Harry and I found out the hard way yesterday how precious and costly blood is. We had to take our cat Daisy to the Urgent Care Vet because she was lethargic, falling over, and hadn’t eaten or drunk water for two days. We found out that she has a heart murmur, congestive heart failure (just like me) and is severely anemic. They gave her antibiotics for her UTI and told us to give her plenty of protein meals to build up her blood naturally since we cannot afford a transfusion that is recommended. Do you know how much a transfusion for a cat costs? Between $4000-$6000. Yes, you read that right. Why so expensive you may be thinking? Well, the Red Cross, for example collects blood for hospitals and sends out an SOS if they are short of a particular blood type. This blood is for people. There are no blood banks for kitties, so finding blood for them is difficult and costly. I never thought of the cost of blood, did you?
God knew and told us way back in the book of Leviticus that blood is precious. It is what paid atonement on the altar, the blood of animals in Old Testament times.
Then God made a new covenant, but the price of atonement remained the same—blood. The blood of Jesus that frees us from sin and opens the door for a new relationship with the Father. And what did we pay for Jesus’s blood sacrifice? Nothing. Jesus paid it all.
We get to have fellowship with God and with one another because of the price Jesus paid for us. Our responsibility is to confess our sins and repent. Much easier than dying on the cross, right?
Although Harry and I had no idea how much a transfusion for Daisy would cost before yesterday, now we know. It just points out to me how wise and knowledgeable God is since He knew all along. In spite of the cost, He sent His Only Son to shed His blood for us. There is no bill for us to pay, nothing charged against our account because Jesus paid it all.
For those of you curious about Daisy, she is doing better today. She is still very tired from yesterday’s visit and all of the tests, the IV, and just the stress of being at a vet. So she has rested a lot today. I was concerned about her taking her meds since she is “spicy” as the vet says and does not willingly open her mouth for anyone. Doing as the vet suggested, we got the wet cat food that she likes (anything with fish) and I added the liquid medicine and mixed it together this morning. She ate it and then went back to sleep. We are praying that she will be okay, but we both know that she is considered a senior cat at ten plus years, and just like us, she isn’t promised to live forever on the earth. We are grateful for the time we have had with her and pray that she will continue to improve and live a healthy life until she passes away.
One of my favorite photos of Daisy is when she decided to make herself comfortable under our Christmas tree. This photo was taken two years ago, but once we get the tree out again, she will find her favorite spot and settle in to nap.
