VIDEO: Hero cat and dog are regular blood donors after their owner spotted an appeal as she waited to see a vet

An animal lover who spotted an appeal to give blood while she waited to see a vet told how her cat and dog are now regular donors.

Determined to help other pets in crisis, Mandie Pannell, 35, and her partner, Thomas Mills, 36, have now taken their ginger moggie, Weasley, five, to donate 10 times and six-year-old English pointer pooch, Spock, five times.

University nurse educator Mandie, who lives near Potter’s Bar, Hertfordshire, and also has an eight-month-old half Maine Coon and half Persian kitten, Wookie, is so proud of veteran donor Weasley that she entered him for a special hero award.

She said: “Weasley is absolutely a hero.

“He’s so good with the blood donations. He looks after the dog – especially when he’s scared – and he looks after our younger cat, who we are hoping will donate when he turns one.

“Weasley’s so comfortable donating and purrs so much they even find it difficult to hear his heartbeat.”

She continued: “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.

“Not enough people know about animal – and especially feline – donors.

“This is England – we’re a nation of animal lovers. We do things for each other. And it’s just a nice thing to be able to help someone else’s animal out.”

When Mandie and fuel delivery driver Thomas, who have been a couple for nine years, set up home together in 2015, they already had his dog, Spock, named after the Star Trek character – who he had raised since he was a tiny puppy – and black Labrador Banjo, who sadly died, aged 12, in 2017.

But, in November 2016, Weasley joined the clan as a “surprise birthday present” for cat lover Mandie’s 31st.

She said: “Thomas agreed to let me have a cat and, on my birthday on November 3, he came home with Weasley – the best gift I’ve ever had.”

She continued: “He found him on the website Gumtree – you really can get anything on there.

“He’s named after the Weasley family in Harry Potter – as he’s ginger and he’s trouble!”

Quickly falling in love with the ginger tom’s cheeky charm, Mandie loved his naughtiness.

“He does occasionally still act like a kitten and he can be a bit of a handful,” she laughed.

“He’s extremely playful, loves cuddling, and loves ‘hunting’ jumpers.

“He’s like a little pirate cat and he loves to sit on your shoulder. He’s very cute and fluffy and loves chasing everything and terrorising the dog.”

Despite some rivalry, Weasley and Spock are very close.

Mandie said: “From the get-go, Weasley has veered between bullying and cuddling up to Spock.

“They’re like siblings – even if they sometimes hate each other. But they can also be really sweet together.”

But in mid-2018, things took a heartbreaking turn for the animal-loving couple, when Weasley limped home late one summer evening with a wound on his back left leg.

Mandie said: “It really upset me. We sensed that he’d attacked something and lost. He had a laceration and a bit of flesh missing from his leg.”

Too late to go to their normal vets’ surgery, after looking up local out-of-hours providers, Mandie took Weasley to the nearby Royal Veterinary College.

“They were absolutely amazing,” she said. “We took him over there to be seen and they cleaned and dressed the wound and glued him up.

“While we were waiting, I saw a sign that they were looking for animal blood donors. I’d never known this to be a thing before that.”

Taking Weasley home to recover, knowing the importance of donating, as an experienced human nurse, Mandie made the decision to sign her furry friend up.

“Once he was all healed up and better, I emailed and asked for more information,” she said.

“They have to be clear of any medication for eight weeks, so about three months after the injury he gave his first lot of blood.

“He’s just given his 10th donation – as it’s every three to four months for cats. He’s a true hero.”

Now, Mandie is contacted around every 12 weeks and asked to bring Weasley in over the next few days.

The team give him a thorough health check by a vet, shave a patch of fur and take blood, all while “giving him lots of fuss,” according to Mandie.

She said: “I drop him off and they phone when the donation is finished. Then he gets intravenous fluids just to help him, as cats don’t recover as much as dogs, as they’re quite small.”

She added: “The actual donation takes around 10 minutes and after three or four hours I go and pick him up.”

The service also assesses the animals beforehand to ensure they are suitable to be blood donors.

Mandie said: “One of the things I love about the donor service is that they are so good with animals. They assess them first and see if their temperament is suitable and they won’t be unduly stressed.”

She continued: “Weasley has been so chilled – he’s an ideal candidate.

“We can often hear him purring from the next room and he gets so much attention there that I think he quite likes donating!”

The amount of blood donated also depends on the weight of the cat – who must weigh 4lb minimum.

For Spock, who became a donor around the same time, the process is quicker, as dogs do not need rehydration fluids afterwards.

Neither pet has ever required sedation.

And Mandie is proud and delighted that her pets are able to help provide such a vital service.

She said: “The teams that do this are absolutely amazing at keeping the animals calm.

“They’re also excellent at dealing with the worries of an owner – as sometimes it’s like with children, when the parents are more worried than the child.

“But I know if something happened to one of my animals and they needed blood I’d want it to be there, so this really is important.”

She added: “The idea of another pet owner not having access to the blood that could save their beloved animal just breaks my heart.”

And when Mandie was emailed by Petplan, who she insures Wookie with, she immediately decided to put forward Weasley for the award.

She said: “Not enough people know about cat blood donation and I saw this award as a really good way to try and bring a little bit more awareness to it.”

She continued: “And, of course, Weasley is a true hero, so he deserves to win.

“They do have quite a few blood donor dogs, but they’re really short of cats, so maybe this will encourage more owners to put their cats forward.”

Now Mandie cannot wait for Wookie, their kitten, to become a donor, too.

She said: “We got Wookie, named after the Star Wars character, towards the beginning of the year.

“He’s nearly eight months old now and is 100 per cent nuts and fluffy.

“Best of all, once he’s a year old we’ll take him to donate too.”

She added: “I can’t wait for him to be a hero pussy – just like Weasley.”

The Petplan Pet Awards is an annual event giving pet owners the chance to celebrate the important role our pets play in our lives. For more information, visit https://www.petplan.co.uk/pet-information/blog/pet-awards/

For more information about the Pet Blood Donation Service, visit https://www.rvc.ac.uk/small-animal-vet/specialist-referrals/for-pet-owners/could-your-pet-help-save-lives