An online competition aiming to find America's Favourite Pet has been whittled down from hundreds of fine felines to a spectacular few.
Among them is a single Canadian cat.
Rose, from Vancouver.
America's Favourite Pet is an annual competition which sees pet owners send in profiles of their pets and then lets the internet vote on their favourite. Hundreds of thousands of cats and dogs are entered, and it's pared-down round after round.
Rose has made the semi-finals, and her “paw-rents” are hoping locals will support “the true north kitty,” which allows anyone to vote once a day.
Rose joined Raj Pala and Trisha Dulku's family just last year, but has already made an impact.
“Rose is such an important part of our family,” says Dulku, describing the young cat as playful, hilarious and stress relieving. “She likes to prank us by hiding around the corner of our stairwell and then jumping out and scaring us.”
“She's really the best cat.”
She was born at the Surrey Animal Resource Centre after her pregnant mother was abandoned. Last August, Rose and her siblings (who are all named after Dr. Who characters) were at the shelter when the family arrived; Rose was the only kitten that paid attention to them, even climbing Dulku's leg.
“They're always looking for good people to come and adopt their cats,” says Pala.
Now getting leash trained, Rose enjoys exploring parks with the family. She even visited the seawall recently.
“One of the things I love about Rose is she's brave,” says Dulku.
She adds that as a tortoise shell cat, Rose is considered lucky in many world cultures.
Currently fourth in her semi-final, Rose may still bring her family some good fortune. Winners of America's Favourite Pet get featured on the cover of Modern Cat (or Modern Dog on the canine side) and $10,000. And they get to claim the title of America's Favourite Pet.
“It would be hilarious if it's called America's Favourite Pet and a Canadian kitty won,” says Dulku.
“I feel like it's the right thing to do,” says Pala.
