More ABC news videos | ABC Entertainment News
Buttercup, a sick cat in Marathon, in the Florida Keys, needed a blood transfusion in a hurry. According to ABC News, Buttercup’s owner brought him in to the Marathon Veterinary Hospital after noticing his pet was “very lethargic, not wanting to get up, not wanting to walk around.”
It would’ve taken 24 to 48 hours to get cat blood donated for him, and Buttercup didn’t have that much time. But, the vet hospital had plenty of dog blood on hand.
You see, cats and dogs have different blood types – just like humans do – but dogs also have a universal blood type and their blood is often available from donors for emergency use. They prefer to use species specific transfusions, but this was an emergency. Cats are the only animals (besides dogs, of course) that can receive a blood donation from a dog!
The lifesaving transfusion worked, and Buttercup is at home recovering. The hospital still doesn’t know what caused Buttercup’s blood count to become so low in the first place, but now he is developing red blood cells on his own again.
Update: According to the Marathon Veterinary Hospital’s Facebook page, Buttercup is doing “Fantastic. Good as new!” Way to go, Dr. Sean Perry and Staff!
