<p>In a heart warming deed, a US couple may end up spending a whopping USD 30,000 set aside for a house to save the life of their pet cat that has recently undergone a kidney transplant.<br /><br />Andre Gonciar and his wife have got the procedure done on their cat 'Oki' at the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary Hospital.</p>.<p>Oki, whom the couple had found clinging to life in a creek in Romania, has used up most of his nine lives.<br /><br />"He's definitely a fighter," Gonciar was quoted as saying by CBS News. Oki's latest affliction was a kidney failure.<br /><br />Gonciar came all the way from Buffalo for a transplant. The surgery alone cost more than USD 16,000, plus airfare, hotels, medical tests and follow-up appointments. <br /><br />Gonciar said he hopes the final cost will not be more than USD 30,000. It was money he had set aside for a down payment on a house.<br /><br />The hospital has done about 155 of these operations since 1998. On average the cats live about another three years.<br /><br />Gonciar admitted that some people think he is a little crazy to spend all that money on a cat that is nearly 12 years old.<br /><br />When asked how he would explain it to those people, Gonciar said, "Well I would tell them to look at their child or their mother and ask themselves the same question."<br /><br />Oki's new kidney came from Cherry Garcia who was found in a shelter. That may sound cruel but Cherry probably would have been euthanised and part of the deal is that the owner of the cat that receives a kidney must adopt the cat that donates it. "This little kitten (Cherry) has given Oki the gift of life," said Gonciar. "We owe him thanks for that."<br /><br />Following the surgery both Oki and Cherry are doing well and are slowly adjusting to the fact that, like it or not, they are in this together. </p>
<p>In a heart warming deed, a US couple may end up spending a whopping USD 30,000 set aside for a house to save the life of their pet cat that has recently undergone a kidney transplant.<br /><br />Andre Gonciar and his wife have got the procedure done on their cat 'Oki' at the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary Hospital.</p>.<p>Oki, whom the couple had found clinging to life in a creek in Romania, has used up most of his nine lives.<br /><br />"He's definitely a fighter," Gonciar was quoted as saying by CBS News. Oki's latest affliction was a kidney failure.<br /><br />Gonciar came all the way from Buffalo for a transplant. The surgery alone cost more than USD 16,000, plus airfare, hotels, medical tests and follow-up appointments. <br /><br />Gonciar said he hopes the final cost will not be more than USD 30,000. It was money he had set aside for a down payment on a house.<br /><br />The hospital has done about 155 of these operations since 1998. On average the cats live about another three years.<br /><br />Gonciar admitted that some people think he is a little crazy to spend all that money on a cat that is nearly 12 years old.<br /><br />When asked how he would explain it to those people, Gonciar said, "Well I would tell them to look at their child or their mother and ask themselves the same question."<br /><br />Oki's new kidney came from Cherry Garcia who was found in a shelter. That may sound cruel but Cherry probably would have been euthanised and part of the deal is that the owner of the cat that receives a kidney must adopt the cat that donates it. "This little kitten (Cherry) has given Oki the gift of life," said Gonciar. "We owe him thanks for that."<br /><br />Following the surgery both Oki and Cherry are doing well and are slowly adjusting to the fact that, like it or not, they are in this together. </p>