Plea for help to save the life of 'magical' Milton Keynes cat who is best friend to young girl with learning difficulties

The young cat is owned by 10-year-old Rose Kellett from Great Linford and the pair have a bond so powerful that the Citizen wrote a story about it earlier this year.

But over the weekend the tabby was hit by a car and has lost the use of her back legs. A vet had diagnosed a broken pelvis and given painkillers, but the damage will cost £1,000 to fix.

And Rose's hard-up mum Tracey, who lost her job during lockdown, simply cannot scrape together the cash.

"The vet says we mustn't give up on Fluff and there is a strong change she will recover. But poor Rose is in a bad state. She's hasn't stopped crying and she spent most of the night lying on the floor next to Fluff," she said.

"If I can't find the money, then the only other option is to have Fluff put to sleep. But Rose would never recover from that."

Rose, who has learning difficulties and struggles with everyday life and anxiety, spends every spare moment with Fluff. Because they cannot bear to be separated, Fluff goes for walks with her on a lead, travels with her in the car and even accompanies her on outings in a special backpack cat carrier that Tracey managed to buy second hand.

Before she had Fluff, Rose was so anxious that she lost all her hair. Thanks to her cat, she is far more confident and her hair has grown back.

Fluff and Rose are "best friends", said Tracey, and the cat follows the little girl everywhere, sleeping with her on her bed and perching on the side of the tub when she has a bath.

"They are inseparable and the bond has just grown and grown. It's so lovely to see." said Tracey.

"Rose sits and talks to Fluff for hours, telling her everything. If she's upset about something, she'll go straight to Fluff and tell her. After a while she announces that she feels better.. Fluff really is her best friend.

""Rose finds day to day life and school very, very hard because of her learning difficulties.The lockdown did not helped at all and she did not want to do home schooling or even get out of bed at first. But the love and friendship between her and her cat was so strong that it saw her through."

The girl and cat attracted so much attention when they were out that Tracey set up an Instagram account called RoseandFluff. Documenting the pair's adventures in photographs and videos. It has more than thousands of people following.

"I have never know a girl and a cat to be so close. It's just magical. People are amazed when they see them together," said Tracey.

"When the first lockdown started last year there were signs that it was happening again. But luckily, Fluff came to the rescue and Rose's hair has grown back beautifully.. It's really thick and lovely now," said Tracey.

News has set up a fundraising page in a desperate bid to raise £1000 to pay for Fluff's treatment. You can view the page here.

News of the cat's plight has already spread and well-wishers have donated £300.