A CAT which was left for dead on a doorstep of a Fenland home has beaten all the odds to qualify for a prestigious show which is the equivalent of Crufts. Pretty Poppy was dumped outside the Badgers cattery when she was just a few weeks old, and was in su

A CAT which was left for dead on a doorstep of a Fenland home has beaten all the odds to qualify for a prestigious show which is the equivalent of Crufts.

Pretty Poppy was dumped outside the Badgers cattery when she was just a few weeks old, and was in such a poor condition that owner Jenny Eales did not think she would make it through the night.

The little kitty was found in a cardboard box by Mrs Eales' son Zenon, who was only four at the time.

She said it was on finding the kitten, a strong bond was formed between the pair, and Zenon, who is now seven, helped to nurse Poppy back to health.

Now almost four years later the pair has just achieved the impossible and Poppy has qualified for the Supreme Cat Show, which is the cat equivalent to the prestigious Crufts dog show.

Poppy won the place after she won the open class in the household section and then went on to win the best in show class for the domestic category at the Exotic Short Hair Cat Society Show, in Wisbech on Saturday.

Mrs Eales, of Walpole St Andrew, said: "Zenon took her in the show and he was absolutely ecstatic when she won. She is a very pretty cat and she performs well for the judges. This was only her second show."

She added: "We run a cattery and so we do get waifs and strays dumped here. Zenon found the box and at the time she was such a tiny little kitten, too young to be away from her mother. I didn't think she would make it through the night."

She said Zenon, who attends the Anthony Curton Primary School, cuddled Poppy and helped to nurse her back to health, and now they are very close and she even sleeps on his bed.

She said they are unsure at this stage if they will attend the Supreme Cat Show, which is expected to be held in Birmingham in November.