Little Tucker’s Knee Surgery.

Meow there.

My name is Tucker.

I am a 6 month old Siamese kitty, and my favourite hobbies include, but are not limited to, playing fetch (better than some dogs!), chasing any human toes that cross my path (when I'm not already occupied chasing my own tail), following the humans around and chatting non-stop (until I'm picked up for a cuddle, I can't really talk and purr at the same time!), hunting for bottle caps to add to my secret collection behind the curtains, remodelling mom and dad's furniture, creating extravagant kitty-litter floor designs, mastering my stretching and yoga routines, making my humans laugh, taking them for walks in the sunshine, engaging in endless snuggles and cuddles, playing hide and seek, and just generally goofing and bouncing around, expending some of my seemingly never ending energy.

At least, these used to be my hobbies, until one day recently I started to hobble and wobble a little, and the humans were worried that I just really didn't seem my perky, active self, and so took me off to see my doctor, a trip which changed our lives forever.

After x-rays, multiple second opinions, and numerous trips back and forth from my doctor, it was explained that I have a very rare abnormally in the growth plates of my back left leg, causing a permanent dislocation of my knee, and leaving me in constant pain and discomfort and unable to walk properly anymore, all of which can only be resolved through surgery. I am no longer able to engage in my favourite kitty past times, in fact, even simple tasks such as walking to my food bowl or standing for any length of time causes me distress. I now spend most of my time lying in bed with my hot water bottle, dreaming of the day I can once again play and bounce to my little kitty-heart's content.

My humans, a young, working-class couple, have exhausted every avenue to try and generate the finances needed to pay for my surgery, however, due to financial limitations not uncommon to young, hardworking individuals trying to break out into the world on their own for the first time, they have ultimately, despite their efforts, been unable at this point to come up with the required +-R11000 ($800;£600) needed for my knee operation alone (which excludes additional x-rays, aftercare, and rehabilitation), and are already struggling to keep up with my weekly vets bills as I am on chronic pain medication. I know this all makes my humans overwhelmingly sad, they have only ever given me the best of everything and more love than I could ever have wished for, we are a funny little family of three my humans and I, and it breaks their hearts that they cannot make me better. If love alone could've fixed my little leg, I would've been ok again long ago, but sadly it cannot, only specialist surgery can.

Please help my humans to help me. The more time that lapses without the surgery, the more irreparable the damage becomes, and the more my quality of life deteriorates. I heard all the humans talking at my last doctor's visit, and overheard a mention of kitty heaven if my quality of life becomes too compromised and the surgery required to help me cannot be made a reality in the quite near future.

Please help give me and my humans a second chance at a long, happy, and healthy life together, filled with many more laughs, cuddles, memories, and love.

Yours truly,

Tucker.

PS: Should there be any funds left over from your kind donations after my surgery, my humans will ensure that the money is donated directly to our local SPCA to be utilised to help my other furry friends in need.