Bree appeared to be normal at birth, but when she was a month old, it became evident that she wasn’t growing at the same rate as her littermates, nor was she very active.

We took her to our vet, who told us that Bree had a substantial heart murmur. Undaunted, we took her to a specialist. Sadly, however, there was nothing they could do for her. Little Bree’s heart was simply broken – and so were ours.

We returned Bree's mother to her breeder in Sweden, and spayed her sister so there would be no chance of passing on this genetic defect to our lines.

It was then we decided to make a stand. No matter the cost, we did not want to go through this heartache again, nor would we submit our pet owners to it. Because of our experience with Bree, all of the adults in Kaylee’s breeding program are scanned annually by board-certified veterinary cardiologists for heart murmurs, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and other genetic heart defects. And to our knowledge, we’re one of only two Cornish Rex breeders on the Eastern seaboard to do so.

So when we say we are trying to make a difference in our cats lives by making a stand on HCM and any other heart issues, we can back it up with our scans – many of which are posted right next to the pictures of our cats on our website. I can provide years of scans thoughout the generations.

We do not breed cats with HCM, heart defects or even a heart murmur. This is the reason it is so important to scan yearly to see the changes if any. I still scan my older cats even though they are not used for breeding. IF any cat has produced a kitten with an issue that line is spayed or neutered.

IT is your responsibility as a pet owner to screen the breeders as your new pet deserves a long and healthy life. Ask questions, visit different breeders homes and ensure that you get the proper vet records on your new pet.

Kathy Pritchard,
Kaylee Cornish Rex



 
 

CH Barmont's Vanity of Kaylee, DM

January 14, 2004 to May 28, 2010
Vanity was Kaitlyn's soulmate from the day she arrived at our home.
Sadly, she succumbed to cancer at almost six and a half years old. We miss you, Vanity.