Lovable kitten Ralph was nowhere to be seen one morning. His elderly owner was frantic with worry, and when his stepdaughter Rachel eventually found Ralph the following day, they were devastated to find him dragging his leg in agony.

Ralph's family immediately turned to PDSA for help. They told Rachel to bring him straight in where the tiny kitten was given pain relief and was rushed to x-ray. All of their worst fears came true; the shin bones in his back leg were broken clean in two due to a suspected road traffic accident. Our vets were faced with two choices: amputating the young cat's leg or battling to save it.

In a highly intricate operation, our skilled vet team set to work putting the leg together using pins and plates. After hours of surgery, they had done all they could for the much-loved family pet. Now only time would tell if he'd ever walk on all four paws again.

Ralph would need strict cage rest for any recovery to happen a difficult task for a young cat with lots of energy. His owner has had to spoon-feed Ralph to ensure he keeps up his strength, along with lots of love and attention. At first the plucky kitten needed frequent checks, coming in to us twice a week to ensure infection was kept at bay and that his wounds were healing well.

Since then, Ralph has been having weekly appointments at PDSA to monitor his healing. So far, our vets are delighted with his progress and he's even had his stitches out. Our dedicated vets and nurses will make sure Ralph is kept as comfortable as possible while he heals. He has just three more weeks of cage rest to go. His treatment so far has cost the charity around £650.

Ralph's life-saving treatment is only possible thanks to kind donations, as PDSA is a charity that doesn't receive any government funding help us today and get Ralph back on all fours paws in time for Christmas. He is just one of 50,000 precious pets in need of expert treatment and loving care that will come through our hospitals doors this December alone.

PDSA treats the sick and injured pets of people who've fallen on hard times and cant afford private vet fees. Ralph's devoted owner has made a donation of what he can afford, but we'd be really grateful if you can contribute today every single penny will make a difference to pets lives.