From sociable cats that spread cheer wherever they go to caring cats who provide comfort in times of need, the marvellous moggies are all in the running to be named Cats Protection’s National Cat of the Year 2023.

This year’s top cat will follow in the pawprints of previous winner Jasper and Willow, who were named joint National Cat of the Year 2022 in recognition of the role they play at St Peter & St James Hospice in Haywards Heath, Sussex.

The finalists in this year’s Awards – which will be hosted by best-selling author and TV presenter Dawn O’Porter - include:

• Zebby - the self-taught ‘hearing cat’ who helps his deaf owner around the home.
• Elsa - an ultra-sociable moggy who spends each day visiting local shops to meet staff and shoppers.
• Dali - the brave puss who survived for a month marooned on a tiny island of rocks in a river.

Cats Protection’s National Cat Awards, organised by the UK’s largest feline welfare charity, recognises the incredible bond between cats and people. The four categories include Cat Colleagues, Moggy Marvels, Family Fur-ever, and Social Star. Voting is open now and cat lovers have until 30 June to vote for their favourite finalist. 

Category winners and the overall National Cat of the Year – chosen by a panel of distinguished judges – will be announced during a ceremony at Wilton’s Music Hall in London on 17 July.

Best-selling author, TV presenter and cat lover Dawn O’Porter – who will be hosting the awards - said: “As a confirmed cat lady I am so excited to be hosting this year’s National Cat Awards and to help Cats Protection raise awareness of the amazing bond we have with our feline friends. I’m really looking forward to hearing all the amazing stories of the nominees”.

Cats Protection’s awards organiser, Ashley Fryer, said: “The National Cat Awards is all about celebrating the nation’s love of cats and this year we’ve got some truly extraordinary nominees. Cats can have a huge impact on wellbeing and mental health and it’s clear that each of our finalists brings something really special to their owners. We’ve whittled down nearly 3,000 entries to just twelve remarkable felines and we can’t wait to see who the public chooses as their winners.

“We are thrilled to pay tribute to some of the nation’s most marvellous moggies and hope their stories will help more people understand why cats are such amazing pets.”

Category winners will each win a prize package of a trophy, a £200 pet store voucher and a year’s subscription to Cats Protection’s The Cat magazine, with the National Cat of the Year also receiving an overall winner trophy.