Godfrey: the cat who ate the wrong mouse

Sam Taylor, FAB resident at Bristol University reports on a sad tale with a happy ending

Godfrey is a young, healthy and handsome ginger cat who loves to spend time outdoors and enjoys catching the odd mouse. When he returned home from an outing his owner wasn't too worried that he had a small cut on his ear, thinking he had probably run through some brambles or got into a scrap. However, when the cut wouldn't stop bleeding she was more concerned. Eventually the bleeding stopped and Godfrey seemed bright and none the worse for his injury.

But in the early hours of the following morning, his owner found Geoffrey collapsed and struggling to breathe. He was rushed to the vets and was found to have fluid in his chest. He also had some bruises and blood tests showed his red blood cell count was too low. He was referred to The Feline Centre at Bristol University Veterinary School to receive further treatment and to try to determine what had caused Godfrey’s rapid deterioration.

When Godfrey arrived he was barely conscious and had severe breathing difficulties. He was immediately placed onintravenous fluids and further blood samples were taken. After taking these samples the sites where the needle had passed through the skin continued to ooze blood which showed no sign of clotting. This suggested that Godfrey had a problem with blood clotting and his low red blood cell count was therefore likely to be the result of bleeding. Further tests showed the fluid in his chest was blood and this blood was compressing his lungs and making it difficult for him to breathe. Tests showed that his blood was failing to clot at all and he was suffering from a severe coagulopathy (a problem with blood clotting).

Godfrey was put onto oxygen and given an infusion of a product called oxyglobin, which acts as a blood substitute, to keep him alive while we checked his blood type. Godfrey was found to be a type A blood group and a suitable donor was found. Godfrey received a transfusion of whole blood and was also treated with vitamin K, a deficiency of which can result in coagulopathies.

Given Godfrey’s sudden and severe bleeding problems we suspected he may have been exposed to an anticoagulant rodenticide (rat poison). This is a problem seen commonly in dogs as they tend to be less fussy about their diet, but is rarely seen in cats. We suspected that Godfrey could have eaten a rat or mouse that had recently ingested such a poison. These anticoagulants result in depletion of vitamin K which is required for normal blood clotting. The modern anticoagulants such as brodificoum, diphacinone and bromadiolone have a prolonged action and treatment with vitamin K has to be continued for several weeks.

Over the next 12 hours Godfrey started to improve and the signs of bleeding reduced. He became responsive and his breathing normalised. Tests showed his blood clotting times had returned to normal. From then on Godfrey made a remarkable recovery. He was discharged 48 hours later on continued treatment with vitamin K. He continued this medication for a further six weeks, when tests showed he was clotting his blood normally without medication. Godfrey continues to do well and has had no further bleeding problems. His owners hope he will choose his mice more carefully in future!

Blood transfusions in cats
Blood transfusions can be life saving for anaemic cats like Godfrey who have lost large amounts of blood or are suffering anaemia from other causes. However, because cats have three different blood groups (A, B and AB) they must be blood typed prior to a transfusion. Transfusion of mis-matched blood can be fatal. Certain breeds of cat have an increased incidence of certain blood groups. For example British Shorthairs have a higher chance of being blood type B and Siamese cats are almost always blood type A. Many veterinary practices will try to recruit young, healthy, client-owned or staff-owned cats to donate blood when the need arises. Blood transfusions, however, are not without risk for both the donor and the recipient. Blood donors need to be tested for infectious diseases that could be passed to cats receiving the transfusion and it is essential that they are blood typed. Even when blood type is matched, there is still a risk of a reaction occurring to the donated blood. For the donor cat, it is vital that its general health is thoroughly assessed through a full physical examination and blood samples taken to ensure they have no hidden illness such as early kidney disease and that their own red blood cell numbers are plentiful. The donor cat should also be weighed so it can be accurately evaluated how much blood is likely to be safe to remove; only cats of a certain weight are suitable for giving blood. The donor cat is likely to need sedation, which carries a risk in itself, and will need to receive intravenous fluid therapy following the donation in order to replace the volume of blood that was removed. Despite all these precautions, owners still need to be aware that there is a risk to the donor cat. Cats are very good at hiding signs of illness and particular diseases such as heart disease can go unidentified even with these thorough evaluations. Removing a large volume of blood from a cat with heart disease can prove to be fatal.

Despite these risks, provided that the necessary precautions are taken, the majority of healthy young cats will cope well with donating blood and being able to administer a blood transfusion can obviously be lifesaving for a cat such as Godfrey. Contact your vet if you think your pet fits the description of a suitable blood donor, and could be considered for use as a blood donor in an emergency situation - he or she could become a life saver too.