My name is Natasha and I’m fundraising for our beloved 11-year-old cat, Loki - an adventurous, mischievous and endlessly loving part of our family.

As I'm sure many of you can relate, Loki isn’t just a pet. He has been in our children’s lives for as long as they can remember. They’ve grown up together, their lives intertwined in an unbreakable bond that we are not ready to let go of. He has the soul of an adventurer and the appetite of Garfield. He’s funny and affectionate, with a relentless meow, and he is absolutely adored.

Up until a few weeks ago, he was completely healthy.

Then, on 3 December, we found a lump between his shoulder blades. We hoped it was nothing serious. But the tests came back as something we never imagined could happen to him - something we'd never even heard of: a malignant tumour caused by a rare vaccine reaction. A one-in-10,000 chance. The vaccinations given to protect him are now the very thing that could take him.

Loki is still himself - still exploring, still stealing food when he thinks we’re not looking, still curling into us at night. He wants to live. And at 11, he should still have years ahead of him.

But the surgery he needs is complex and costly. The tumour sits in a difficult place and is growing downward into the tissues - and potentially into the muscle and bone beneath. A CT scan is crucial to help the surgeon see exactly how far the tumour extends, so they can remove everything necessary without leaving the cancer behind and without making the surgery any more invasive than it needs to be. Without the CT scan, the surgeon must go in blind, removing a fixed 5cm margin of tissue, muscle and bone - perhaps taking too much, perhaps not enough. The CT scan therefore gives Loki the best possible chance of a cure and of preventing the cancer from returning.

The reality is that at 11 years old, if the cancer did return in a few years, he may not be strong enough to undergo another major surgery. We therefore have one chance to get this right - one chance to give him the long and healthy life he deserves.

The total cost of the CT scan and specialist surgery is £10,000, and our insurance will only cover £4,000. We are left with a £6,000 shortfall and the surgery is scheduled urgently. We never expected to be in this position and it’s heartbreaking to think that money could stand in the way of the treatment that gives him the best chance. So we are reaching out for help - something we never imagined doing - simply because Loki means the world to us and we want to give him every possible chance.

Any donation, no matter the amount, will go directly towards his CT scan and surgery. And if you can’t donate, sharing his story would help more than you know. We’ll share updates throughout Loki’s surgery and recovery so everyone who helps him can follow his progress.

Thank you, truly, for reading and for caring about Loki. Your support could give him the chance to keep being the loving, adventurous little character who has brought so much joy into our lives.