CAT BLOOD DONOR – “SPHYNX”

It was a normal morning for Sphynx; he hadn’t a clue what was coming next. The day before I had taken him and his co-partner, Sprite, to the BVC vets to have their blood typed and to do a FIV test. Luckily the FIV came out negative, Sphynx landed up being the classic common A blood type, and Sprite amazed us all by being type AB, the rarest type of all.

I had only just learned of a cat blood donor program in its infancy at the BVC vets, through Katrin Jahn, the new vet. She had a desperately ill kitten that needed blood immediately and Feline Friends gave permission for Copper, a FF cat, to become the first Abu Dhabi donor at BVC. Sadly the kitten died, but I knew immediately that my own cats might be able to help in the future. Katrin explained the cats needed to be over 5kgs (about 10 lbs) in weight, between the ages of 1 and 8, healthy, fully inoculated with complete vaccination records, and of course FIV free. A quick and painless test assured us that my cats were ready and able to donate, now it was just a matter of wait and see before I was called on. Since this was a totally new program, and there had rarely been the need for cat blood in the past, I was pretty confident it would be a while before they were called upon.

To my amazement the very next morning at 9 am, I received an emergency call from BVC. It was surreal. A cat in Al-Ain had had a run in with its owner’s lawn mower. This was a totally tragic accident, one that could happen to any cat owner. The cat needed a blood transfusion to stabilize it, before it’s smashed and splintered leg could be amputated. I think I literally flew to the vets, with Sphynx being most indignant in the carrier cage, as this was his prime naptime. He was sedated and it took a couple of hours for the vets to take his blood. He came home, none the worse for wear, sporting a sissy pink Band-Aid on his foreleg where the fluid replacement injection had been and a bald patch on his neck where the blood had been removed. The other cats at home thought nothing of his stumbling as the sedation wore off, although they were mega interested in the vet type smells upon him!! So he got lots of extra kisses at home that night.

I was shown Sphynx’s blood in its little plastic bag. It was like a little miniature human bag of blood. The vet removed 60 ml of blood from him, which is the normal amount for a cat of his weight. I went back that afternoon and was invited to see the injured cat as it recovered. It was a gorgeous white cat, with an amputated back leg. There hanging over the front of the cage was Sphynx’s remaining blood in the bag, just in case it was needed further. I can’t tell you how proud I am of my hero, his simple sacrifice helped save a life. The little white cat is now living life to the full albeit on three legs only.

If this is for you and your cat, do contact Katrin at the BVC. There are only three types of cat blood. A, B and AB. A is the most common. There is no universal blood type in cats, every cat must be individually blood typed. B type blood is very rare, it occurs in about 30% of the breeds of Devons, Sphynx and British Blue Cats (if anyone owns this type of breed, please come forward to have your cat blood typed, for as I write the vets have not yet found a B blood donor within the UAE. When they do your cat would be called on only in an emergency, and not used for regular blood donation.) If you have a cat, like I do, with the rare blood type, the quicker you come forward and find another donor, just in case..... the better. So it benefits everyone, the owners and the cats. A cat can give blood approximately every two to three months, and can do that for up to two years, so you must be dedicated to the cause and ready to spring into action if the call is made. Sphynx has subsequently donated a second time, two months after his first visit. He is still as happy as he has always been, and wonders what all the fuss was about.

SPHYNX, SPRITE, SOPHIE and GILLIAN KIRKWOOD