Feline friendship Feline friendship

Blood transfusion saves jungle cat

Hebrew University’s veterinary hospital draws blood from feline donor brought in from Ramat Gan Safari

By Philip Podolsky 23 October 2012, 1:20 pm

Edit

Veterinarians at the Hebrew University's veterinary hospital draw blood from Tal, a jungle cat from the Ramat Gan safari on October 18, 2012 (photo credit: Ramat Gan Safari/Flash90)

Hebrew University veterinary hospital saved a wild jungle cat that was run over by a car — performing a complicated blood transfusion from another feline donor.

A wildlife inspector brought the jungle cat, which was suffering from multiple injuries, to the Ramat Gan Safari on Thursday. The animal was then transferred to Hebrew University’s veterinary hospital in Beit Dagan, where tests showed that, in addition to fractures, it suffered from blood loss and required a blood transfusion in order to survive necessary surgery.

The veterinarians decided to recruit a donor, choosing Tal, a 3-year-old jungle cat living in the Ramat Gan Safari together with its sibling Aviad. After drawing blood, the medics found Tal to be a perfect match for the injured wild cat.

After orthopedist Josh Milgram performed a complex surgery involving stitching the cat’s legs and pelvis, it was returned to the safari for recuperation. Veterinarians said the jungle cat seemed to recover well and is able to walk. In a few weeks it is expected to return to its natural habitat.

According to Israel’s Red Book of Vertebrates, there are roughly 600 jungle cats in Israel, spread out from the Hula Valley in the north to the Negev in the south.