Gemstone Bengals, Barbara Mazur, Ware. MA review: Kitten 1

I purchased a kitten for $2500 from Gemstone Bengals, a Bengal cat breeder in Ware, MA run by Barbara Mazur. The kitten was ill and later diagnosed with FIP. Barbara demanded I pay $1000 for the replacement kitten (which most breeders replace with equal or greater value). After leaving a facebook review of my experience, I received messages from 2 other individuals who also received a sick kitten from Barbara at Gemstone Bengals. These are not just simple illness, but illnesses such as lack of motor function and the inability to walk. If you are paying the big money for a bengal cat from a breeder who claims to have been breeding 27 years, these type of things should not be happening. She does not health test her breeding cats like she claims on her Facebook page. She is very fixated on maintaining her reputation and image to the public on her Facebook page, so much so, she publicly shamed me for my negative review, somehow managed to remove my review from her page and deleted any and all comments that I chose to defend myself. This woman should not be breeding her cats and she is likely violating Massachusetts laws by the number of times she breeds her cats and the number of cats in her home. It is evident she is hiding something because when I picked up my sick kitten and then my replacement kitten, she didn't have any cats roaming her house. It was just a pick-up in her kitchen so lord only knows if she has them caged up somewhere.

I should also note my replacement kitten she rehomed at 8 weeks old which is incredibly different from the general rule of thumb of twelve weeks for bengal kittens. She also had a litter from one of her younger females with only one kitten and while I was waiting on my replacement kitten she told me to continue waiting as she was going to breed that queen again as soon as she went into heat. This woman lacks ethics when it comes to caring for the cats and kittens she is mass producing in her home. She is only about the money and I wish I realized it sooner after going through such a traumatic process only to be shamed by her. Purchasing a lifelong furry friend should be a pleasurable experience and with Gemstone Bengals it is anything but that. Please be warned that she is selling high-priced sick kittens and claiming they are quality. Health should be her top priority and it clearly is not.