One-eyed cat receives blood donation from big pooch to help save his last eye

When Natalie Smart feared her one-eyed cat Ernie was about to lose his last chance at sight, she was ready to try anything, but she never thought a dog’s blood would be the miracle that would help him.

Two days before Christmas and her planned trip to Perth, Ms Smart came home to find her almost five-year-old one-eyed cat in pain.

“His eye was swollen and he was crying,” he said.

“It looked like a cataract, but it wasn’t… So I ran with him to the vet.”

Kalgoorlie Veterinary Clinic detected an ulcer on Ernie’s cornea, possibly linked to his previous diagnosis of glaucoma, which resulted in the removal of his first eye several years ago.

Not interested in euthanasia or removal of his eye, Mrs Smart arranged for an eye surgery that could save Ernie’s sight and gave up the trip to Perth.

It was made “very clear” that plasma eye drops were vital to improving Ernie’s chances of seeing again after surgery.

However, the drops could only be made by donating 20 milliliters of blood.

“Right after his surgery they gave me some supply, enough to get him through a week, but he needed more and more often for at least the next few weeks,” Ms. Smart said.

A week followed and the woman received no word on an additional supply of drops, so she froze the last syringe of plasma to get through another day.

The next morning, he received a call from the clinic about a dog owner who was happy to donate the blood of his nine-month-old Shar-Pei Cross to help Ernie.

Olivia Thomson owns Oakley, which was scheduled to be gender-free the same day Ms. Smart received the good news.

Ms Thomson said she was happy to do whatever she could to save Ernie’s eye.

“I’m sure it wouldn’t bother me if he took a little bit of it because he’s a growing kid,” he said.

“I know blood regenerates itself, so I didn’t stress too much about it.

“If I said ‘No,’ that woman might lose her cat, like she might not have a cat, even though donating a little blood wouldn’t hurt me or Oakley.”

To thank the pet owner behind the donation, Ms Smart took to Facebook’s community pages to share her appreciation, which was responded to by Ms Thomson.

After Ernie’s final check-up on Tuesday, Ms. Smart said it was clear that donations were what he needed.

“After his vet checkup this afternoon I think it really made a difference for him,” she said.

“Thanks to Oakley’s donation, he now has a better chance of regaining some vision in that eye.

“It’s pretty safe to say I’m relieved and grateful.”

Despite the eye-watering vet bills Ms Smart has faced over the years, she said pet owners should always be ready to turn in their cards in times of need.

“If I take on an animal, it’s almost like marriage—for better or worse,” she said.

“It’s completely unrealistic to think that your animal will never need emergency veterinary treatment, because it probably will at some point.

“We made allowances for this in terms of emergency funds before we got them (the pets)… It got us out of trouble a few times.

“It was a bit of an ‘ouch’ but it’s okay, we’re over it.”

Ms Smart and her family adopted Ernie when he was just four weeks old after finding him in a box behind the Kambalda Hotel.

The cat’s family remains hopeful and determined as he continues his road to recovery.