Calcutta: Batui is moody, loves boiled fish and chases away cats she doesn't like.

The feline and her pet parent are now waiting, fingers and toes crossed, for the results of PETA India's Cutest Rescued Cat Alive contest.

The white cat with golden spots, rescued by schoolteacher Sabrina Gadouin is among the 10 feline finalists of the contest.

When Sabrina found Batui near Chakraberia in 2015, she was probably a month and a half old. Half-eaten by ants and with one leg broken, Batui struggled for her life and survived.

"I was on my way home from work when I spotted her," said Sabrina, who took the cat home with her.

Warm milk, plenty of sunshine and lots of love, along with medicines, helped Batui survive. "She is a miracle," said Sabrina, a resident of Bhowanipore.

"When I realised that one of her legs was broken, I took her to the vet. But we decided to avoid surgery. That little one had been through a lot and she wouldn't have survived a surgery. Slowly, she showed signs of improvement and gained strength," Sabrina said.

Batui now lives with Sabrina's mother at their Bansdroni home, where she has two more cats for company.

For Sabrina, Batui is already a winner. "Her fighting spirit makes her a winner and also the fact that she has made it to the top ten and has been selected from all these entries. I wanted everyone to know her story," said the animal lover, who also takes care of stray dogs in her locality.

Sabrina had once rescued a goat from a butcher. "We named him Goatu and everyone found it really funny that we were living with a goat in our apartment. I am happy that we could give fuller lives to these animals," said the schoolteacher, who has rescued many cats, dogs and parrots.

Batui's competitors include Meowni, who was found on a rooftop, abandoned and hungry; Chhutki who was rescued from under a car injured; Nanu who was about to drown; and Mimi who survived an eye infection, respiratory tract infection and an ulcer.

"The idea is to encourage people to adopt animals, instead of buying them from pet stores. Countless cats are left to languish in animal shelters because there aren't enough good homes for them. Every time someone buys a cat from a breeder or pet shop, a rescued kitten/cat loses his or her chance at finding a good home," said Sachin Bangera, associate director of celebrity and public relations at PETA.

The finalists were chosen on the basis of how cute and heart-warming their photograph was and how inspirational and motivating their rescue story. The results will be out next month.

The guardian of the winning cat will receive a certificate, a copy of Ingrid Newkirk and Jane Ratcliffe's book One Can Make a Difference, a My Cat Is a Rescue T-shirt, a PETA T-shirt and a cute cat toy.

Last year, another city cat - Licky from Picnic Garden - had won the competition.