A CAT left fighting for life after a routine operation is on the road to making a miraculous recovery thanks to a Halesowen pet rescue and kind-hearted news readers.

Poor Snowy was a perfectly healthy 10-month-old moggie when he went to be neutered - but became desperately poorly after developing an infection, which led to him stopping eating and developing liver failure.

When vets proposed putting him to sleep his desperate owner Kirsty Holloway turned to Peppers Pet Rescue for help.

Sophie Pepper stepped in to stump up the funds to fight to save him and transferred him to a different vets where he went into intensive care for sepsis - the mum-of-two then cared for him at her home on the Lodgefield estate where she runs the rescue, feeding him through a tube and administering an array of medications.

After the Halesowen News ran an appeal to help raise funds towards his £2.8k vets bill kind-hearted people donated £1.5k to help and Snowy is now back at home with Kirsty in Rowley Regis with his fellow pet cat Ernie.

Sophie said: "We raised £1.5k from donations for Snowy which was amazing.

"One lady sent £300! I cried my eyes out!

"He is gaining weight well, still reliant on two different medications every day and is still sick if he eats something new.

"He can only keep specific foods down but is well enough to play with his fur brother Ernie again and well enough to be naughty!

"He has been trying to raid all food cupboards, the bin etc as the steroids increase his appetite.

"Kirsty has had to put child locks on all her kitchen cupboards!"

Snowy had his op last September and is still recovering now.

Mum-of-two Kirsty is a kitten fosterer for Peppers.

Anyone who can help the rescue which cares for an array of unwanted and sick animals and has a Facebook page can donate by e mailing pepperspetrescue@hotmail.com and requesting its bank details or via Paypal to pepperspetrescue@hotmail.com - select friends and family.