An Auburn cat is vying for the title of America’s Favorite Pet and the $10,000 prize that comes with it.
Rudy is a cat currently in the quarter-finals for the online competition, where people can vote for their favorite cat, with the winner appearing on the cover of Modern Cat magazine.
Speaking with Finger Lakes Daily News, Abby Prentice, Rudy’s owner, said after stumbling across the competition on Instagram, she decided to enter her cat.
“I thought he was very deserving of the title. He was a stray, and he’s been very appreciative since I took him in,” said Prentice.
Prentice added that six years ago, a former neighbor was moving out of state and would no longer be able to feed the stray cats that hung around her garage. Prentice went to the home and took Rudy in; he’s been living with her as an indoor cat ever since.
Aside from appearing on the magazine cover, the winning feline will receive a $10,000 prize. Prentice told Finger Lakes Daily News that she would split the money between the Finger Lakes SPCA of Central New York and Cadisil research.
“[Cadisil] is a rare neurological disorder which my mom just passed away from in October, so I was going to donate half [of the prize] to research,” she said. “Every SPCA needs some money, so I want to help them out because they do a lot for the county.”
Voting in the quarter-finals is open until February 26 at 10:00p EST. Voting can be done here.
