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The finalists for the prestigious National Cat Awards have been revealed. One of them will be named Cats Protection’s National Cat of the Year 2021 in the event that celebrates all things feline.
This year’s top cat will follow in the pawprints of previous winner Jeffree, a life-changing moggy from Coventry who helped teenager Finn Hackeson, who has Asperger syndrome, cope with the death of his father.
The 2021 finalists include:
● Paddy, the ginger puss who spends his days comforting mourners at a burial ground before returning each evening to his owners.
● Minty, a three-legged cat who is a best friend to a six-year-old boy with severe learning difficulties and a range of medical conditions.
● Bruno, who was found abandoned in a cardboard box by a grieving couple and helped them cope with the pain of losing their newborn daughter.
Cats Protection’s National Cat Awards, organised by the UK’s largest cat charity and sponsored by Purina, is normally an annual celebration of cats.With last year’s event postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year’s awards will be hosted online.
Winners in three categories will be selected by celebrity judges comedian Bob Mortimer, funnyman Russell Kane, and actress Tuppence Middleton, while the fourth category will be announced by entrepreneur Deborah Meaden following a public vote.
After category winners are announced online on Thursday August 5, an overall winner will be selected as National Cat of the Year by a celebrity panel and announced on Thursday August 12.
Winners in the four categories — Most Caring Cat, Furr-ever Friends, Outstanding Rescue Cat, and Purina Better Together — will receive a trophy, a £100 pet store voucher, a year’s subscription to Cats Protection’s ‘The Cat’ magazine, and a three months’ supply of Purina cat food.