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I purchased a kitten from Lyn Milstead of Jollytime Ragdolls here in Salisbury, North Carolina, on June 7, 2021 for $2500. The kitten quickly became a part of our family and was well loved. However, things came to an abrupt end when the kitten was rushed to the Cabarrus Emergency vet on April 28, 2023. She had just turned two and I had no idea what was happening. She was acting strange. The vet’s office took lab work and x-rays. The lab work was then transferred to another hospital to see if they would be able to determine a cause. The vet at Cabarrus Animal Hospital, Dr. Barbee, explained to me that my cat, Coco Chanel, had a congenital heart defect. She determined this because the x-rays the emergency vet took showed a good heart, but the x-rays they took an hour later showed and enlarged heart and lungs filled with fluid. They did everything they could to keep her alive, but she soon passed. I was absolutely devastated. I left the office with my empty cat carrier.
On April 30th I emailed Lyn Milstead to inform her that my cat passed suddenly from a congenital heart defect. Lyn immediately messaged me back and said she was sorry for her passing. I then thought to leave a review to warn other customers of this issue to which it seemed to infuriate Lyn and she proceeded to email me asking me questions and doubting my vet’s diagnosis. At first, I just ignored them as I was hurting and grieving. I didn’t ask for a necropsy as I didn’t feel it was needed with all the evidence and diagnosis I got. Lynn went on to say it was probably a virus. Then she asked me for my vet’s name. I sent her the information. Lynn requested Coco’s records and I thought this was her attempt to right her wrong. But in an email on May 8th, she said had no intention of finding a helpful solution for my loss because of the review I left. I felt this was so vindictive. I didn’t understand what the point of trying to get records was for if she had no intention of helping. For days I called the vet’s office to get records, and for what? I tried hard to get them fast however Dr. Barbee was on medical leave. It was devastating for me to call everyday to get records and relive the day.
I decided then, to leave additional reviews based on our emails/conversation and reach out to TICA for help. Rene Knapp quickly responded to me with compassion, but a solution was not found between Lyn and I. My fear is, this will happen to again to another family. I was advised by TICA (the organization Lynn is registered to) to take this matter to court. Rene did advise Lynn to compensate and refund me the full amount but Lynn refused. My hope is to make future families aware of this situation.
