Cat with kidney transplant died

[Catherine]

A year ago Stanley the 18 year old cat was given a kidney transplant at the cost of  $19,000.00.
His over all care cost around $30,000.00 dollars. After all that Stanley's health failed and he had to be put down.
Stanley's owner did adopt the donor cat.


www.thespec.com/news-story/9088666-stanley-the-cat-recipient-of-19k-kidney-transplant-dies/

This is a very complex issue. I didn't know they were offering transplants for cats. I certainly have never been in a position to pay for a transplant for a pet.

If I look at this as a straightforward transplant situation and if Stanley were a human, I think he would have been considered too old to be a transplant recipient. He certainly couldn't give consent to the procedure. Neither could the donor cat. That cat gave up a kidney  which it might need later. It is a much younger cat and it could have kidney issues and be at risk because of only having one kidney. This was done to him without him having a choice.
At 18 years old, Stanley did not have much life left anyhow. The average cat life span is 15 years. The procedure is drastic and in a cat so old, unlikely to extend life by much.

I can understand wanting to keep your cat alive a little longer, but I wouldn't want to put an old cat through a kidney transplant. I think it would have been kinder to keep Stanley comfortable and be as medically supportive as possible and then let him pass from life quietly. 

The money could have been used to help a lot of animals in memory of Stanley. I think this is like the cloning issue. Just because we can do something doesn't mean it is something we should do.