A blind kitten found dumped behind a skip in Cyprus and rescued by a Scots couple has won a global pet competition with half a million votes.
Haggis, the five year old feline, was found as a tiny kitten at death's door and had to have his eyes removed due to an infection.
John and Laura Watson, from Glasgow, adopted the stray and paid £1300 to bring him home to Scotland.
The couple entered him into an online pet competition called KingPet on Facebook and were shocked to find he had placed first in both the UK and globally - with almost half a million votes.
Laura, 57, and John, 55, said: "We're as proud as punch with him winning the titles.
"We've watched and nurtured all of our rescue cats to full health and Haggis is so special - he's a wee fighter who deserves to be world champion."
Haggis has been awarded a special certificate for his win and John and Laura are expecting to receive £2,159 in prize money.
John and Laura were first introduced to Haggis in 2019 when he was spotted by an animal rescue worker and friend of the couple behind a skip in Larnaca.
Laura, an advocacy worker, said: "He had one eye partially closed and was suffering from cat flu.
"We were already in the process of adopting another kitten at the time but we were committed to rescuing cats.
"It took a good few weeks to trap him but when he was, he was taken to the vets for medical check ups.
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
"It was determined he couldn't see, possibly only shadows - his vision was virtually zero due to the infection and so the vet liaised with us to have his eyes removed so he could be pain free."
Haggis went to live temporarily at a cattery while he recovered and Laura even flew out to visit him.
When he was 16 weeks old, Haggis was old enough to travel to Glasgow to live with Laura and John and so they paid £1300 for his vet care, vaccinations, passport and flight.
There he joined their 12 other rescue cats - and was named 'Haggis' after the national dish.
Laura said: "He doesn't even know that he's blind. He'll come downstairs and navigate through every room and into the back garden.
"The only thing I can't do is move furniture around and change the layout around.
"His whiskers make up for his eyes and helps determined how far he has to move or jump.
"The other cats give him a pass, they know something's not quite right with him - but he does rule the roost and he'll give other cats a bit of a swipe."
Laura entered Haggis into the KingPet competition on Facebook earlier this year as she thought it was "a bit of fun".
Top news stories today
She explained: "I don't really see anybody with other cats that have disabilities so I thought I'd put his picture on.
"My friends got in touch and told me he was first in the world - it was a bit of a shock.
"Besides from the winning, we got lovely messages from people especially from one man who said he had been blessed to have a blind cat and that it was wonderful to see Haggis.
"To think other people had recognised that a cat with a disability can win a competition is amazing."
Haggis received 455,403 votes and was awarded £2,159 in prize money which Laura and John, who have two children and 13 rescue cats, are planning to spend the cash on helping more animals abroad.
She added: "We're due to go on holiday to Turkey last this month and we're planning to take a full suitcase of food, medicine and toys for the stays out there.
"In other parts of the world, there are different cultural ideas around cats - they don't always have an RSPCA or a Cat's Protection to help out so we like to help where we can."
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - sign up to our daily newsletter here.
