A spirited cat and a brave dog have become local heroes after repeatedly donating blood, their selfless act contributes to saving animals in need.
Mandie Pannell chose to bring her five-year-old moggie Weasley and her six-year-old dog Spock to a donation center to assist veterinarian clinics and sick pets.
Weasley, the ginger cat, has donated enough times to earn the veteran blood donor badge. Mandie is so proud of Weasley that she wants to nominate him for a special hero award.
As the British woman explained, few people are aware of animal donors, particularly feline donors. Mandie added that England is an animal-loving country that does everything possible to help animals and promote their welfare.
To Metro, she said:
” I entered him for the Petplan Pet Awards, in the Hero Pet of the Year category, as I also thought it would help spread the word about animal blood donors, and he’s made it to the finals.”
The woman and her husband, Thomas Mills, have been living together in Potter’s Bar, Hertfordshire, since 2015, when they already had their puppy, Spock. Weasley became a member of the family in 2016 after Thomas gave him to Mandie as a birthday gift.
Giving back
Despite his age, the tabby cat still acts like a kitten, he is energetic, likes to cuddle, and enjoys hunting bugs. Despite their differences, Spock and Weasley are close and spend a lot of time together, including giving blood.
The ginger cat is so skilled at donating blood that he even looks after his nervous canine brother. When he’s donating blood, he gets so relaxed that he starts purring, and it’s sometimes difficult to detect his heartbeat.
Without question, Weasley has set an excellent example for people to follow in understanding the significance of blood donation.
How the pets became blood donors
Initially, the drive to donate blood began when Weasley returned home late at night with a gash on his left hind leg. He had been fighting with another animal, as he had a massive wound on his rear leg and was missing flesh.
Unfortunately, Mandie and Thomas could not reach their trusted veterinarian due to the time of day, so they took him to the Royal Veterinary College for assistance.
Mandie explained:
“We took him over there to be seen, and they cleaned and dressed the wound and glued him up,”
While tending to her sick cat, Mandie discovered an advertisement seeking animal blood donors. The woman had never seen such advertisements before, but as a nurse, she understood the value of blood donation, so she registered her dog.
She was told at the clinic that donor pets had to be drug-free for eight weeks before giving blood, so she had to wait a while before registering Weasley.
Weasley donated his first batch of blood to help other animals three months after his accident and complete recovery. After that, he became an official donor at the clinic and saw them every 12 weeks to give blood.
Mandie elaborates:
” He’s just given his 10th donation – as it’s every three to four months for cats. He’s a true hero.”
Spock began donating blood at the same time as his brother, but his recovery period is shorter because dogs recover quickly. Mandie shares that the clinic’s medical team pays great attention to the donors and gives them the attention they deserve.
The donation procedure takes approximately 10 minutes. They then leave the young hero for three hours of monitoring before returning to fetch him.
The woman understands how vital it is to donate blood, especially if something happens to her pets and they require it. Mandie remarked:
” The idea of another pet owner not having access to the blood that could save their beloved animal just breaks my heart.”
So, when Petplan emailed Mandie the invitation, she decided to enter Weasley for the prize because it was an excellent method to reach out to donors. But also to recognize Weasley’s fantastic work.
In February 2022, after several years and donations, Weasley retired from donating blood due to health issues, Mandie announced the selfless cat’s retirement on her Instagram page.