A Dog's Donated Blood Saves Cat's Life

By Amy Sinatra Ayres

When Rory the cat was rushed to the veterinarian in New Zealand after eating rat poison, the doctor turned to the archenemy to save him: a dog.

Veterinarian Kate Heller didn't have cat blood available, and didn't have access to a lab to test Rory to find a match. So, she sought advice, and was told to try dog blood. Rory's owner, Kim Edwards, called a friend and asked if her 18-month-old Labrador Retriever, Macy, could donate the 120ml of blood needed for a rare interspecies transfusion - and it worked.

"It was one of those situations that it was a do-or-die. So, he would have died if we did nothing," said Heller. Within an hour, Rory was recovering, and now, three weeks later, he's feeling like himself again. "He is not out fetching the newspaper or peeing on power poles or barking yet!" laughed Edwards. "He is just the normal cat that we have - playful, friendly." - Watch it at New Zealand's 3 News

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