Help us to launch the UK’s first feline blood donation service
PBBuk was launched at Crufts in March 2007 by Vets Now after a change in legislation in October 2005 made it possible for vets to store pet blood. PBBuk holds regular canine blood collection sessions across the UK, similar to the human blood donation service, collecting blood from volunteer canine donors to supply to vets across the UK to ensure there is blood available if they need to perform a lifesaving blood transfusion.
Earlier this year, PBBuk was awarded $15,000 from the Waltham Foundation, an organisation which provides funding towards research that directly improves the health and welfare of animals worldwide, which has enabled PBBuk to start the research project into collecting feline blood.
The research team has been headed up by Vanessa Ashall, one of the PBBuk veterinary surgeons who also holds RCVS Certificate in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics & Law. Catherine Burniston and Heather Varnam, two of PBBuk’s veterinary nurses are also involved in the project and have many years of experience and a keen interest in cats.
Like canine donors, feline donors will be required to meet certain criteria before they are able to donate. Cats should be indoor cats, fully vaccinated, friendly in nature, aged 1 – 7 years and in good health.
Over the next 6-8 months PBBuk are looking to register 100 cats onto the programme to find out if they will make a potential donor and these need to be living within the Loughborough and Melton Mowbray area to allow regular visits to the owners and cats from the nurses (call 01509 23222 for more information on how to register your cat as a volunteer).
The nurses have a schedule for the owners to help asses if their cat will be a suitable donor. Owners will be required to spend 5-10 minutes, three times a day with their cats to perform basic handling and to help get the cats use to noises such as hair clippers, which are used to shave a small piece of fur to allow the blood collection needle to be inserted for the donation.
This training will be built up over time to allow a pre screening blood sample to be taken without any stress being caused to the cat. Eventually it is hoped that this will lead into a full donation of blood from the volunteer cat. All training will be done in the cat’s own home environment and the PBBuk nurses will visit and keep in regular contact with each owner.
Speaking about the plans for the launch, Wendy Barnett, Executive Director of PBBuk commented:
“Ever since we launched back in 2007, we have had plans to launch the UK’s first feline blood donation service which will not sedate the volunteer cat.
The grant we received from the Waltham Foundation has enabled us to conduct the initial research required to get the project to the stage we’re at now and we’re now looking for volunteers around the Leicestershire area to help take the project forward.”
For more information about how to register your cat as a volunteer, please contact PBBuk on 01509 232222.