Sidney Simpson - also known as Squiddley Diddley, Siddles, El Sid - is just one year old. He was rescued from a farmyard (with the farmer’s permission) where he was living with his litter mates in an abandoned old car and living off dog food and foraged scraps. He had conjunctivitis and cat flu.

He was taken to the vet and nursed back to health. During this time, we discovered he was completely deaf - and we also found out that he’s the most affectionate, loving, sweet little boy cat, brimming with personality and loving (and enchanting!) everyone he meets.

The cat flu left him a little bit wheezy - to the point that we had to get him a collar with a tag that read ‘I’m chipped, I’m deaf, I’m wheezy but ok’, as neighbours and people he met when out and abut were taking him to the vets because they thought he was ill...!

And then, in September, he went missing. For 12 days. We live in a rural area; we had no idea where he was (and we couldn’t walk the fields calling him, because he wouldn’t have heard us). Neighbours looked for him when they were walking their dogs. The village school checked all its outbuildings. Everyone knew Sid anyway, because he’s such a friendly boy, and everyone was worried.

Then, one day, we got a call - “I think I’ve got your cat.” It was an elderly lady who lived on a farm three miles away. He’s been hanging around her house for a couple of days, but she couldn’t reach down to pick him up or read his tag - until he jumped onto her lap (of course he did!)

Bringing him home was so good. But we quickly realised that his little adventure had had an effect on his health. The vet reported that he’d lost a fifth of his body weight and was severely dehydrated - so he had two nights in the vet hospital, followed by two courses of antibiotics, painkillers, nebulisation…

And here we are, a couple of months on. He’s deteriorating. He has a permanently runny nose, we have to wash his face every morning and clean his ears daily as they get sticky…his eyes have started running now. And of course, the wheezing continues.

Needless to say, he doesn’t go out any more. Although he tries…!

The vet tells us he needs a nasal flush and a CT scan to see what the problem is, possibly followed by surgery, depending on the outcome of the investigations. He’s such a special boy, he deserves to be made better.

We've already spent £1500 on him; there's nothing left. And that’s where you come in. Please help.

Any money you donate will go to vet bills - and any left over will go to Cats Protection to help look after other kitties like Sid.

He’s so precious.

Thank you for reading.