BLOOD
TRANSFUSION

Transfusion of bloodand blood products in cats:
information for owners
If you are considering volunteering your cat asa blood donor, or if your cat is receiving a bloodtransfusion, there are some things that you
should consider.
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BLOOD
TRANSFUSION

Do cats have blood groups?
Cats do have blood groups, but they arequite different to human blood groupsor dog blood groups. Cats can be type A,B or AB. Type A or B cats must receive adonation from a cat of the same blood
type, or a potentially fatal reaction canoccur. Type AB cats ideally receive type ABblood (but can have a type A transfusion
if type AB blood is unavailable). It is
recognised that there may be other,currently unknown, blood groups inexistence and so ‘cross-matching’ isrecommended. This is where blood fromthe donor and recipient cat are mixed in
the clinic or at an external laboratory totest for a reaction before a transfusion isundertaken.

What are the risks to a catdonating blood?
Cats donating blood often need to be
sedated for collection of blood, and all
sedation procedures carry a small risk.
Additionally, cats are very good at hiding
signs of illness from their owners and theirvets, and various conditions (eg, heartdisease, kidney disease) can be madeworse by sedation and blood donation.

Why would a cat need a bloodtransfusion?
There are a variety of reasons a cat may
need a blood transfusion. A cat may besuffering from anaemia (reduction in thenumber of red blood cells) which may becaused by:• Bleeding (eg, due to a road trafficaccident)• Failure to make red blood cells (eg, dueto bone marrow disease)• Destruction of red blood cells for various
reasons
Occasionally, other blood products are
given to cats, such as plasma (blood
without the red cells), or platelets (thatclot the blood) for cats unable to clot theirblood effectively.

2This cat has pale gums because it isseverely anaemic

What makes a suitable donor
cat?
Not every cat can be a blood donor.
The ideal blood donor cat:
• Is between 1 and 8 years of age• Weighs more than 4.5kg (but is notoverweight)• Has a calm temperament and is
not unduly stressed by the veterinary
environment or transport to the clinic• Is up to date with vaccination, worming
and external parasite control• Is currently not on any medications• Preferably lives indoors (and so is lessexposed to infectious diseases)• Has no history of having received ablood transfusion• Has normal results on blood tests• Tests negative for feline
immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline
leukaemia virus (FeLV)• Is negative for other infectious
diseases (may vary according togeographic location)

Health checks for donors
At the time of donation, donor catsmust be completely healthy. The vet willtake a full history from the owner andcarry out a full physical examination.
Blood pressure may be measured. If
abnormalities are suspected, a heartscan or blood test for heart disease
may be performed. Blood tests will becarried out to assess overall health; inparticular, measurement of red blood
cell count or haemoglobin (the oxygencarrying portion of the blood) will ensure
the donor has adequate red blood cells
to donate. All blood donors should havetheir blood type assessed and recorded
to ensure the donor cat’s blood iscompatible with that of the recipient cat
for the safest possible transfusion.

All potential blood donors should have afull physical examination to ensure they
are well enough to donate

Considerations before offering
your cat as a blood donor
It is important, as the owner of a suitable
donor cat, that you are aware of the risks
and give your consent for the procedure.
You will need to sign a consent form.
Don’t rush the decision – you must be
comfortable with what is going to happen,and confident that all the necessary
precautions are being taken.
Other precautions during and after adonation include:• Withholding food for 4-5 hours prior
to the procedure to reduce the risk ofvomiting during sedation• Careful monitoring during sedation
and afterwards until recovered• In some clinics, provision of fluids into
the vein or under the skin during or after
donation3

What to expect if your cat becomesa blood donor

If your cat is to receive atransfusion

If your cat is to donate blood, it will need
to be at the clinic for a few hours, to allow
it to be monitored before, during andafter donation for any adverse effects.
Your cat will have its hair clipped from its
neck just under the chin, and on the front
leg so that the veterinary staff can placeneedles to take blood samples and give
sedation. These clipped areas may bequite large if both sides of the neck need
to be accessed.

If your veterinarian is discussing your cat’s
need for a transfusion, it is likely that it
is very unwell, and this can be a difficult
time for owners. Occasionally the needfor a blood transfusion is known before
a procedure, such as a surgery that may
be associated with blood loss. All catsreceiving a blood transfusion must havetheir blood type recorded to ensure thedonor is of the same type and they may
be cross-matched (see page 2). Receivinga blood transfusion is not without risk, andthe decision to provide a blood productshould take into consideration the healthand wellbeing of both the donor andrecipient cat.

Your cat will be carefully health checked
and weighed, and pre-donation blood
samples will be taken. A catheter (smalltube) will be placed into the blood vessels
on the front legs for this purpose. The
donation of blood itself will be taken fromthe jugular vein in the neck.
Cats are usually discharged 3-5 hours
after blood donation when fully recoveredfrom any sedation. If there are noconcerns, your cat will be back home withyou the same day. After sedation you
may notice your cat is a little quieter, orconversely some cats can be excitable,
but this should resolve after a good sleep.
Cats can be fed a slightly smaller mealof their normal food that evening. If you
have any concerns about your cat after
blood donation you should contact theveterinary clinic straight away.

Cats can have a reaction to even thesame type of blood and so must be
monitored closely by veterinary staff.
Reactions can range in severity from mild,necessitating slowing down of the rateof transfusion, to severe, prompting staff
to stop the transfusion and administer
emergency medications. In rare cases,
reactions can be fatal. Transfusions
must be given in the veterinary clinic
and it is likely that your cat will need tobe hospitalised afterwards to monitor
its response to the transfusion andadminister other treatments,
as necessary.
While we all want the best for our catswhen they are unwell, the decision
to provide a blood product is notstraightforward. You should feel you
can discuss your concerns with yourveterinarian and decide together if thisis the most appropriate treatment foryour cat.

Blood tests are taken prior to blood
donation to check the health of the donor

4Questions and concerns

If my cat has donated once but
seemed upset by the experience,must it donate again?

How do I know if my cat is a suitable
donor?

Absolutely not, it is your decision, and you
know your cat. If you feel your cat was
negatively affected by the experience
it should not be used as a donor again.

Have a look at the criteria listed on
page 3 and discuss with your vet if you areconsidering putting your cat forward as
a donor. Many clinics will have a ‘register’of suitable donors to call upon whenneeded. As stress should be minimised,
you could consider training your cat totolerate the cat basket and transport, so
it is familiar with the process of getting to
the clinic. You could also discuss regularexaminations with the veterinary team.
Doing this from a young age and making it
a positive experience means cats can berelaxed in the clinic environment.

How much blood is taken froma donor cat?
The volume of blood taken depends
somewhat on the size of the cat but
usually 40-50ml can be donated safely.

How do I know if my cat should
receive a transfusion?
There are risks associated with receiving ablood or blood product transfusion so thedecision should weigh up the advantages
to your cat against the risks of a reaction,
and also take into account the risks to thedonor cat. Doing the best for our pets does
not always mean advanced treatment,such as transfusion, is the right decision.
Chat to your veterinary team about
your concerns and make sure you fully
understand why the treatment is required
and the likely prognosis for your cat.

I would like my cat to be a donor,
but it has some underlying healthconditions - can it still donate?
Donors must be completely healthy andnot on any medication in order to donate.
Any underlying health conditions would
therefore prevent your cat being a donor,
as health problems could be worsened bydonation or by any sedation required forthe procedure. Donation should not haveany negative effect on donor cat’s healthor wellbeing.

Having previously received a bloodtransfusion and recovered, can mycat now become a donor?
Cats that have previously received adonation may have antibodies to theblood they were transfused with, which
they can then pass to the recipient cat,causing illness. So it is not possible for yourcat to be a donor after having itself beena recipient.

5Support our work
Our Cat Carer Guides, provided to informand advise cat owners and carers alike,are carefully created by the International
Cat Care team; all in the hopes that wecan promote more awareness and spreadthe word about ‘cat friendly’ treatments
for cats.
We all want the best for our cats, and wehope that you find this free guide useful.
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Thank you from all of us at International
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