Hello, my name is Tareco and I’m a kitten rescued from the streets. I’m much loved, happy and playful, but I need urgent surgery to prevent kidney failure. 

I’ll tell you a bit about my story. My family found me on the street when I was still a young kitten; they took me home and have been looking after me with lots of love. 

About three years ago, I was diagnosed with obstructive kidney disease and underwent surgery on my left kidney (which cost €1,872.04) to have a sub inserted – a system comprising a nephrostomy tube and a cystostomy tube, which are basically small tubes that do the job of the ureters and connect the kidney to the bladder.

My family also includes four other kittens rescued from the streets. My sister Nocas has liver problems and my brother Neco, at the end of 2022, needed the same surgery as me, but on both kidneys (cost: €3,337.13). Fortunately, everything has been going well for him. 

These stents, both mine and Neco’s, require maintenance/flushing at most every four months, which amounts to an expense of around €500 every four months for my family. 

During my first operation, I didn’t react very well to the cystostomy tube they fitted me with; I was in a lot of pain and discomfort when urinating and had to go to the litter tray very often. 

My family made a huge effort to ensure I could have my cystostomy tube replaced, and earlier this year I underwent another operation (cost: €796.78). This time I felt much better; I’m no longer in pain and I play much more, but unfortunately I’ve had a complication. The two tubes I have are calcifying and one of them is already completely blocked, which will eventually lead to my kidney failing if they aren’t replaced quickly. 

My family is doing everything they can to ensure I get better, but at the moment they need help to arrange for me to have the new operation, which is estimated to cost around €2,000.

I hope I can count on your help.

With lots of feline love,

Tareco