Meow. Hello everybody. My name is Opie. I am a 5-year-old Siamese cat who lives in Richardson.
The Watchdog lent me this space to tell my story. He’s not bad—for a dog. Call me “The Watchcat.”
I am an eyewitness to the worst thing that’s ever happened to my mommy.
I watched as she tried for two months to get me a little brother from a breeder. She even named him Murphy. But she never got to meet him, and she never spoke directly to the owner.
Watchdog Alert
All discussion was handled through Facebook business chat.
It hurts me to report this to you, but be prepared for a shocker.
My mommy, Nancy Parsons, paid $22,000 in total fees for Murphy. Yet there’s no Murphy, no little brother.
I’m a cat, and don’t know much about money. But from the way she’s been acting since this kitty caper began, I know she is furious.
Surprise charges
Here’s what I saw. The cat breeder gave a price of $250. Mommy agreed. But then the breeder kept tacking on charges.
It hurt to watch. I kept meowing warnings, but she loved Murphy already and wouldn’t give up. She wanted me to have a playmate. But at what cost?
The scheme
The first fees levied were clearly phony and inflated. My mom paid with gift cards. Uh oh.
$900 for a city permit.
$600 for change of ownership.
$400 for office fees.
Eventually, the charges reached $22,000.
The breeder promised in writing that all money “would be fully refunded to you upon delivery of your kitten today.”
Nancy Parsons’ five year-old cat Opie hides under the chair at her Richardson, Texas apartment, January 13, 2026.
Tom Fox / Staff Photographer
There was no delivery, but the fees kept coming. They included $499 to rent a crate, along with travel, medical bills and shelter fees. She kept paying because she had fallen in love with the little guy. But there was no sign of Li’l Bro.
The breeder kept setting delivery dates, and then cancelling.
This lasted two months. By then Mommy toughened up.
She texted the breeder: “Spoke with a veterinary clinic. They say there IS no FEE to change ownership!!!! All you need to do is provide them with information of new ownership. I EXPECT MY KITTEN by this afternoon!!!”
The breeder reassured her, “You have nothing to worry about because his (sic) in great hands and you should get Murphy alongside your total refund.”
The breeder postponed again saying, “I still need to take new photos of him.”
Say what?
“We shall send you pictures of your kitten as confirmation that we are in possession of your kitten so you don’t have anything to worry about ok.”
Who is the breeder?
The name she uses on her gmail account is Vanessa Williams. We don’t know much about her, likely by design.
There’s no phone number. It’s Facebook chat.
By email the breeder denied to The Watchdog that she had the $22,000. “She didn’t pay me that money,” the breeder said.
“All the money she paid to the delivery agency. … They promised to refund the money. I don’t know why they’re taking so long.”
She added, “Once she receives her refund then I will deliver her kitten.”
Mother says that makes no sense saying, “She said she’d bring it but she was a no show.” Same for two more delivery dates. No shows.
‘Kicking myself’
Mommy is beyond upset. She’s no dummy. She has two Master’s degrees.
“I’m kicking myself big time,” she says.
I warned her. A cat can sense these things.
Mommy went to the Richardson Police Department. Spokesman Mike Wieczore said, “It’s early in the investigation. We’re still trying to collect information.”
Police have clues. For starters, the money sent went to a bank in Kansas City, plus there is Vanessa’s Gmail account. Plus Mommy has documentation of her actual legal name.
One more thing from this cat. Mommy could have gone to the SPCA of Texas. Spokeswoman Maura Davies said that before cats are adopted, their medical needs are handled, including vaccinations and microchips.
The total cost for an SPCA cat is $175. What a cat-strophe. Meow.