As I have mentioned, my cat Magic was a nominee at the Cats Protection National Cat Awards. One night, I was scrolling through social media and saw an advert. Knowing Magic is a special cat, I decided to nominate him. I was shocked when I got a call a few weeks later saying that Magic was a finalist! The first question I asked the lady from Cats Protection on the phone was, “How on earth am I meant to get a cat to the ceremony in London?” Thankfully, I was assured that it was the humans who attend on behalf of the felines.

For a few months, I had to keep the news of Magic’s nomination a secret. We had a photographer and videographer coming out to meet Magic and produce the promotional material. Then, over the summer, the public vote opened, and the ceremony took place in London at the end of September.

Magic came into our lives just before lockdown. At that point, Lara and I had just brought our house together. We had previously encountered another cat meowing at our back door one winter’s night. We took this cat in for the weekend before reuniting it with its owners. This sowed the seed in our minds: we needed a cat in our lives!

In 2019, a friend posted about her cat, whom she could no longer look after. We instantly knew Magic was the cat for us and went over to collect him and welcome him into our home.

Tragically, in December 2020, Lara passed away following Covid complications, and my world was turned upside down. Magic sensed my grief and was always there for a cuddle and to greet me when I came home. I found myself talking to Magic about how I was feeling. He helped me through the loss of Lara and also my dad’s passing in 2022. In recent years, Magic has welcomed Emma, my new partner, into the family with open paws. I often think he likes her more than me now!

At the awards, Magic won his category – Family Cats. He is currently adapting to being a celebrity cat, with a flurry of media attention in the days following the ceremony, but he’s taking it all in his stride.

Magic is one of two winners from Surrey. Void from Staines won the Incredible Cat category with his owner Laura Welch. Void is able to detect seizures and medical episodes before they happen, giving Laura a chance to make herself safe in good time.

The overall winner of Cat of the Year went to Fizz from Wales, who is a regular sight around his community. Fizz’s antics can be followed on Facebook (Fizz the Wonderer).

The awards were such an exciting experience. Afterwards, we faced the challenge of getting a giant picture of Magic home from London on the train! That certainly caught people’s attention!

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