopting from Balter. The only reason we sought out a Ragdoll was because our former cat had died in April, at the age of 14. He lived a long and happy life and had been the "big daddy" to a kitten we had rescued in 2006. When our older cat passed, his buddy went into depression and actually mourned the loss of his pal. We wanted a breed of cat that would be a good fit for his surviving feline friend, and were suggested to look into a Ragdoll. Even as a six-month-old kitten, he assimilated perfectly, and became such a good buddy for our mourning cat.

Today, he is now in mourning again. He has been sleeping underneath the covers most of the past two days and so sadly, looking for his little brother. We, as humans, have the ability to try and understand death, but how do you think our pets feel when they suddenly loose a companion? I can't write anymore. I'm sickened and in tears. We are heartbroken, to say the least.

RIP our little Angel. We all miss you.