Allegations
Unfortunately, there are a lot of dishonest people out in the world, so please make sure you are doing as much research as possible when considering dealing with people from whom you plan to purchase any animal. ALWAYS be sure to see your animal in person before purchasing your baby.
I have had the misfortune of dealing with a person who has made starting my cattery quite the challenge. I processed a formal complaint against her with the CFA which has affected her ability to sell kittens and she is acting out. Her name is Natalya Grechko with Fayna Kisya cattery in Zaporozhye, Ukraine. She has taken it upon herself to contact many of the breeders in the United States to prevent anyone from selling me kittens for my breeding program. Right now I have one male cat Mumford) and two female cats (Melon & Bowie).
I purchased two kittens from her in March of 2015. They arrived by carrier late Saturday night, early Sunday morning and I brought both of them to the vet on Monday for their initial check up. The dilute Calico, Pauly, was diagnosed with a grade 3/6 heart murmur. The brown tabby van, Jonesy, was also diagnosed with a 1/6 heart murmur which may have been caused from her not really wanting to eat or drink when she first arrived (this is not too uncommon with babies that travel as far as they did). The veterinarian picked her up for her initial examination she felt a pop. She was able to determine that she had a severe luxating patella and suggested that I have her radiographed. I did. The radiographs (pictured below) indicated that she had VERY severe hip dysplasia. Naturally, I was devastated. I requested that the veterinarian send the radiographs to the board certified orthopedic specialists in Austin, TX for evaluation as well as post them on VIN (Veterinary Information Network) for multiple veterinarians to review. I contacted a board certified radiologist as well as a feline specialist for their opinions as well. Most of them said this was the worst case of hip dysplasia they had ever seen, and recommended she have a Femoral Head Ostectomy when her growth places close so she could walk and use her litter box a little more normally, and that she be spayed any not used for breeding. Hip dysplasia in cats is a much more difficult disease to diagnose in cats than it is in dogs. This is because they are much smaller, and are much more resilient. They often will not limp or show obvious signs of discomfort. Jonesy was born with this and learned how to adjust when she started walking so it was difficult to see at first. As a former veterinary technician, current hospital administrator and 11 years in the veterinary industry - I am very familiar with hip dysplasia in dogs. Because it is a genetic predisposition in dogs and my kittens shared a father - I felt they both should have radiographs of their hips - so we checked Pauly. She also had severe hip dysplasia but because she still had a bit of a hip socket, it was difficult to diagnose with just an examination. I learned that Jonesy's luxating patella (loose knee cap) was likely due to the condition of her hip and should resolve when her hip surgery is performed. I contacted the breeder immediately and when she did get back to me she suggested that I give them time to adjust. She later said that they are my cats to do with what I want. I tried selling Pauly on my web page (which is the documentation she has provided to the US breeders) to try and recuperate some of the costs. I spent $2,300 on Pauly, $2,500 on Jonsey, $1,000 to get them here and almost $4,500 on caring for them and veterinary diagnostics. I waited 30 days and had Pauly's heart re-auscultated and the murmur had not improved so I decided to take her off of my web page for sale and just try placing her in a home for no fee at all. I was afraid her heart murmur could have been caused by HCM (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) which has suddenly killed several young exotic shorthairs from owners and breeders I know. I tried keeping her informed on their wellbeing and providing her with all of the veterinary reports, but she eventually requested that I stop contacting her. I asked her to have her veterinarian review the radiographs I sent her and she was supposed to get me a report on their opinion, and she never did. Then she suggested that they were injured in my care and felt that shipping them back the Ukraine would be too stressful on them. I tried explaining that there was no evidence of injury, which would show up as fragments of shattered hips socket in the radiographs - but that they just did not have any hip sockets to begin with. She has also been sharing with people that I brought different cats to the vet - not that cats that she sold me. And that I was not calling them by their registered names. My veterinarian has their pictures on their medical records so it is clear to see that they are in the fact the kittens I purchased. Pauly is named after Paul McCartney's song, "Come and Get it" which is why I called her Pauly. Jonesy was named after the Counting Crows song, "Mr Jones" and her registered name was "Believe in Me". All of my pets have call names separate from their registered names. I also referred to them as Pauly and Jonesy throughout all of our conversations, so she was fully aware of this.
Pauly was placed in a home with a single woman. She was spayed at her vet, and shortly after started becoming very ill. The veterinarian found a large mass (tumor) in her abdomen which they determined to be cancer. She passed away before she turned 10 months old.
Jonesy was placed in a home with two teenagers and two parents - one the principal of a high school, and the other a principal of an elementary school. In late December they decided they could not care for her so I took her back into my care and once she has finished her 30 day quarantine, she moved in with her new family - a veterinary technician who was willing and able to give her the long term care she needs and deserves. Below is the official complaint with the CFA along with all of the necessary supporting documentation. I am more than willing to provide personal and professional references to validate my integrity and quality care I provide all of my pets.
Dr. Tamera Cole of Animal Hospital at Steiner Ranch in Austin, TX
Dr. Kelly Henton of Animal Medical Center Copperas Cove in Copperas Cove, TX
Dr. Robin Westwood of Country Friends Veterinary Hospital in Royse City, TX
Dr. Rhonda Phillips-Black of Country Friends Veterinary Hospital also in Royse City, TX
Dr Amanda Cairncorss of Lovers Lane Animal Medical Center of Dallas, TX
Tiahna Hillier with Mr. Whisker's Cattery in Salem, Oregon
Joanie Wilson with Ziakatz Cattery in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Glenna Wright with Glentom Bull Terriers in Glenwood, Arkansas
Please do not hesitate to contact any of these individuals or my directly if there are any questions or concerns. I deliberately left their contact information off so you can verify in your search that they are real people who love animals as much as I do.
Thank you for hearing my side of this story.
I have had the misfortune of dealing with a person who has made starting my cattery quite the challenge. I processed a formal complaint against her with the CFA which has affected her ability to sell kittens and she is acting out. Her name is Natalya Grechko with Fayna Kisya cattery in Zaporozhye, Ukraine. She has taken it upon herself to contact many of the breeders in the United States to prevent anyone from selling me kittens for my breeding program. Right now I have one male cat Mumford) and two female cats (Melon & Bowie).
I purchased two kittens from her in March of 2015. They arrived by carrier late Saturday night, early Sunday morning and I brought both of them to the vet on Monday for their initial check up. The dilute Calico, Pauly, was diagnosed with a grade 3/6 heart murmur. The brown tabby van, Jonesy, was also diagnosed with a 1/6 heart murmur which may have been caused from her not really wanting to eat or drink when she first arrived (this is not too uncommon with babies that travel as far as they did). The veterinarian picked her up for her initial examination she felt a pop. She was able to determine that she had a severe luxating patella and suggested that I have her radiographed. I did. The radiographs (pictured below) indicated that she had VERY severe hip dysplasia. Naturally, I was devastated. I requested that the veterinarian send the radiographs to the board certified orthopedic specialists in Austin, TX for evaluation as well as post them on VIN (Veterinary Information Network) for multiple veterinarians to review. I contacted a board certified radiologist as well as a feline specialist for their opinions as well. Most of them said this was the worst case of hip dysplasia they had ever seen, and recommended she have a Femoral Head Ostectomy when her growth places close so she could walk and use her litter box a little more normally, and that she be spayed any not used for breeding. Hip dysplasia in cats is a much more difficult disease to diagnose in cats than it is in dogs. This is because they are much smaller, and are much more resilient. They often will not limp or show obvious signs of discomfort. Jonesy was born with this and learned how to adjust when she started walking so it was difficult to see at first. As a former veterinary technician, current hospital administrator and 11 years in the veterinary industry - I am very familiar with hip dysplasia in dogs. Because it is a genetic predisposition in dogs and my kittens shared a father - I felt they both should have radiographs of their hips - so we checked Pauly. She also had severe hip dysplasia but because she still had a bit of a hip socket, it was difficult to diagnose with just an examination. I learned that Jonesy's luxating patella (loose knee cap) was likely due to the condition of her hip and should resolve when her hip surgery is performed. I contacted the breeder immediately and when she did get back to me she suggested that I give them time to adjust. She later said that they are my cats to do with what I want. I tried selling Pauly on my web page (which is the documentation she has provided to the US breeders) to try and recuperate some of the costs. I spent $2,300 on Pauly, $2,500 on Jonsey, $1,000 to get them here and almost $4,500 on caring for them and veterinary diagnostics. I waited 30 days and had Pauly's heart re-auscultated and the murmur had not improved so I decided to take her off of my web page for sale and just try placing her in a home for no fee at all. I was afraid her heart murmur could have been caused by HCM (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) which has suddenly killed several young exotic shorthairs from owners and breeders I know. I tried keeping her informed on their wellbeing and providing her with all of the veterinary reports, but she eventually requested that I stop contacting her. I asked her to have her veterinarian review the radiographs I sent her and she was supposed to get me a report on their opinion, and she never did. Then she suggested that they were injured in my care and felt that shipping them back the Ukraine would be too stressful on them. I tried explaining that there was no evidence of injury, which would show up as fragments of shattered hips socket in the radiographs - but that they just did not have any hip sockets to begin with. She has also been sharing with people that I brought different cats to the vet - not that cats that she sold me. And that I was not calling them by their registered names. My veterinarian has their pictures on their medical records so it is clear to see that they are in the fact the kittens I purchased. Pauly is named after Paul McCartney's song, "Come and Get it" which is why I called her Pauly. Jonesy was named after the Counting Crows song, "Mr Jones" and her registered name was "Believe in Me". All of my pets have call names separate from their registered names. I also referred to them as Pauly and Jonesy throughout all of our conversations, so she was fully aware of this.
Pauly was placed in a home with a single woman. She was spayed at her vet, and shortly after started becoming very ill. The veterinarian found a large mass (tumor) in her abdomen which they determined to be cancer. She passed away before she turned 10 months old.
Jonesy was placed in a home with two teenagers and two parents - one the principal of a high school, and the other a principal of an elementary school. In late December they decided they could not care for her so I took her back into my care and once she has finished her 30 day quarantine, she moved in with her new family - a veterinary technician who was willing and able to give her the long term care she needs and deserves. Below is the official complaint with the CFA along with all of the necessary supporting documentation. I am more than willing to provide personal and professional references to validate my integrity and quality care I provide all of my pets.
Dr. Tamera Cole of Animal Hospital at Steiner Ranch in Austin, TX
Dr. Kelly Henton of Animal Medical Center Copperas Cove in Copperas Cove, TX
Dr. Robin Westwood of Country Friends Veterinary Hospital in Royse City, TX
Dr. Rhonda Phillips-Black of Country Friends Veterinary Hospital also in Royse City, TX
Dr Amanda Cairncorss of Lovers Lane Animal Medical Center of Dallas, TX
Tiahna Hillier with Mr. Whisker's Cattery in Salem, Oregon
Joanie Wilson with Ziakatz Cattery in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Glenna Wright with Glentom Bull Terriers in Glenwood, Arkansas
Please do not hesitate to contact any of these individuals or my directly if there are any questions or concerns. I deliberately left their contact information off so you can verify in your search that they are real people who love animals as much as I do.
Thank you for hearing my side of this story.
Pauly - Rest in peace baby girl.
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Jonesy
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The Evidence
Pauly's hips - the less severe of the two.
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Jonesy's hips, the more severe of the two, which requires surgical reparation.
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Her rebuttal to my formal complaint:
I was provided an opportunity to rebut her response:
The CFA's final decision:
