Kentucky cat who hops like a bunny from abuse is in Cadbury contest. Vote for her here.
It’s March, a month often associated with the advancement of competitors through multiple head-to-head meetings in the shape of a bracket.
The most notable bracket for the month is the NCAA college basketball tournament’s March Madness, but away from the basketball court, a local cat will be competing in a nationwide bracket-style competition in hopes of being named the 2024 Cadbury Bunny.
Mia, a 1-year-old abused, neglected, abandoned and adopted cat from Nicholasville, has been named one of the 32 semi-finalists in the sixth annual Cadbury Bunny Tryout contest. She has been placed in a bracket with the other contestants from around the country.
In the first round Mia is matched up with Luke, a cat from Danbury, Ct. that suffers from spina bifida.
The winner of each matchup will be determined by an online poll posted on Cadbury USA’s Instagram page. This is the first year the contest has been hosted on Instagram.
Voting for the first round, the “round of thirty-cute,” opens Monday at noon. The polls for each round will be open for 24 hours.
If Mia beats out Luke and the other 31 contestants, she will be featured in a commercial and earn a cash prize for her owner, Lindsey Dossett. The winner of the contest will be announced on or about March 25.
Winners of the “Creme 16” round will receive $100, then winners of the “Eggcellent 8” round wins $200. Cash prizes increase each round, culminated by a $5,500 check to the overall winner.
Nominees were submitted through Instagram, in which pet owners take pictures of their pets dressed as the Cadbury bunny while providing their pet’s story and why they should be the Cadbury Bunny. Hundreds of pets were nominated for this year’s contest.
A panel of judges picked the semi-finalists based on a combination of creativity, Cadbury chocolate brand appeal and relevance to the contest’s theme.
‘She’s doing much better now, so we’re thrilled with that.’
Mia was adopted by Dossett and her husband in August. They initially fostered her and two other cats from a rescue facility in Corbin called Forgotten Felines, and after a few months of fostering the cats they went forward with adoption.
Before being rescued Mia was found abused, neglected and abandoned with her two siblings. As a result of the mistreatment, Mia had to have a leg amputation. She also has a diseased right eye and hips that have grown out of alignment, making it harder for her to get around than most three-legged cats.
“She’s doing much better now, so we’re thrilled with that,” Dossett said. “She’s just very special.”
Dossett said Mia hops like a bunny or drags her leg behind her as a result of her previous abuse. Her husband built steps for Mia so she can climb up onto places she normally wouldn’t be able to reach.
“She doesn’t know any different and she tries everything,” Dossett said. “That’s one of the things that we’ve noticed about her – her determination to at least try anything she wants to do anything she wants to do, and she just keeps trying.”
Dossett hadn’t heard of the Cadbury Bunny contest before but decided to submit Mia as a nominee when she learned about it. She said she was very excited when she learned that Mia was chosen as a semi-finalist.
“Mia is so special, I just wanted to at least try entering her in it,” Dossett said.
This story was originally published March 8, 2024 at 7:29 AM.
