Ragnarok Cattery Consumer Reviews
By catperson82 - ONTARIO, CALIFORNIA -- I want to preface this review by saying I do absolutely love my cat. He is the greatest sweetest cat with so much personality and it is beautiful. I am saying this because the owner of this cattery is accusing these reviews of being one sided and unfair. Referencing his arbitration clause on some sites with the BBB and such.
Well his clause states (more or less) that he is only responsible for a few things (check his site) and specific to those things you pretty much need to get medical confirmation of those things post death of the cat. Most people (given what they signed) will not be covered by his terms and even if they are they have to get expensive testing done to show that he is at fault. So a BBB arbitration is out the window. I want to establish that my cat is awesome and all that I could ask for in a cat before I confirm what the other people are saying here.
My cat has been an adult for some time and barely now recovering from the effects of the poor conditions in this cattery. It had multiple parasites, giardia, several persistent respiratory infections, feline herpes (read still has red drippy eyes for a few days out of every month), and ear and eye infections. It had ringworm as well... It did not have FIP or ear mites though as some said. It had chronic bowel problems following all these GI distress these problems put it under.
It was severely underweight for a number of months following adoption because of the watery stool and does not appear as if it will ever grow to the size of a normal ragdoll because of it. Many times I have had to put it on a diet of boiled chicken and oversteamed rice for a few days just to get it to normalize to somewhat formed stool. It's like dealing with a sick child anymore. In general I feed it high quality (read expensive) grain and vegetable free foods though.
These are not opinions, these are facts. This cat went through these things and judging from the other kittens at this cattery, they all looked pretty sickly and in the same boat (okay that right there IS an opinion but my cat was one of the least sick looking at the time of adoption so take that for what it's worth). He will try to play it off calling it other things. Allergies because of the wind etc.
Like I said I love this cat. Despite being small it is beautiful. It has the best temperament of any cat I've ever owned, and although I have no other cats right now, I am an experienced cat owner as once upon a time many many years ago I used to shelter and rehome cats before I moved to San Bernardino. In hindsight I should have walked away but this cat really spoke to me and as they say, it chose me. Hindsight is 20/20 though.
Also it had nothing to do with the new environment and rehoming. Having taken care of numerous cats in the past I knew better to give a new cat run of the place. I kept it in an empty walk in closet that has tile that could be steam mopped and changed the litter / washed the cat bed in boiling water 3x a week until this cat recovered. This room was exceptionally clean and dust/chemical free because of this.
It broke my heart to keep it more or less caged for many months but I had a feeling when bringing it home that it was sick and needed to be treated as such until recovery so that it would not infect the rest of the house and when I took it to the vet she confirmed my feelings, and thus started a very long string of vet bills. Luckily my vet is very fairly priced.
I am no fool. I am not out to get this guy. I'm sure he must've loved cats to get into this business and I do love my own cat, but these cats are not well. I am sorry but perhaps he is getting too old to properly run a healthy cattery. This is not meant to be slander, just a fair warning.
Please be prepared or experienced if you choose to get a cat from him. I wouldn't suggest bringing one of these cats into a multi cat home. I do think that if these cats can be nursed back to health they are of a great genetics... at least personality wise they are. But also be prepared with all the questions you need to be asking about the cat, it's health, the tica family line, etc. Come prepared if you decide to go with this cattery anyway. As I said in the end I am glad I got my cat, it was just a lot of money and hassle for a cat that costs so much.
Replies
By Mkmm - MIRA LOMA, CALIFORNIA -- I purchased a cat from this breeder after reading his website and not knowing to look for breeders with challenges. My cat had the same issues as described by other buyers here and on other breeder reporting sites. I cannot believe that I am reading these things and it goes back years for this place.
After choosing the 11 month old kitten I was offered, he was whisked away to trim his nails and clean out his ears. I asked about his eyes because they didn't seem right to me and the breeder told me to use drops in the cat's eyes. They are allergies. Just like I do for my eyes and contacts. Weird. I was not offered papers nor did I sign any paperwork upon purchasing my cat. I only received the microchip paperwork from him.
After leaving the residence, I called my vet to make an appointment for that Monday. (I bought the cat on a Saturday.) Sure enough, my vet stated this cat had an eye infection in both eyes, ear mites, an upper respiratory infection and trauma to his teeth. There are actually small teeth missing from his mouth. I suggested that they might be baby teeth but no, my vet stated that this cat was missing adult teeth and was not 11 months old but almost 2 to 2.5 years old.
I contacted the breeder via phone and ask about the illnesses and he said take him to the vet or get over the counter medicine from a feed supply store. I also inquired about the age of this cat and he said he did not know because it wasn't written down. Aren't reputable breeders supposed to know the birth and age of the cats they are breeding? And not sell sick cats?
I'm not sorry that I got this cat. I'm sorry that this man and woman are breeding cats and allowing this to occur. My cat is sweet but small in regards to what a Ragdoll cat is supposed to be. My cat is over 2 years old and only 8.5lbs. He was medicated and his issues are now cleared up. He's now functioning as a healthy cat. I rescued a cat from a bad situation and hope that the other cats there aren't suffering as mine did, prior to coming into my home. All I can say is shame on those people. No animals should be in an environment that makes them ill.
Replies
MIRA LOMA, CALIFORNIA -- I bought a kitten from Ragnarok Cattery that was diagnosed with FIP by three different vets. I didn't notice a clause on Ragnarok website saying: "If a problem related to FIP should arise, we will only be liable for a kitten replacement up to 10 weeks past the purchase date in a single cat household, and for a period of 6 weeks in a multi cat household. An necropsy (at the owner's expense) from a veterinarian must be provided to get a replacement kitten."
The breeder admits on his website, that his cattery has FIP problem. I wish I read it more closely, I would never, ever get a kitten from the cattery. My cat is already dead, and I am a heartbroken. Thanks, Ragnarok, for selling sick kittens.
Replies
MIRA LOMA -- This breeder needs to be shut down. The cat I purchased for $635.00 has ear mites, a fever, tested positive for giardia and has an upper respiratory infection. As to date I have spent $109.00 + $277.00 and then today another $71.00 to get the issues resolved. The breeder instead of resolving the issue slanders me and says I am a nutcase and has slandered me and I am hiring a lawyer and want to get a class action lawsuit against this breeder for not only ripping us all off, but to protect the animals health and well being. He refuses to make right of the situation and I am upset that my poor kitten has to suffer all these things because of his negligence!!!
Replies
MIRA LOMA, CALIFORNIA -- We purchased a 4 month old Ragdoll kitten from Ragnarok Cattery. I was told to bring cash if I wanted to take a kitten home that day. We could not see where the cats were kept, one kitten was brought out at a time. I picked out one he had brought out and we were on our way.
The cat was sneezing the first night we had her. I took her to our very experienced vet the next day and during the examination the doctor discovered the kitten had full adult teeth typical of a 7 month old and yellowish nasal discharge. Additionally, both of her kidneys palpated at less than 1 cm, which may represent future kidney disease. I called the cattery and told them I wanted to return her, on our vets advice. He would not refund our money, we had to wait till there were available kittens again.
A month later I called and was told they had some kittens ready to go. I picked one out and off we went. This kitten was sneezing before we got home. The results of this visit to the doctor, the kitten was 4 weeks younger than we were told, after test results, this kitten had ear mites, an upper respiratory infection and giardia.
After several month of doctors visits and medications she got over the problems she had been exposed to at the cattery. It has been discovered since then, this cat has one small kidney. AND, as a side note, we could not get her kitten papers to register her, because that records were not being kept up to date. We did not check out this cattery before we got involved with it, this was a big mistake.
Replies
MIRA LOMA, CALIFORNIA -- I was given a pet quality ragdoll cat for my birthday. We went to the cattery, spent quite some time there and most if not all of the cats had some upper respiratory thing going on. I choose a cat that had little human contact. But has since turned out to be a sweet heart. But I was told his ears had wax in them and the breeder cleaned them out.
A day or so after I brought my cat home he started sneezing. I took him to the vet and had him checked out. He too had an upper respiratory infection and ear mites. 200.00. Later I took my cat home. About 4 days later my other ragdoll cat, started coughing. I took them both to the vet... Another 200.00 to put them both on med. This breeders cats are sick and the conditions were unbelievable. Something needs to be done about this. Who controls "home breeders"?
AS per the conditions of this site, "the authors are responsible for the validity of their reviews". So the current post is completely one sided, and without documentation, how true is it?
Every person who wants one of my kittens is welcomed into my home, and about 2 hours is spent on selecting a kitten, doing the paperwork, and educating the new owner about cats and adjusting to their new home. I dispute the "little human contact" of the post, as our cats are handled daily. My cats have a pleasant disposition, as noted by the poster. Cats leave any environment with "well germs", ie, those germs that their bodies are accustomed to dealing with here. Once a cat is exposed to new germs in a new environment, sneezing can result. The well germs can be shared with another cat in the new home also. It doesn't mean that the cat I sold was ill, it just means that the respiratory system of the kitten is functioning normally. What happens when your young child goes to kindergarden? They come home with new germs and share them with the family, and someone in the home now has a cold. Cats and humans have almost identical respiratory systems. I'm sorry for any ear mites, and these are parasites that affect many breeds of animals. If the complaining party had contacted me, I could have assisted them with a portion of their veterinary expenses. No contact, just a complaint posted on this forum. I just saw this post a few days ago. Without customer names or exact dates of purchase, it's difficult to offer any more details.
Replies
I don't really understand the purpose of this site. They publish complaints without any documentation. I belong to a group that offers professional arbitration, and PROOF of the issue in dispute is demanded in that process.
I vaguely remember this party, but without definite names or dates, it's difficult to locate complete information. I do not accept personal checks for purchase of kittens. Credit cards are allowed. If the client only has access to a checking account, and no credit cards, then cash is the form of payment.
I do not allow the general public access to the areas where my kittens are raised. The reasons? People have sick animals at home, or they may have visited mutlitple cat "places" immediately prior to coming to my home. So to minimize outside germ contact, I do not allow the public to see where kittens are raised.
I only bring out one or two kittens at a time for a reason. Years ago, I would have many kittens scampering around the home when people would come. But then people began stealing kittens. Once a woman walked outside to have a cigarette, and she purchased one kitten. But when I "counted noses" after she had left, there were two kittens less. One she bought, and one she stole. Another time I had a two visitors from Oregon who said they were on vacation. They came to see the kittens. They decided not to buy. But when I put kittens away, I was one short. I therefore only have 1-2 kittens for viewing, so that I can keep track of kittens, and so that they are not stolen.
The complaint about "size of teeth" has been heard before. I honestly state the age of the kitten to the client, and more than one vet over the years has insisted the kitten was older than it actually was.
Our guarantee is for 3 years against any genetic defect. The client gets a copy of this guarantee and it's clearly posted on my web site. I do not sell extremely young kittens. This client was offered one of the first available kittens. I do not release kittens until 12 weeks of age normally. This kitten could not have been 4 WEEKS YOUNGER than my earliest release date.
Since they purchased a younger kitten, it would have been vaccinated with the standard 3 way kitten vaccine at the time of sale. Some kittens do react to vaccines, and it may take a couple of weeks to recover. No kitten is released if it has any signs of illness. Any kitten that leaves our home is not sneezing, nor does it have diarrhea. A kitten's immune system makes adjustments when getting used to a new home, and this means it's immune system is working properly. Giarrdia commonly comes from water sources, and this is not a problem within our cattery.
Every client is aware that they can use a professional arbitration company to settle any dispute. Every customer signs this agreement to arbitration. Every kitten we sell can be duly registered and records are kept on every kitten born here.