Kitty Blood Donors Save Plunging Pets
Nov. 29, 2006 — -- Every year, in a phenomenon known as 'high-rise syndrome,' scores of urban cats -- going for a pigeon or a leaf -- jump to their deaths. The lucky ones, who suffer only broken bones and internal injuries, are rushed to Bergh Memorial Hospital in New York City, where they can often be saved by a unique blood donation program.
"Cats don't always land on their feet," said Louise Murray, a veterinarian and medical director at the Upper East Side hospital affiliated with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "They have not evolved to jump from higher than a tree -- about 20 feet."
Cats have now surpassed dogs as America's favorite pet, and their owners take their health care seriously. Bergh's pristine facilities, which include an adoption center and high-tech surgical equipment worthy of television's "ER"set, treat about 20,000 animals a year -- mostly cats and dogs, but some ferrets, rabbits and an occasional rogue chicken brought in by animal control officers.
More urban pet owners who live in small spaces choose cats. And, said Murray, for many New Yorkers, cats are their babies. "Cats are like children for empty nesters, single career women and women who have delayed having children."
The average Bergh medical bill is nothing to scratch at: Lifesaving measures can run into the thousands of dollars for dialysis and other medical interventions. One unit of blood from a commercial bank can cost up to $190. The hospital performed 88 feline transfusions last year as a result of skyscraper plunges, infections and blood loss in surgery.
Cats may have nine lives, but don't have the same kind of blood as their domesticated counterpart, the dog. Cat blood can only be stored about 30 days, then must be thrown away. Most hospitals rely on blood banks, but few owners have their animals tested for blood type and an incompatible transfusion can cause a hasty demise.
For the last 18 months, Bergh has promoted feline blood donation, unique in New York City, seeking owners willing to turn their tabby into a guinea pig. About 12 enthusiastic pet owners participate. New York may be "stuffed with cats," said Murray, but only one-third of all cats qualify to donate, and the blood shortage is real.
