Help Nala Fight Cancer ❤️

Hi, my name is Jess, and I’m raising money to help my beloved 5 year old cat Nala get life-saving cancer treatment.

Her Story

Nala walking into our lives felt like fate. For a family full of dog people, she forced her way into our home and hearts one day and refused to leave. During Covid she had ventured into our back garden for daily visits, a scared young cat trying to find shelter from the rain. We were initially dubious to take her in as many cats in our neighbourhood wander to other’s houses for a cheeky extra dinner, but after months of her persistence (and living under our trampoline come wind or rain until Dane smuggled her into the house while I slept) we put a Facebook post up in our local residents group asking if she belonged to anyone and then took her to the vets to check for a microchip and return her to her home. Though as it turned out, she was a stray, and she was fighting to be a part of our family, so how could we turn her away? My partner, my son and I love her more than we thought possible so it’s only fair that we fight for her now.

She’s not just a pet — she’s a constant source of love, comfort, and companionship. Her gentle nature has carried us through some hard days, and her sweet presence is part of what makes our house feel like a home. She has a quiet strength and a loving soul that’s brought so much comfort and light into our lives. Her and our dog Nobu have the funniest sibling rivalry yet he’s been attentively trying to groom her and show her he’s there so I just know he’ll be lost without her…just like we all will.

Her Diagnosis

Around eight weeks ago, we noticed a small cut near Nala’s eye, which we assumed was from her scratching her face due to allergies and weren’t too concerned. We kept an eye on her and kept it clean, hoping it would heal up in no time. But it didn’t go away — instead, it got worse. After our first vet visit, we were told it was a small infection and given antibiotics and eye drops to help it recover. Just over a week later, she had sneakily scratched the scab off and we were back to square one as the cut had now triples in size and was beginning to look like an open sore. So back to the vets we went, only to be given devastating news: Nala likely has cancer. It all happened so fast, she was absolutely fine at the beginning of March so we couldn’t catch our breath, the news hit like a truck. Having not felt entirely confident with the first diagnosis, as the appointment was very rushed with no testing done or real information given, we went for a second opinion a week later at a different vets, only for our worst fears to be confirmed.

She’s still alert and fighting, but she’s in obvious pain and it’s breaking our family’s heart. The wound is open and ulcerated, though it doesn’t seem to be growing anymore thankfully. She’s barely eating and drinking unless assisted, she’s limping on her back leg, and is no longer her playful, happy self. Every day she fights, and we want nothing more than to show her we are with her every step of the way. We won’t allow her to suffer unnecessarily of course - if it’s a hopeless cause then we will do the kindest thing as a family and give her the best palliative care that we can until it’s time to go over the Rainbow Bridge - but until then, we are just hoping to improve her quality of life and give her a real fighting chance.

The Cost of Saving Her Life

Treating cancer in cats is incredibly expensive — especially if we want to give her the best chance at beating this awful disease and living comfortably. Here's what her treatment may involve:

Diagnostic tests & biopsy: £400–£800

Surgery: £1,500–£2,000

Ongoing treatment & pain management: £500–£1,500

Follow-up care & medication: £200+

In total, we’re looking at £3,000 or more — a sum we simply cannot cover on our own as my partner and I are university students as well as parents. That’s why we’re reaching out for help.

We already have her booked in for a biopsy and chest xray on the 25th April to find out what kind of cancer it is, if it’s spread and what our options are moving forward. We will do whatever our financial situation allows us to do in order to save our little angel. She deserves so much more life than this and the thought of her being ripped away from us like this is beyond devastating. 

❤️ How You Can Help

Any donation, no matter how small, will bring us closer to giving Nala the treatment she needs. Your kindness could mean more time, less pain, and hopefully, a full recovery. Whether £1 or £5, my little family are eternally grateful for whatever you can spare. 

If you’re not in a position to donate, we completely understand — but sharing this page can make a world of difference too. We appreciate any kind words, thoughts and prayers at this point as our whole world is on the precipice of breaking.

Thank you so much for reading, caring, and helping us in any way you can. Nala has given us so much since we’ve known her and she’s so young, so now we just want to give her the chance to keep living her beautiful life. 

I will be posting regular updates of her cancer journey on here every time we have a vets visit in case anyone is interested in following along, but mostly just for our little family to have a diary of her strength and resilience. Our soul cat. ♾️

With all our love and gratitude,

Jess, Dane, Cassius, Nobu & Nala ❤️‍