I bought a kitten from a breeder - vet found lots of issues - is this typical?

what state do you live in? some states have what are called "puppy lemon laws" (although i dont know that the necessarily apply to gets as most people get cats for free and don't pay for them). what this means is even if you sign a contract if the dog has some serious medical condition the breeder is required to refund you, but again i don't know that these apply to cats and kittens. Did you inspect the kitten throughly before you got him? I would think you would have been able to see things like fleas, malnourishment, and ear mites. b/c these are such obvious problems it is doubtful you can get your money back.