Two cats from Wales in running for National Cat of the Year

Two cats from Wales have been named as finalists in Cats Protection National Cat Awards 2025.

The pair beat hundreds of other entrants in their respective categories. Four year old Fizz from Llandrindod Wells takes his place in the Connected Cats category for cats who play a big part in their local community, while 11-year-old Mitts from Blaenau Ffestiniog takes her place in the Incredible Cats category for cats with a remarkable tale.

Fizz is a wanderer who has his own Facebook page with 1.6k friends following his every move. He has trekked all over town, visiting the newsagents, gym, bank, job centre, library, British Legion, the bingo and even strolled on stage at the local theatre while Kaleb Cooper from Clarkson’s Farm was mid-performance.

The only time he stayed home was when his brother, Bubbles, got run over outside the house and he sat by the kitchen window for two weeks and barely moved. Fizz is a ginger cat with attitude and the town has taken him to their hearts.

“Loves attention”

Briony Loder, 58, a property manager, says: “Fizz started disappearing when he was nine months old. We were driving around looking for him everywhere, so we set up a Facebook page asking people to post a photo if they saw him. My phone is never silent.

“Fizz just loves to follow people. It doesn’t matter if they’re going five minutes or four miles, he’ll follow them. He pulled a three-nighter once and ended up in a pub five miles away.”

Briony add: “We’ve had the postman drive up with the post before and drop off the cat. Fizz has no fears and no boundaries. As far as Fizz is concerned, the town is his.

“He gets up at five in the morning, meows like mad until one of us gets up and lets him out, then he’s off. He does what he wants, when he wants, I’ve just got to accept he’s a natural born wanderer. He adores people and loves attention.”

Saviour

Also competing from Wales is Mitts who helped Louise Brinton-Clarke, 42, get her life back on track after she became homeless following her marriage break-up. Louise had always loved cats, but when she got a flat and took in the frightened tabby, she never imagined the impact Mitts would have.

Louise said: “I was in a difficult relationship and left with just my car and suitcase. I was homeless for six months and ended up sleeping in my car before I got my flat. The first night was terrible. I was just sitting in this massive living room with a tiny armchair on my own. I had no internet or TV, no access to the outside world.”

Louise continued: “Then Mitts came along and I had another soul with me. She’s extremely loving and quite bossy. If I haven’t gone to bed by half eleven, she’s standing there meowing with this look on her face.

“If Mitts wasn’t here, I could go days, even weeks without speaking to another person. But she needs me, I have to go out to buy her food and make sure she’s ok. She’s just a little cat and asks for nothing but she gives so much.”

Public vote

Mitts and Fizz will now go through to a public vote to find winners in four categories – Connected Cats, Family Cats, Incredible Cats and Senior Cats. Cat lovers can vote for their favourite finalist by visiting www.cats.org.uk/nca during the voting period which runs until 31 July.

Category winners and the overall National Cat of the Year – chosen by a panel of judges – will be announced during a ceremony hosted by writer and presenter Dawn O’Porter in London on 24 September.

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.

This year’s overall winner will inherit the title from Marley who was named National Cat of the Year 2024 in recognition of the work he has done to comfort women who have been enslaved, exploited and trafficked at Caritas Bakhita House in London.