Today Moki received a plea...

The plea was from Happy Cat Adoptions. Please read Tampico's story, as told to me below in an email I received this afternoon. If you can help Tampico please visit the Happy Cat Adoptions website, if you are unable to assist finanically, Moki asks that you please keep Tampico in your purrs and pass his story along to others you know who may be able to help! (I will be posting Tampico's plea to the "Other Cats In Need," section of Moki's website shortly... )

Here is a copy of the email I received:

Tampico is a special needs cat and we at Happy Cat Adoptions (http://www.happycatadoptions.org/) are raising money to fund his surgery.This is not a life-saving surgery, but it's important to Tampico. Tampico is young, perhaps two years old, but at some point in his young life, he may have been hit by a car. His jaw is broken and his right rear leg is dangling. The jaw healed, and he can eat and groom, so no surgery is needed there. However, the tendons in his leg need to be re-attached. He limps, but gets around fine right now, so Happy Cats had three choices: amputate the leg now, before problems start, allow him to go up for adoption as he is, with the understanding that later in life, he may develop problems in the joint, or do the surgery. We did not want to amputate a perfectly good leg just because we couldn't afford the surgery. We also didn't want to adopt him out to people who may face a much more extensive surgery in the future.The orthopedic surgeon predicts that without surgery to re-attach the tendons, Tampico may develop severe and painful arthritis in the joint, since it is somewhat free-moving right now. At that point, the leg may need to be amputated.The surgeon has given Happy Cat Adoptions a wonderful discounted fee. But Tampico is the second hit-by-car kitty we've rescued in the last few months, and having to pay for a couple other surgeries recently for rescued cats, and being a small organization, we are out of funds for anything that is not life-threatening. That's why we've begun to ask people to "Tap the Till for Tampico" and please, to donate something toward his surgery so he can find his forever home. You can see photos of him, download a flyer (so you can spread the word), and view his video by searching for Tampico (using the search function from the top tool bar) at http://www.happycatadoptions.org/. You can donate from the home page by clicking the PayPal button and marking your donation "Tampico."We appreciate it, and Tampico REALLY appreciates it!