Is your cat unique?

National Cat Awards

Cat owners in Oldham have less than a month left to nominate their furry friends in Cats Protection’s prestigious National Cat Awards.

From felines which provide support to children, to marvellous moggies that saved the day in an emergency, the Awards celebrate the joy cats bring to people’s lives.

Owners have until noon on Friday 8 March to nominate their cat in one of five categories:

• Hero Cat – Cats that save the day.
• Most Caring Cat – Cats that positively impact a person’s health or wellbeing.
• Furr-ever Friends – Tales of friendship between children and cats.
• Outstanding Rescue Cat – Fabulous felines adopted from animal charities.
• Purina® Better Together - Celebrating the special bond that has transformed and enriched the lives of both a feline and human.

A panel of celebrity cat-lovers will select the winners with the owners receiving their trophies at a star-studded ceremony at London’s Savoy Hotel on Thursday 8 August – coinciding with International Cat Day.

Cats Protection’s Awards organiser Kate Bunting said: “Cats are fantastic pets and bring a huge amount of fun, companionship and support to the people they live with.

“Every year, we hear stories of how inspirational cats can be  – from surviving against the odds to helping their owners cope with loss or sadness. There’s now less than a month to go until entries close, so we’re hoping to hear lots more stories of how cats have made a positive difference to people’s lives.”

The overall winner will inherit the title of National Cat of the Year from Theo, who helped his owner Charlotte Dixon survive a potentially fatal blood clot.

Theo followed in the paw prints of a long line of feline heroes honoured by Cats Protection. They include Genie, who helped schoolgirl Evie Henderson battle bone cancer; Tink, who saved her owners from a house fire, and Jessi-Cat, who was celebrated for helping a seven-year-old boy cope with Selective Mutism.

Broadcaster and writer Andrew Collins, whose own cat Gerry was previously a stray, will be one of a panel of celebrity judges selecting the National Cat of the Year.

He said: “Cats make a house a home and whatever stage of life they join you, it improves everything. The National Cat Awards honour acts of extraordinary bravery, empathy and loyalty. Humans are lucky to be chosen and adopted by cats of all ages.”

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