Enchanted Highlanders Cattery

🐾 Highlander kitty beans are landing in the nursery!
One has started releasing hostages, and we expect Versa and Aurora to follow soon.

🎄 Mistletoe 🎄

TICA Highlander • CE • SF • LT

Born just before Christmas 2025, Mistletoe is a beautiful Brown Black Torbie with a unique look and a fun, affectionate personality.

She’s ready to find a family of her own and is reduced for the right match.

If you’ve been considering adding a Highlander to your home, feel free to reach out for more information about Mistletoe and to see if she might be a good fit for your family.

✨Meet the magic of Highlanders✨
Don’t forget to like, follow, & share our journey 🪄
📍 Located near Nashville, Tennessee

Silver? Black? Fluffy? ✔️

Cute? Absolutely. ✔️

Exotic looking? You bet. ✔️

Dangerously adorable and fully aware of it? Also yes. 😹

This little Highlander is serving looks, fluff, and attitude all in one tiny package

✨Meet the magic of Highlanders✨
Don’t forget to like, follow, & share our journey 🪄
📍 Located near Nashville, Tennessee

Let me remind you: if you’re supporting someone simply because you’re afraid of what may happen if you speak up, you’re part of the reason problems continue.

I stayed quiet for a long time. Like many others, I was afraid of the fallout which ended up happening anyway because I spoke up over Serena. I convinced myself it was bad luck, a one-time situation, or that things would improve after Hades.

What I experienced says otherwise.

We were told Hades was healthy. That same kitten was even being shown in ACFA. Yet when he came to us, he was visibly sick with a runny nose, crusted eyes, underweight, and ultimately diagnosed with ringworm as well. This wasn’t a minor issue or a simple adjustment period. His condition was obvious. That kitten’s full sister later died, and I still remained quiet.

Years later, I sent a healthy show-standard quality female out and received her back in heartbreaking condition: underweight, covered in f***s and urine, with multiple health concerns. This exchange took place in front of numerous witnesses, including at a police department. Testing that could have impacted decisions was not disclosed to me at the time and refused to be given until I did my own. The consequences affected my entire cattery yet again, cost me thousands of dollars, and ultimately resulted in me spaying her so she could enjoy life in a loving pet home.

And I am not the only one. Recently, I have spoken with others whose experiences raised concerns similar to my own. Different situations, different people, but enough similarities that it made me take a much harder look at what has been happening.

To be completely honest, this is one of the factors that led me to seriously consider closing my cattery. Not because I don’t love the breed, but because of the impact that undisclosed health concerns, returned animals in poor condition, and the issues brought back into my cattery have had on my program. The financial, emotional, and health consequences of that cannot be overstated.

This is exactly why breeders get a bad reputation. Good programs trust people based on reputation, recommendations, and the support of others, only to find themselves dealing with the consequences when those concerns turn out to be real.

What disturbs me most is not that problems happened. Problems can happen in any breeding program. What disturbs me is watching people acknowledge concerns, hear experiences from multiple people, and still choose silence because of someone’s reputation, position, or influence.

Accountability isn’t what hurts a breed. Silence does.

No title, reputation, award, or position should place someone above accountability. Animals deserve better. Breeders deserve transparency. Buyers deserve honesty.

At some point, protecting a reputation becomes more important than addressing legitimate concerns, and that’s where I draw the line.

You don’t have to agree with me. You don’t even have to like me. But at some point, people need to ask themselves whether they’re protecting a reputation or protecting the animals.

Because when concerns are repeatedly dismissed, ignored, or kept behind closed doors, the problems don’t disappear. They simply get passed on to the next breeder, the next buyer, and the next animal.

That’s not accountability. That’s silence.

📚 Understanding PCR Testing, Exposure, and the Reality of Bringing Home a New Kitten

As breeders, catteries, and kennels, we try very hard to educate families on what PCR testing can and cannot tell us.

A PCR is an excellent diagnostic tool, but it is not a crystal ball. It provides a snapshot of what was detected at the time the sample was collected. A negative result does not guarantee an animal will never test positive later, and a positive result does not always mean an animal is actively sick.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that a clear PCR means nothing can ever appear later. Unfortunately, it is not that simple.

A new home brings new variables that no breeder can fully predict. Stress, changes in routine, different food, exposure to other pets, environmental contamination, travel, and even changes in the immune system can all impact a kitten. Many organisms can remain dormant, shed intermittently, or only become detectable under the right conditions.

It is also important to understand that PCR testing can detect recent exposure to certain organisms. A positive result does not always tell us exactly when or where exposure occurred, only that genetic material was detected.

Many experienced breeders believe in PCR testing and use it regularly, but also understand there is only so much any breeder can control. This is why responsible breeders should have additional measures in place, including health guarantees, clear contract language, quarantine recommendations, and owner education.

Another important factor is timing. Many breeders PCR test before routine deworming protocols because certain medications can affect results and potentially contribute to false negatives for a period after treatment. Testing should always be interpreted alongside the animal’s clinical signs, history, and environment.

Organisms such as Giardia, Coccidia, Cryptosporidium, Tritrichomonas foetus, and Clostridium perfringens can be found in many environments and may be introduced in ways owners do not always consider. Existing household pets may shed organisms while appearing completely healthy. Exposure can occur through contaminated surfaces, shoes, shared environments, veterinary offices, grooming facilities, boarding situations, cat shows, transport, visitors who have animals, routine veterinary exams, hospitalization, surgery, and countless other everyday sources.

While veterinary clinics work hard to maintain excellent sanitation and infection control practices, no environment where animals are present is completely risk-free. This is one reason it can be extremely difficult to determine exactly where or when exposure occurred, especially when testing is performed weeks or months after a kitten has left for its new home.

It is also important to remember that prevention can only go so far. Many breeders have children, families, visitors, and multiple animals in their homes. No matter how diligent someone is with cleaning, disinfecting, quarantine protocols, and hygiene, there is no way to create a completely sterile environment. Something as simple as walking outside, visiting a friend with pets, going to a veterinary clinic, attending a show, or bringing supplies into the home can introduce organisms without anyone realizing it. In some cases, exposure may occur weeks before any signs appear or before an organism becomes detectable on testing.

This is why a positive PCR months after a kitten leaves for a new home does not automatically tell the whole story. It is important to evaluate the timing, symptoms, environmental factors, household pets, travel history, veterinary visits, and overall circumstances before drawing conclusions.

Testing is an important tool, but it is only one piece of the puzzle. Responsible breeding is not about guaranteeing perfection. It is about testing appropriately, educating owners, monitoring trends, being transparent, and working together to keep our animals as healthy as possible.

The goal should always be education, understanding, and continuous improvement not blame.

Transparency Is Not the Enemy of Progress

The reality is that transparency is becoming increasingly important in every breed community. With social media, educational groups, podcasts, webinars, health databases, and breeder networking, owners have access to more information than ever before.

People are no longer looking for simple answers. They want to understand health testing, genetics, diversity, breeding practices, health trends, and what breeders are doing to improve their breeds. They want education, not just reassurance.

Veteran breeders need to understand that this shift is not a bad thing. It is actually one of the greatest opportunities we have to strengthen and preserve our breeds. Today’s owners are asking questions because they care. They want to be educated. They want to understand what breeders are tracking, what challenges may exist, what research is being conducted, and how breeders are working to improve future generations.

Transparency should not be viewed as a threat. It should be viewed as a tool.

The breeds that will continue to thrive are the ones willing to educate, collect data, acknowledge concerns, and openly discuss ways to improve. No breed has ever benefited from pretending challenges do not exist. Progress comes from identifying concerns, studying them, sharing information, and working together toward solutions.

When concerns are discussed openly, it allows breeders to compare experiences, identify patterns, encourage research, and make better informed breeding decisions. It helps owners understand what questions to ask and what health testing is important. It creates a culture of learning rather than a culture of silence.

Unfortunately, when information is withheld, discussions are kept behind closed doors, or people are discouraged from asking questions, it often has the opposite effect of what was intended. Rather than creating confidence, it creates doubt. People naturally become more concerned when they feel they are not getting the full picture.

Transparency does not mean spreading rumors. It does not mean attacking breeders. It does not mean creating panic. It means being willing to have honest conversations, share educational information, discuss data, and acknowledge that every breed has areas that deserve continued study and improvement.

Advocating for transparency should not be treated as a negative. Asking questions should not be discouraged. Collecting information should not be viewed as an attack. Many of the advances made in animal health, genetics, and breeding practices came because breeders were willing to ask difficult questions and investigate concerns rather than dismiss them.

The newer generation of breeders and owners wants mentorship, education, and openness. They want to understand not only the successes within a breed, but also the challenges being monitored and the steps being taken to address them. They want facts, research, and meaningful discussion.

A breed’s reputation is not protected by silence. A breed’s future is protected by education, responsible breeding practices, ongoing research, transparency, and a willingness to learn. Owners today are asking for more involvement, more knowledge, and more honesty than ever before. That should be welcomed, because informed owners and educated breeders are one of the greatest assets any breed can have.

💕 Our Pregnant Mommas Update! 💕

Kitten season is about to get exciting around here! 🐾

✨ Aurora – Expecting her 2nd litter! Her last litter was over a year ago and she gave us 3 beautiful babies. This time we’re seeing 3–4 kittens! 💕

✨ Nessie – A homegrown Enchanted Highlanders girl having her very first litter! We’re seeing 2-3 little ones! 🥰

✨ Pudding – Another Enchanted Highlanders-born girl expecting her first litter, with an estimated 4 kittens on board! ❤️

✨ Zaria – Also expecting her first litter, and we’re potentially seeing 5 babies! 🎉

Seeing girls we’ve bred and raised ourselves becoming moms is such a special milestone. Watching Nessie and Pudding grow up here and now prepare to welcome their own babies is incredibly rewarding. 💕

Of course, these are only estimates until delivery day, but if they’re close, our nursery is about to be very busy! 🍼🐱🐾

Who are you most excited to see babies from? 👀