Nine weeks ago, we brought home a beautiful 10-year-old rescue girl. When she arrived, she was underweight and had a delicate little cough and sneeze, but she was bright, loving, and full of personality. We thought we were simply giving her a safe, calm retirement home.

Over the past week, her tummy suddenly became swollen. At first we thought it might be diet related, but the swelling worsened quickly. After scans, blood tests and fluid sampling, the vets have confirmed she has fluid build-up in her abdomen, thickening of her intestines, and a small mass that needs further investigation.

We are now waiting on lab results to determine whether this is:

• Severe inflammatory bowel disease / protein-losing enteropathy

• Lymphoma

• Or potentially FIP (feline infectious peritonitis)

Despite everything, she is still eating, grooming, and sitting beside us on the sofa. She is bright and fighting — and we are determined to fight for her.

We did everything responsibly from the start. As soon as we adopted her, we insured her and signed her up to a pet health plan. Unfortunately, because we have only had the policy in place for a short time, the insurance will not cover the current investigations and treatment.

The scans, sedation, biopsies, blood tests and potential treatment costs are already significant and are expected to rise depending on the diagnosis.

As a rescue who has only just found safety and stability, she deserves every chance. We want to give her the best possible care without hesitation — but we need help to do that.

If you are able to donate — even a small amount — it would mean the world to us and to her.

If you can’t donate, sharing this page helps more than you know.

Thank you for reading her story and for supporting a little cat who finally found a home and deserves the chance to stay in it.