Cat in Maryland that received $19G kidney transplant dies at 18, owner says

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Dogs Vs. cats: Who’s smarter?

A cat in Baltimore, Maryland that received a $19,000 kidney transplant just over a year ago has died.

Stanley the feline was 18 years old. His owner, Betsy Boyd, told The Baltimore Sun she chose to put Stanley to sleep last Friday after he fell ill a few weeks ago.

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“It was such a hard decision,” she told the newspaper, adding Stanley’s diagnosis of peritonitis — a severe inflammation of the abdomen — eventually led her to make the difficult choice.

“At that point, he’d been through a lot and he would not have been a good candidate for surgery,” she said.

Stanley made headlines earlier this year after Boyd — an assistant professor at the Klein Family School of Communications Design at the University of Baltimore — revealed she spent 41 percent of her annual salary to pay for the cat’s kidney transplant. Stanley was 17 at the time.

In total, Boyd invested roughly $30,000 in the feline, which included “his transplant, blood-work and emergency care,” she told the publication this week.

“I know he had a wonderful year of eating lots of poultry and feeling happy and well,” Boyd said. “And he didn’t suffer with the transplant. He healed up at home, and he was really comfy.”

While the cat mom, who has five other cats at home, including Stanley’s kidney donor, realizes that her decision to invest that amount in the feline’s health may raise eyebrows, she’s happy to have given Stanley a long life.

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“Stanley was the most important friend I’ve ever lost, and he’s a family member. I really love him on the level that I love my parents, husband, my children,” Boyd told The Baltimore Sun. “I will miss him so much.”

Betsy Boyd did not immediately return Fox News’ request for further comment Wednesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.