Please help our beloved cat breathe safely again.

Hello kind friends and strangers,

My name is Melissa and I'm raising funds to pay for my son's cat, Harry, to get an MRI scan so the vets can find out why air randomly escapes from his lungs, causing him to be unable to breathe. Once they know the cause we can plan for Harry's treatment and, hopefully, cure.

Harry turns five today and he is my ten year old son's first pet, we have had him since he was eight weeks old. They are best pals and we would like to give Harry a shot at a long life with his human companion.

Two years ago we came home to find Harry collapsed and fighting for breath. Emergency veterinary treatment saved him. X-rays and scans showed that air had somehow escaped from his lungs and was trapped in his abdomen, crushing his lungs so that he couldn't breathe.

The vets were able to use syringe needles to remove most of the air from Harry's chest cavity to relieve the pressure on his lungs, and after four days he came home.

He wasn't allowed out for a week and keeping him in was very dramatic (and entertaining). He literally tore things apart in his efforts to get outside and patrol his home ground! He was thankfully given the all-clear after his check-up and I had always assumed that some form of trauma had happened to his chest and that it was a one off event.

Until July 2nd this year when late at night I heard him crying pitifully and I found him collapsed downstairs, fighting for his life with his tongue swollen and blue and his gums almost purple from lack of oxygen.

Once again emergency treatment saved his life and once again our vet team was unable to find a cause with just X-rays and scans; they need to see more detail via an MRI.

My pet insurance has covered those two emergencies. There was a third incident on August 7th where I was with Harry when he suddenly started to have difficulty breathing while on the sofa next to me.

I took him in for sedation and oxygen, paying for it myself this time, £450, and he recovered quickly. If it happens again this year the insurers are unlikely to cover it and they won't cover the MRI that he so desperately needs so we can see what is happening to his lungs.

The MRI is £1500 and the extra £500 is to cover anaesthesia and admission. If we are unable to raise these funds Harry is likely to be put to sleep next time it happens.

Please help us uncover the mystery of Harry's lungs so we can support him to live a long and healthy life.

Many thanks,

Melissa, Caleb & Harry