Our beloved Jojo, a cheeky and loving seven-year-old cat, is fighting for his life, and we are reaching out for your help.

Jojo was adopted two years ago by Grace from a family friend. Since then, he has become much more than a pet. He is her therapy cat, her comfort during bouts of severe anxiety, her shadow and daily source of unconditional love. Their bond is incredibly deep, and anyone who has seen them together knows how inseparable they are.

Jojo is a spicy character who adores his food. He often sits in front of us, raising one paw and then the other to get our attention and let us know he is hungry, even though his bowl of dry food is always full.

So when Jojo suddenly lost his appetite, we knew something was wrong.

At first, we thought it might just be a hairball and hoped a tonic would help. But we were devastated to learn from the vet that Jojo was dangerously anaemic and needed an emergency blood transfusion. He was transferred to the ICU at a specialist veterinary hospital.

There, we discovered that Jojo has a rare blood type: Type B. Feline blood cannot be stored, so a live donor is needed on the same day for a transfusion to go ahead. Unfortunately, the specialist vet’s donor contact was not suitable.

We spent the day creating emergency social media posts and contacting everyone we could. Friends and family rallied round and brought their cats in for screening. Most were Type A, and we were beginning to lose hope. Eventually, a family friend’s cat turned out to be the perfect match, and Jojo received his life-saving donation just in time.

Although his red blood cell count is improving, Jojo has now developed fluid in his lungs and is being kept in an oxygen tent. He is still in ICU and continuing to fight.

So far, the vet bills have reached £6,000. With a few more days in hospital likely, we are preparing for the final cost to rise to £8,000 or more.

We had believed that the scheme in place through our vet was an insurance plan, but we now know it was not. Grace works extremely hard in a low-paid role and does not have the savings to cover these unexpected and mounting costs.

How you can help

If you are in a position to help, we would be deeply grateful for any contribution, no matter how small. Your support will go towards:

Every donation brings us closer to reuniting Jojo with Grace, where he belongs.

Even if you are not able to donate, we would be so thankful if you could share this page with others. You could also help by registering your healthy cat with the Scarsdale Vets cat donor registry in Derby, especially if they are Type B. Your cat could one day become a superhero for another in need.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for the love, generosity and kind wishes that have surrounded Jojo during this time.

With heartfelt thanks,

Grace, Jojo and all our family xxx