Celebrities reunite to select Britain’s top cat
02 September 2014
21 May 2014
Entertainment host Tim Vincent, Birds of a Feather star Lesley Joseph and model Lucy Pinder are among a panel of cat lovers who will be choosing the overall winner of Cats Protection’s National Cat Awards.
Along with former BBC newsreader Jan Leeming, TV vet Emma Milne, actor Anthony Head and animal behaviour counsellor Sarah Fisher, they will choose the nation’s top cat from five category winners – Hero Cat, Most Caring Cat, Most Incredible Story, Outstanding Rescue Cat and Purina® Better Together.
Sponsored by PURINA®, the National Cat Awards, which are open to all living cats in the UK, take place in August and celebrate the achievements of fearless felines and miraculous moggies.
The seven celebrities are former judges and are again lending their support at a time when Cats Protection is struggling with a cat crisis caused by the tough economic climate.
At any one time the charity is stretched beyond capacity looking after between 5,000 and 6,000 unwanted cats whilst figures from the charity’s national helpline for the first quarter of 2014 show that for every enquiry to adopt a cat or kitten, there are five wanting to give one up or report a stray.
Tim Vincent said: “Awards like this are important because they celebrate the loving and sometimes amazing contribution that pet cats make to their owners’ lives”, while Lucy Pinder said: “I’m delighted to be supporting the awards, they promote the benefits of adopting a cat at a time when Cats Protection has thousands of unwanted felines in desperate need of new homes.”
The National Cat Awards will be held on the afternoon of Thursday 7 August 2014 at The Savoy in London. Entries close on 30 May at 12 noon so there is still time to enter a cat’s story to stand a chance of winning the top cat accolade.
This year’s winner will follow in the paws of previous overall winner Jessi-Cat from Greater Manchester, who helped Lorcan Dillon, a young boy with Asperger’s Syndrome and selective mutism, to communicate more confidently with his family and friends. To enter your cat’s story please visit
www.cats.org.uk or contact Cats Protection’s national helpline on tel: 03000 12 12 12 or email: helpline@cats.org.uk to request an entry form.
Cats Protection is the UK’s leading feline welfare charity and helps over 218,000 cats and kittens each year through a national network of over 250 volunteer-run branches and 30 adoption centres.
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For further information or photographs, please contact Cats Protection’s Media Office on 01825 741 911 or email media.office@cats.org.uk
Notes to editors:
1. Cats Protection’s registered charity number is 203644 (England and Wales) and SC037711 (Scotland).The charity’s vision is a world where every cat is treated with kindness and an understanding of its needs.
2. Founded as the Cats Protection League in 1927, the charity adopted the name Cats Protection in 1998. We ask that you use the name Cats Protection when referring to the charity in all published material.
3. More information about the work of Cats Protection can be found at
www.cats.org.uk
4. Purina® is committed to helping pets live longer, happier and healthier lives through proper nutrition and care. For over 85 years, Purina has been one of the pioneers in providing safe, palatable and nutritious products made to the highest standards of quality and safety. The Purina brand portfolio includes many of the UK’s best known and best-loved pet foods including Felix®, Bakers®, Purina ONE ®, Bonio®, Gourmet®, Go-Cat®, Pro Plan®, Beta®, Purina Veterinary Diets® and Winalot®. For more information visit
www.purina.co.uk