A woman has been left with a bill for thousands after her beloved cat needed life-saving cancer surgery.
Teacher Holly Mayes-Smith from Dereham has launched an online appeal to help towards the cost of treating her six-year-old feline Pig.
Her pet, who she has had since her was a 12-week-old kitten, was suffering from a highly-aggressive sarcoma.
Pig is now recovering at a vet's after emergency surgery was carried out.
While part of the £15,000 cost of his treatment was covered by pet insurance and savings, Miss Mayes-Smith, 31 and her 33-year-old partner Liam Cooke still need to find more than £8,000.
"We haven't paid for it all yet," she said. "They just said we either do the surgery now or he won't be here by Christmas."
So far, the appeal on the Gofundme platform has raised almost £4,000.
Pig’s cancer diagnosis followed an earlier operation to remove a lump that was found to be deeply embedded in muscle in his back.
He was referred for specialist oncology treatment which included a CT scan, further surgery to remove extra tissue and a course of radiotherapy, giving him the best chance of extended survival and quality of life.
His cancer was expected to return within weeks without it before spreading rapidly.
"I am desperately trying everything I can to give Pig the chance he deserves," Miss Mayes-Smith said before he went under the knife.
"He is not just a pet but our family and my little boy's best friend. I’m not ready to say goodbye to him when he is still so happy, comfortable and fighting."
While Pig lives up to his name at mealtimes and is even fond of ham as a treat, his name began as Fig - a shortened form of his original moniker Figaro.
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