A study concluded that of 61 Ragdoll cats assessed, 77.1% had type A, 4.9% type B and 18% type AB. The predominant type, is therefore A. Type AB is extremely rare cats. There is an unusually high percentage of Ragdoll cats with type AB blood. Type AB cats have no alloantibodies to either Type A or Type B antigen. The study authors concluded that: “The presence of all 3 feline blood types and a relatively high incidence of AB type cats make Ragdolls an ideal donor breed to include in feline blood transfusion programs.”
Domestic cats might need a blood transfusion in emergencies such as when there is severe bleeding or perhaps a destruction of red blood cells because of a certain disease. If a cat becomes anaemic they might need a blood transfusion and cats with blood clotting disorders often require repeated transfusions according to veterinarian sources.
Blood transfusions need to be carried out with great caution because a mismatch can be fatal to the recipient cat or there might be a reaction. The Pet Blood Bank has a useful page on feline blood typing and in that article they provide a table which I have reproduced below, I hope with their retrospective permission, which provides information on feline blood type compatibility.
| Recipient type A | Recipient type B | Recipient type AB | |
| Donor type A | okay | may be fatal | possible reaction |
| Donor type B | reaction | okay | reaction |
| Donor type AB | reaction | may be fatal | okay |
P.S. Normal values for systolic blood pressure (SBP) in apparently healthy cats have been reported as 125.1 ± 10.6 mmHg and 126.0 ± 4.4 mmHg. The pulse of cats ranges from 140 to 220 beats a minute; considerably higher than for humans. Is this one reason why cats have shorter lifespans than humans?
Study referred to: Assessment of blood types of Ragdoll cats for transfusion purposes. Link: https://doi.org/10.1111/vcp.12048
