AN ABANDONED kitten who survived against all the odds has been adopted as a mascot for the Animals in Distress charity at Ipplepen.

Aptly-named Champ had little hope of surviving when he and his three new-born siblings were dumped in an M5 service station at Taunton.

The trio died after round-the-clock attempts to save them failed, but Champ managed to defy death and pull though.

Since then the brave little fighter has gone from strength to strength.

A spokeswoman for the charity said: ‘Champ has a big following on Facebook with supporters from all around the world. Every day visitors come to the centre asking to see him! He is a very special little cat, and has become a mascot for the charity.’

Lisa Saunders, cattery manager at the centre, said: ‘I have been raising orphan kittens here for 20 years, and Champ is the first to survive being taken from his mother so soon after birth.

‘Usually they don’t make it as they have no immunity, so it is something of a miracle that Champ is here today.’

Champ, now 10 weeks old, has such a strong bond with Lisa that she cannot bear to part with him – and has decided to adopt him permanently.

‘All of the staff are very happy that we will still get to see Champ, and he will continue to be our mascot. It’s a sad story with a very happy ending,’ she said.

STILL here! Champ who stared death in the face – and survived.