I really need advice and would like to know what other people would chose to do in this situation. Sorry for long post but I dont want to drip feed. I have a toddler, 2 adult cats and a very old bunny. I’ve always wanted a blue point ragdoll. I already have a seal ragdoll. I use to be a foster carer for kittens and cats, and my cats are quite use to them. I had arranged to get a kitten from a breeder, but one of my cats got sick and the resulting vet bill wiped out my savings, and I could no longer afford a 1.5k kitten (and wasn’t sure I wanted to spend that anyway). Fast forward a few weeks. I see an ad for a 4 month old ragdoll kitten. No price, so I message the owner. They offer him for $400. I decide to buy him. We arrange for me to pick him up, but the night before the buyer pulls out. Id already bought some kitten food and toys, so Im quite sad but assume it wasn’t meant to be. A week later the owner contacts me to ask if Im still interested. I am. They drop him off, and he is beautiful. Gorgeous little kitten, sweet as can be. I know I need to arrange desexing soon, but otherwise he is perfect. That night I notice he is limping on his back leg. I message the previous owner, they confirm that he had a limp 4 weeks ago from jumping but that it had healed. I wonder if he’s just strained it again, but by morning I’m not liking the look of it and decide to take him to my vet. My vet x-rays his leg and confirms that it is broken ;_;. The break is at least 3 weeks old. The vet quotes me 1.7k+ for surgery, up to a possible 5k. Will be a week or 2 before they can do the surgery. I let the previous owner know what’s happened, and they kindly offer to take him back and return my money, and even pay the vet bill. Or if I keep him, they will return some money to me to help pay for surgery. I’m looking at 3 weeks of recovery, plus possible things going wrong in surgery (have you ever tried to confine a kitten for 3 weeks!). Surgery seems quite scary. So, what would you do, keep the kitten and pay for surgery, return him to the previous owner and hope they take care of him, or surrender him to a shelter? :(

I would take him back to the previous owners and get your money back. I wouldn’t trust them to do what they say re: pay for the vet bill, since they didn’t disclose the injury to you in the first place. I wouldn’t take him to the shelter. What a shitty situation. Keep us updated.

That’s really heartbreaking @Dawn I agree with Mrs T though. I wouldn’t trust them at all. I also wouldn’t trust they will be getting kitten the right help, so I would want to surrender the poor kitty. I am not sure if a rescue group would be able to afford the costs either. Such a shitty shitty position to be in.

I would be loathe to send the kitten back to the seller because she sounds dodgy as hell, but that then leaves you in a terrible situation. I’m so sorry Dawnshade, what an awful thing to have to decide. You could try Lort Smith, they might do a cheaper quote than a standard vet. My young cat had a similar injury and spent 6 weeks in a cage that the vet loaned us. It was hard, but she was good in the end.

I should mention the owner has already refunded me the cost of the kitten. So regardless of what I do I have that back, but Im still $350 out of pocket for the vet bill. I’m not sure if at this point I can legally surrender him as his microchip has not yet been transferred to me. *sorry when I say they offered to pay vet bill I mean the $350 I paid for x rays, not the surgery costs.

I’m glad you were refunded the purchase price, that seems only fair. My answer depends on your finances a bit but assuming you can afford to I would probably pay the vet bill, have the surgery done and seek advice from the vet about the best way to manage the recovery period. It would be different if it was a congenital defect but if it’s a repairable injury and you want the kitten, which you seem to, then that seems doable.

Im so sorry that you are in this position. Im assuming that you can’t afford the vet bill as you mentioned the previous vet bill took your savings if im correct can you wait until the microchip is transferred over to you and then surrender the kitten. I just don’t trust the previous owner to do the right thing by the kitten. Such a difficult decision

I’d keep him and pay for the surgery, because I wouldn’t trust the previous owner to look after him, and I’d be attached already. But I’m also very aware that I’m in the very privileged position of being able to afford to do so 🙁 Poor kitty.

I have managed to get a quote with a different vet for $1490, they can do surgery tomorrow and they have a vet payment plan option…

WWYD - Sick kitten - The Motherboard

WWYD - Sick kitten

MrsT

I would take him back to the previous owners and get your money back. I wouldn’t trust them to do wh...