Mango has spent most of her young life struggling to breathe. Specialist surgery could give her the second working nostril she desperately needs to enjoy a happy, healthy life.

Can you help us give this determined little kitty the Christmas gift of a fresh start?

When Mango was a tiny baby, she was sold for profit. At her new home, she had a seizure. Instead of learning about epilepsy in cats or seeking treatment for their new baby, her owners returned her for a refund. The breeder couldn't sell her on because of her condition, so gave her to us.

Mango has been at Holly's Merry Moggies, a midlands-based rescue for disabled and different cats, for over a year now. It took a while to get her epilepsy under control, but she now rarely has seizures and has grown into a beautiful, sweet, funny young cat. However, she's always had breathing problems – partly due to the flat face she has as a result of her 'fancy' breed, but also partly because of a very rare condition.

We noticed after just a few weeks with Mango that she often had thick mucus discharge from one nostril – but only one. Always the same one. We tried a million treatments, and in the meantime she got infection after infection, increasing the nose-goo.

Eventually, we ran out of options, so had to risk putting her under anaesthetic (risky with her epilepsy – we nearly lost her when she got spayed) for a CT scan. Thankfully, the scan went fine and revealed a startling fact – one of her nostrils is a cul-de-sac. Not connected to her breathing system at all. She has one normal nostril, and one completely unconnected one, where the sinus is full of ancient muck because it can't drain into the throat as it normally would.

Essentially, this poor baby has had a sinus headache all her life, and has never experienced breathing with both nostrils.

We'd like to change that.

Admittedly, Mango is one of our most expensive cats already. She's had a lot of treatment in her short life. But she's also kind of a mascot for us – because when she came in at only six weeks old, after being rejected by her purchasers, we took her to the vet and were told – verbatim – "this one's not a goer." In other words, don't waste your time. Put her to sleep. Focus on easier cats.

Well, we're all about the difficult cases, and we're also stubborn as hell. So we doubled down, and have been EXTRA determined to get Mango well and happy ever since. (Please note: happiness may not show on face).

We've worked HARD to find somewhere that can help. It's all the way in Swindon, about a 2.5 hour drive each way from our home in Nottingham. But the brilliant team at Eastcott Vet hospital are confident they can help, opening up Mango's non-working nostril and flushing out all that old goo that must be driving her crazy (not to mention giving her infections over and over).

We won't mislead you, it's a tricky case. There's the extra risk of putting her under because of her epilepsy, plus she's going to need her skull opened up to get at the problem. There are – no exaggeration – zero studies on this condition in the literature. Our vet found one vaguely similar, but in that case, they were only going through soft tissue to open the nostril – Mango's is bone.

There's also a risk the new nostril could close up again. But the team at Eastcott have planned for that, and are hopeful they can give Mango clear, wide open airways so she can live a happy life like any other cat.

They've quoted us around £5,000, which we're hoping to raise before the end of the year so that Mango can have a brand new nose by Christmas. If you've ever had a blocked nostril, you know exactly how relieved she's going to feel. It'll be life-changing.

And then, we might finally be able to find Mango the forever home she's always deserved, rather than spending her life at a rescue.

We would hugely appreciate any contributions, even tiny ones – it all helps. Likes, shares and comments also help us spread Mango's story further, so those are much appreciated too.

If we're lucky enough to raise more than the estimate, any leftover funds will go directly to Holly's Merry Moggies cat rescue (registered charity number 1215708), not only to help the many disabled and different kitties in our care, but also to help us build crucial reserves for tough times in the future.

Thank you so much for considering Mango – after all she's survived, she really deserves a breath of fresh air.