A WELL-KNOWN cat from Bridgwater has been named as a finalist in this year's National Cat Awards 2023, organised by the Cats Protection charity.

Elsa, who belongs to Gavin Dalley, beat thousands of other entries to take his place as one of three contenders in the Social Star category. 

The popular black-and-white cat, who was named as a kitten when his owners mistakenly believed he was female, has become so popular in Bridgwater that Gavin set up a Facebook page to chart his antics, which has racked up over 1,500 devoted followers.

The account charts Elsa’s adventures around the town, with retail staff and shoppers posting photos of his daily visits to his favourite boutiques, banks, hairdressers and betting shops.

Gavin explained: “Elsa has always loved meeting people, and it turns out we live in the ideal spot for him – just 100 metres from the local shopping area, King Square.

“Every day, he goes out and chooses where he wants to spend the day – he’s particularly fond of the banks, the card shop and the salon, but also nips into all the betting shops.

“All the staff and shoppers love him, and his Facebook page is full of photos of him in various places, and with all sorts of people. He is such a character and is very well known and loved locally.

“He just loves to meet people, find a new spot for a nap and generally potter about and see what’s happening.

“He has fads on his favourite shops, and if that’s where he wants to be he will just sit outside until they let him in.

“There was even a movie being filmed in the square a few months ago – of course, Elsa was straight into the action there, meeting all the actors and production crew.

“He’s never hard to find - he’s normally got a few fans gathered round making a fuss of him. He spreads so much cheer, and if he’s happy, we are happy.” 

Category winners and the overall National Cat of the Year – chosen by a panel of distinguished judges – will be announced during a ceremony at Wilton’s Music Hall in London on July 17.

Best-selling author, TV presenter and cat lover Dawn O’Porter, who will be hosting the awards, said: “As a confirmed cat lady I am so excited to be hosting this year’s National Cat Awards and to help Cats Protection raise awareness of the amazing bond we have with our feline friends.

“I’m really looking forward to hearing all the amazing stories of the nominees”.

Cats Protection’s awards organiser Ashley Fryer said: “Elsa is clearly an incredibly well-loved member of the community and it’s not hard to see why he has so many fans, both in person and online.”

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.

Elsa will now go through to a public vote to find winners in four categories – Cat Colleagues, Moggy Marvels, Family Fur-ever and Social Star.

Voting is open now and cat lovers have until 30 June to vote for their favourite finalist by visiting www.cats.org.uk/nca.

To find out more about Cats Protection, visit www.cats.org.uk