Meet the moggies from the Alternative Cat Awards

Read on to discover which fabulous feline was crowned the People’s Purrfect Choice by the celebrity judges at 2020’s lockdown-themed awards, organised by charity Cats Protection, sponsored by Purina

(Leighanne James)

Necessity, it’s often said, is the mother of invention. So, unfortunately, when this year’s National Cat Awards were postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the resourceful award organisers – charity Cats Protection – hit upon a different way of celebrating the wonderful qualities of our feline friends.

Introducing the Alternative Cat Awards. With six awards up for grabs across five categories, with one overall winner – the People’s Purrfect Choice – the idea was for cat owners across the UK to send in their funniest videos of their feline companions as humans and moggies alike tried to navigate the trials and tribulations of lockdown.

Mischievous moggies and senior kitizens

Celebrity judge Arlene Phillips with her own cat Romeo (Arlene Phillips)

This they did in droves. The UK’s leading feline welfare charity was inundated with entries, which inevitably meant the celebrity judges – radio presenter Justine Greene, TV beauty expert Gina Akers, comedian Jake Lambert, former England goalkeeper David Seaman and his wife, Dancing on Ice star Frankie, and dance choreographer Arlene Phillips – had some tough choices to make.

Thankfully, they were up to the task. The erstwhile Strictly Come Dancing judge Phillips chose the delightful Bean in the Best Newcomer category; the Seamans plumped for entertaining Sid in the Mischievous Moggy class; Lambert went for the magical Charlie Roo as the Purrfectly Imperfect winner; and Greene picked Cookie as her choice for Senior Kitizen.

At a time of lockdown, when many cats had to get used to their human friends being around the house more and, naturally, working from home, the Purina Purrfect Teamwork gong sought to honour the cat that best exemplified this new normal of harmonious co-existence.  

The Purina Purrfect Teamwork award recognised cats whose owners work from home (Shutterstock Custom)

Sponsored by pet food specialist Purina – who has long-extolled the virtues of working with your pet nearby, not least for its mental health benefits – the winner in this category was Norbert. 

His owner, Leighanne James, says that Norbert (pictured top with James) had captured the spirit of lockdown brilliantly: “Although Norbert can be quite shy at times, he is becoming more confident by the day and quite happy to take part in an online video call – albeit he hasn’t learned to type yet!”

The purrfect cat champ

Smart Cookie: say hello to the overall winner, pictured with owner Holly Webb (Holly Webb)

The overall winner – the People’s Purrfect Choice – was announced by cat-loving comedian Bob Mortimer. He revealed the “finest feline on film” to be 21-year-old Cookie from Romford, pictured above with owner Holly Webb. 

Alongside winning a smorgasbord of cat treats – including toys, prizes, a subscription to Cats Protection’s magazine and other surprises – Webb also won two tickets to next year’s most exclusive date on the feline calendar: the 2021 National Cat Awards.

Purina has been supporting Cats Protection for over 30 years and supports adoption programmes across Europe as part of its Purina in Society commitments 

To find out more about Cats Protection, the UK’s largest feline welfare charity, visit cats.org.uk