05/20/2026
Sorry about all the drama on my post last night… but honestly I also think it became a really important learning experience, so I want to share this for anyone that missed it.
Back in 2017 I sold a kitten to a family whose kitten sadly developed HCM before a year old. To be honest I was breeding 15 years at the time and it was the first time I seen it in a cat that young. As soon as I found out, I immediately paid for the heart scan and offered to replace the kitten. I explained how important it was for us to stay in contact because I really wanted to follow the progression. At the time, communication was very difficult. I had to repeatedly email the mother because she was largely unresponsive. Her son also contacted me and was extremely rude, accusing me of “knowing” the kitten had HCM when I sold it, which is simply impossible.
The mother later attempted to post negative reviews about me in the Bad Cattery page, but the owner of the page refused to approve them because she saw the proof that I was actively trying to help and do right by the situation. She even felt something about the story being told wasn’t adding up.
At that point, I stepped back. I understood they were hurting. An HCM diagnosis is devastating, and I knew no matter what I said, I was going to be blamed. My last email was to please stay in touch and keep me posted on the cat. I even spoke to my cardiologist about it and he was willing to review their reports and give his input. But I never got any response back.
Fast forward NINE years later, and both the mother and son suddenly appeared in my comments last night attacking me again. A lot of you tried to educate them about HCM, and I truly appreciate that.
What really stood out to me was that they kept repeating that the vet supposedly said the cat only had “6 months to live when it was diagnosed in 2017.” That cat lived until 2025 and sadly passed away last year at 8.5 years old. That alone shows how unpredictable this disease can be.
This is exactly why education on HCM matters so much and why I released my book sharing my REAL experiences over the last 25 years breeding and rescuing Sphynx.
The father of their kitten eventually developed HCM himself after he had already retired from breeding. Sadly, that is VERY common with this disease. Cats often do not show signs when they are young. A normal scan is only a snapshot in time, not a crystal ball. He was a new bloodline I brought in at the time from a very respected breeder and it was super unexpected.
Out of approximately 25 kittens this male produced, sadly 3 developed HCM over the years. But many of his offspring are also over 10 years old now and healthy. My best friend has one of his babies from the first breeding that just turned 13, scanned that cat last year at our HCM clinic and it had a great scan. That is the reality of HCM. It is not simple.
And despite how painful it was, I was very open and honest online when this male developed HCM. Even the breeder I got him from, who I respect greatly, was extremely transparent about it as well.
People want this disease to be black and white. They want someone to blame. But HCM does not work that way.
It doesn't follow any patterns.
I get emails all the time from people that got cats from other breeders that went on to develop HCM and they are so angry and blame the breeder. I always do my best to educate them. And if the breeder is scanning then what more can they do? That is our only tool right now.
HCM is incredibly complex.
It is not always genetic.
It is not as simple as “remove the line.”
It is not prevented simply by scanning.
And no breeder on earth can guarantee a kitten will never develop it.
Studies estimate roughly 1 in 7 cats of ALL breeds will develop HCM. Some studies do suggest the rate may be higher in Sphynx, which is exactly WHY we need open conversations instead of fear, bullying, and witch hunts.
Just because a kitten develops HCM does not automatically mean both parents had it, or even 1 had it.
Just because a breeder is honest that they seen HCM does not mean they are “bad or their bloodlines are ruined.”
And attacking breeders who are trying to do the right thing helps absolutely nobody. I been breeding 25 years, if anyone on this page thinks I never seen HCM, or produced kittens that developed it then you don't understand the disease. I do think I see it very low in my program, we have lots of sphynx that lived well into their late teens. But yes of course HCM is going to happen. Heart disease is the #1 killer.
Honestly, this kind of thing used to really upset me. Now it mostly makes me sad for newer breeders watching from the sidelines, because this is exactly why so many people become afraid to speak openly about HCM or just pretend they never seen it.
At the end of the day, breeders can only control so much. HCM is unfortunately a major issue in felines as a whole, not just Sphynx. The only way we move forward as a community is through honesty, transparency, education, and support, not tearing each other apart. I want this page to be a safe space to have these hard conversations.
I will link my book in the comments. Please check it out, the more we all understand the disease the better off we will be. ♥️
