Hi, we are raising money for Hampton. Hampton has been nicknamed 'Nostrildamus' because, to everyone's amazement Nostra has made it to 13 weeks old with just one single nostril!

Nostra was born and raised in Boote Home for Cats when his pregnant Mum was brought in after being found straying. After some time, it became apparent that Nostra was struggling to thrive. It is a testament to the wonderful care he had day by day at the rescue that he made it to 8 weeks old and has started to put weight on. His litter was not a healthy one.

At 12 weeks old, Nostra went to stay at a foster home. It became obvious that he was really struggling with the stressful move. It became more apparent that, compared to his two brothers, something wasn't right. Nostra's face was uneven, his kitten ears seemed small, his mouth seemed small, his tongue too big and his nose teeny tiny! Whilst playing with his big ginger brother, he couldn't keep up with the rough and tumble of kitten life. Nostra was very frustrated and would shout, he seemed bewildered and lost and would circle the room searching for a litter tray when he needed to go. He seemed not to recognise his food bowl, until that was, his brother found it and tucked in. Nostra just wasn't adjusting to life in a new home as quickly as his siblings and he shouted his confusion to all who would listen.

Nostra cried all night, sad doleful yowls. His foster-Mum was at a loss. Feeling that something really wasn't right, that his little (very cute) but wonky features might be hiding a bigger problem, he went to visit the vets and then another vets, and that's when we discovered quite how big the little dude's problems are.

Nostra has only one nostril, hydrocephalus, a mouth smaller than expected and who knows what else hides beneath the cuteness. Having only one nostril isn't so serious for a human, we can breathe with our mouths, but cats, cat's don't. They need their noses and only having one nostril is a big deal. The vet has told us that there are no operations possible to build a nostril for him. We don't know how far back into his head the defect goes, and if it could cause other problems. We know that one eye weeps and we don't know if he has missing tear ducts.

Nostra really needs further investigations to make sure that we can give him all he needs, and that is where we are hoping you can help. He has been referred to a specialist animal hospital for an MRI and CT scan. This referral and the scans we are told will cost around £1500. If his nostril is just covered by a flap of skin, it could be cut away, allowing him to breathe fully and enjoy life at the crazy pace we know kittens like! For Nostra to be forever fostered or adopted, we need to know what challenges this perfectly imperfect kitten faces so we can understand how best to ensure he can enjoy a quality life, We don't know how long he has to enjoy it but we are assured that, at the moment, he isn't in pain and he can have a full life, albeit at a slower pace.

We know the supporters of Boote Home for Cats are second to none, and we don't take you guys for granted. You keep the rescue running, you allow us to help all the cats and kittens we can and you foster and adopt our wonderful felines. Money is tight we understand, and we would be so so grateful to anyone who can dig deep and donate just a few pounds to go towards Nostra's care. He really does deserve it, he's a super special boy.

Thank you xxx