The surgery can cost up to $25,000. “I just spent $17,000 on my roof, and I love my cat a lot more than my roof,” one owner said.
Desperado, the gray cat on top, is six years post-kidney transplant. He's shown snuggling with Stevie, his donor. When Max Segal became ill with a serious gastrointestinal disorder several years ago, his newly adopted kitten, Desperado, would put his head next to Segal’s on the pillow and purr. “He was such an emotional comfort. He did wonders for my mood,” Segal says, adding, “I am absolutely in love with him.
Like humans, cats have two kidneys, which filter waste from the body, and can live with just one if that kidney is healthy. Most cats gain an average of two to three years, although there are exceptions. Despy, for example, is six years post-transplant. “Our longest survivor was nearly 13 years,” says Chad Schmiedt, the Alison Bradbury chair in feline health at the Georgia veterinary school. “Shilo was 3 when we did the transplant in June 2009 and lived until April 2022.”
Many pet health insurance companies will cover some of the costs for the recipient, but usually not for the donor because “the donor is not the insured pet,” according to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association. The cost for the donor surgery to harvest the kidney is about 25 percent of the $25,000 total, Aronson says.Still, some pet parents are devoted to their cats and don’t hesitate. “We don’t question someone who spends $40,000 for a car,” Aronson says.
Donors come from cat research breeding facilities or shelters, where they might otherwise have a bleak future, and families whose cats undergo transplants must adopt the donors. “For the cost of a kidney, get to move in with a cat-loving household and are universally loved by their new adoptive families,” Schmiedt says.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Cryptocurrencies Price Prediction: Ethereum, CAT & PEPEPEPE, a frog-themed meme coin, hit a new all-time high early on Monday, rallying to a peak of $0.00001725.
Read more »
Married At First Sight Cat Members Who Were Bad For The Showmarried at first sight cast member chris williams looking intense in montage with two pictures of him and a blue and yellow background
Read more »
Jackpot and Black Cat #3 Preview: High Stakes, Higher RisksWell, folks, it's that time of the week again where I get to douse myself in the latest exploits of spandex-clad heroes. This time, we're diving into Jackpot and Black Cat 3, hitting the stores on Wednesday, May 29th.
Read more »
YouTube co-founder backs memecoin based on ‘first cat’ on platformYouTube co-founder Steve Chen has backed a memecoin project using his cat, Pajamas — one of the first to appear on YouTube in 2005.
Read more »
CAT enters free fall after crypto sleuth alleges founders behind GCRClassic hackSolana-based “sol” (CAT) meme coin crashed heavily on Monday following a recent analysis by crypto detective ZachXBT connecting its team to the X account hack of crypto analyst GCRClassic.
Read more »
Personalized phage therapy heals resistant wounds in Siamese catA new study has shown an advance in the treatment of antibiotic-resistant infections in animals. The research, focusing on a 5-year-old Siamese cat Squeaks with a multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection post-arthrodesis surgery, marks the first published documented application of personalized phage therapy in veterinary medicine.
Read more »