MeoWoof Kittens — Attraction in Addison Township

Edit: Dear MeoWoff, you absolutely did not offer any treatment for my sick kitten, only to return. I apologize that my extensive questions & wanting a better understanding of your company&family history of my kitten came across as “not trusting/ skeptical”. I asked information in regards to getting genetic tests done for PKD, to which I declined & chose to go with my trusted veterinarian. Make no mistake, none of these were presented as “complimentary” on your end. I requested specific health questions to be answered prior to signing contract. They were not. I think the big picture here is your website acknowledges & states the high risk & safety of 3 breeds flying in pet cargo, yet you knowingly still transport these high risk kittens in cargo & then refuse to be held responsible for their health issues presented. Before taking my kitten home, i did every single bit of research on Persians, followed w lengthy questions via email to the company regarding the history, health history, testing, etc. I will say that the MeoWoff website& customer service from the store you are contacting, is just a middle man for the breeders or brokerage that runs the cattery. They are not the ones who breed them, raise them or have any contact with the kittens until you pick yours up from their location. After reaching out with many questions, I was told they would forward my email to the breeder & get back to me once they hear back. After several days, I received a very vague & short response that kind of danced around my more serious health questions. The unfortunate event that left a negative energy/vibe from this company was on their website it specifically states that all cat breeds EXCEPT Persians (my kitten), exotic shorthair& Burmese are restricted from flying in pet cargo due to their breeds being prone to upper respiratory infections/compromised breathing issues. So on my end, I assumed my Persian would be safely flown to the US &NOT placed in pet cargo since they have highlighted & acknowledged that breed as a high risk/compromising the safety. I picked my Persian up from the IL location. After 2 days of having my kitten, he came down with a sneeze, cough & discharge from his eyes & nose. I immediately brought him to the vet, he had an upper respiratory infection&they asked me if he was flown in cargo. I told them no, as that is what’s stated on the website. The vet informed me kittens don’t pick up these infections unless exposed to something that triggers it. I took my kitten home with antibiotics & 2 days later he stopped eating/ began to vomit. At the vet for the 2nd time not even within a week of having my kitten, I am told due to the stress of his URI, he is constipated & that’s when they asked about his diet. After telling the vet that the breeder had him on a raw meat diet, she was concerned due to the safety & risks of parasites in raw meat, which can be dangerous. To be safe, we ran x rays/ blood work,etc to make sure he did not have an obstruction or parasites causing his stomach issues. I followed every direction I was given for his diet when I picked him up & none of this was making any sense. I contacted MeoWoff & that’s when I found out that my kitten was flown to the US in pet cargo! I upset, mentioned to her that it states on their website that this breed cannot be flown in cargo. She said, “well that’s if the pet is flying out from IL location to other state in US.” “Ukr does not have the same safety restrictions the US does. If he was to be flown to a different state from IL, we have no choice & require a nanny assist.” When I told her he had an URI & now a $700 vet bill due to his health put at risk, she became rude, unprofessional & said they are not responsible for this infection & that bc I didn’t ask how my cat would be flown, so it was my fault? I was told if I wanted to bring my kitten back I could get a store credit but they were not responsible for any vet costs when I didn’t even mention anything about them compensating. I’m glad others had a good experience, I just wish my little guy...

We purchased a Somali kitten from Meowoff named Sirius (renamed by us to Major Tom). He arrived extremely thin and lethargic, and seemed unwell. Although we had a vet appointment scheduled within Meowoff's recommended window, his condition rapidly declined before his checkup; he became limp, unresponsive, and died shortly after we rushed him to an emergency hospital.

The vet believed he had an upper respiratory infection that had progressed to pneumonia or sepsis. We asked about a necropsy, but the hospital said we'd need to drive to a university several hours away in the middle of the night. By the time we followed up the next day, they had already frozen his body, rendering the procedure ineffective.

We notified Meowoff, explained everything, and asked how we should move forward. Meowoff indicated they could not "ethically" refund us (even partially) since we did perform a necropsy, but they had no ethical qualms about trying to sell us another kitten if we wanted a replacement. We asked for any documentation proving the kitten had been examined by a vet and deemed healthy to fly. We never received veterinary records despite them implying all their cats received checkups. Instead, they told us we violated their terms by contacting the breeder even though we see no such clause listed on their website. We only reached out because we were concerned for the health of the other cats in the cattery.

My family loved Sirius, and losing him so quickly was extremely traumatic. We did everything we could -- we had a vet appointment scheduled, we responded when he declined, and we tried to follow all their policies. I write this so that others can be aware of what may happen and how difficult it can be to get support or accountability in the event of a loss. At first glance it seemed they cared about their cats, but their response to us indicates to us that to the degree they do, they are more concerned with their bottom line.

Edited to add:

There are a number of inaccuracies in Meowoff's reply.

We asked if he had seen a vet and they told us they observed him, but despite us asking they explicitly did not say he was seen by a vet and would not provide us records They said our cat was not eating and was sick and could not send him and then abruptly sent him anyway (we think because they were on vacation the next week and wanted to get him delivered). Since I posted this review, our other cat has been diagnosed with FIP. There is no other place he could have gotten it from other than the sick cat Meowoff sent us. This means there is a good chance we will lose a second cat and have already spent close to $5,000 on vet bills

It is convenient that they will keep our money in part for "ethical" reasons (they could donate it to a charity for all I care, I just don't want them keeping it given how much havoc they have caused) and maybe they are technically in the right, but that doesn't mean anyone should give them...

Extremely unimpressed with the lack of communication at this particular "animal broker". My mainecoon died just before his 17th birthday this past January and periodically I left voicemails, emails and today I even sent these brokers a private Instagram message. I simply asked if I could meet or interact with a potential kitten before committing to a deposit and reserving a kitten. Two months ago I asked if there were older cats that went unsold or any cats available within a $1500 budget rather than a champion bloodline quality. I had my heart set on a new black Mainecoon and one of the animal brokers here sent me videos of a red mainecoon from Russia that would eventually be exported here. I told her I didn't feel comfortable purchasing a cat from Russia because of the stress of traveling such a far distance especially during this pandemic. I had asked specifically for a solid black mainecoon and they were just concerned with making a sale. I finally decided against reaching out to these people because it's very obvious to me they only care about the monetary compensation they will be receiving and it's not unusual for a potential customer to want to visit a cattery just to be able to choose wisely. I have so many automated messages from Meowoff stating someone will get back to me within 24 hours and it's obvious to me they are simply seeking money from prospective customers rather than matching a pet to a suitable owner. I've owned three Caucasian mountain dogs and one beautiful mainecoon that I purchased for only $400. This particular website gives you limited options. You pick a kitten from their list that isn't reserved and you pay online. If you don't pay online I'm assuming they don't wish to waste their time with other potential customers that want to make an educated decision and actually want to see a kitten prior to reserving and sending a deposit. I'm absolutely not impressed with how they treated me and I'm finally going to give up. It's a shame actually because they were conveniently close to me. I've had intelligent conversations with legitimate cat breeders who are TICA registered. I don't believe Meowuff is TICA registered so it's for the best no one from their team actually returned my calls to have a real...