Hi, I'm Helen. Back in January a sorry looking cat turned up in my garden. He was full of mattes, scratches and had very sore looking eyes. He was such a shy boy, I put some food outside for him and he ate it eagerly. From then on he started visiting almost every day, sometimes multiple times until eventually, he started stepping inside. I'd leave the door open so he knew he could escape and gradually transitioned to closing it behind him, leaving it slightly longer each time before letting him back out. It was working! He started allowing me, my husband and 2 teens give him gentle pets. Handling was a big no no, he did not wish to be picked up, fair enough! One Sunday, around 8-10 weeks ago, he turned up with a hole behind one of his ears. Enough was enough, there wasn't time to play by his rule book. I shut him in the house and rang the emergency vets. I took him to the vets, my heart in my mouth. I knew that if he was chipped he wouldn't be coming home with me and I would miss his little visits. But I also knew he needed help ASAP. When the vet took him to be examined, I sat in the waiting room as I wasn't allowed to go with him. My watch kept warning me my heart rate was too high! When the vet came back and said he wasn't chipped, I could have cried with happiness. She explained that he was in very poor shape with a serious infection behind his ear. If I took him, I would be liable for all his expenses and I didn't care, I agreed on the spot. He wasn't to be allowed back out, he was just too poorly. Then she explained about his eyes, what I thought was just crusty eyes from living outdoors, was actually a condition called Entropian which needed surgical correction. I didn't care, we agreed to get him better (it took 6 weeks for his wound to heal), have him neutured and then go ahead with the surgery once he was strong enough. The emergency credit card took the brunt of the initial problem and I decided to sell some of my collectibles to pay for his surgery. That was until one of my other cats became unwell, losing weight, hungry all the time and just generally out of condition. It turned out she has hyperthyroidism. My plans to sell my things to pay for Lloyd's surgery went out the window. I now needed to pay for her medications and bloodtests until the vets can get her levels right. I couldn't believe it. I considered rehoming Lloyd but he'd come such a long way, it felt cruel to take him back out of our home. So here we are... Lloyd was mentioned in a local FB group that I'm in, someone had seen him in their garden and wondered where he belonged, I commented about him visiting us etc. When he turned up poorly, I updated the group and so many people suggested I set up a go fund me for his treatment but I politely declined. After all, nobody forced me to take him on! But with my other cat becoming poorly, I thought I'd give it a try. I have every intention of him having the surgery as soon as I can afford it but if this helps him get it a little bit sooner, then that would be fab! As for Lloyd now? He's all healed up, he's been neutured, he comes and goes during the day and he's kept in at night. He's started purring for me, at first it sounded like he was choking, I swear it's because it had been a long time since he last purred that he didn't quite know how to do it. He loves scratches behind his ears and down his throat and he's a crazy catnip addict. He makes me smile everyday and I'm so proud of how far he's come ❤️ thank you for reading.

Entropion is an abnormal inward rolling of the upper or lower eyelids, causing abnormal, painful friction with the surface of the eye. Entropion is especially irritating to the cornea, or the curved, clear part of the eye. Lower eyelid entropion is most common, and usually occurs toward the outside edge of the eye. The abnormal rolling of the eyelid may introduce hair directly onto the cornea and conjunctiva, causing scratches, ulcers, inflammation, discharge and pain.