At three years of age, Milo was in the prime of her life, ruling the roost at her home in Golden, Colo. But her owners, Rebecca Brooks and Jack Riley, became concerned when their normally active cat lost significant weight.
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Milo rests with fellow housemate Nikita. Milo recently became the UW Veterinary Care Feline Renal Transplantation Program’s longest post-transplantation survivor. (Photos: Rebecca Brooks)
After an initial misdiagnosis, local veterinarians determined that Milo suffered from chronic kidney failure, a leading cause of feline deaths. With only a portion of one kidney functioning, her only option for survival was a kidney transplantation, which led her to the nationally recognized UW School of Veterinary Medicine Feline Renal Transplantation Program.
This February, Milo became the program’s longest post-transplantation survivor, still going strong nine years and four months after the operation. This honor was previously held by an Illinois cat named Max until his death in 2010 from heart disease.
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Milo underwent two kidney transplantation surgeries and now lives with her two donor cats Madison and Toohlula.
The program, led by Dr. Jonathan McAnulty, has performed 81 kidney transplantations since it launched in 1996.
“Milo’s survival exemplifies the long term benefits that can be realized with this therapy program,” says McAnulty, professor of surgery. “Quality of life can be excellent and Milo’s outcome is a reflection of her outstanding care at home and all the contributions of the entire transplant team here at UW.”
Milo was referred to the UW hospital by a Colorado veterinary technician who was familiar with the program and its transplantation coordinator, Gerianne Holzman, who recently retired in January 2015. Lindsay Brusda serves as the new transplantation coordinator.
Brooks and Riley purchased an old Dodge RV, lovingly named the “Good Ship Lollipop,” that served as their cross-country transport and home for a week while Milo underwent her first kidney transplantation in September 2005. During that time, they bonded with Milo’s donor cat, Madison, whom they adopted as part of the transplantation agreement.
With their newly adopted cat in tow, they returned home to await the results from Milo’s surgery. When the initial transplantation failed, Brooks and Riley opted for a second transplantation on October 21, 2005.
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Left to Right: Madison and Toohlula
“We were too far in emotionally to not try it again,” says Brooks.
The second surgery provided the desired result, so Milo and her second donor cat, Toohlula, flew home with their owners to Colorado.
Brooks reports that Milo, nicknamed “Miss America” for her governing personality with her fellow cat and dog housemates, returned to her normal lifestyle and has been in good health ever since.
“The value of extending my pet’s life means everything to me,” says Brooks. “I have to give kudos to all those who helped us while Milo was at UW. The vet techs, Gerianne, and Dr. McAnulty were awesome. We are so thankful for having her this long.”
According to Holzman, benchmarks like Milo’s measure the program’s success over time, and Milo is not the only success story for the transplantation program.
Pluto, a tortoise shell cat owned by Ken and Mary Troia of St. Paul, Minn., served as the program’s oldest surviving transplantation patient at 22 years of age until her death in August 2014.
Jane Pruhs