Cat helped owner 'through grief' for partner

Jon Andrews says Magic was "a real help through that grieving process" after his partner died

A cat who helped one of his owners "through the grief and loss" of a partner has won a national award.

The Cats Protection charity awarded Magic, seven, the title of family cat of the year at a ceremony in London on Wednesday.

Owner Jon Andrews, from Woking, Surrey, nominated Magic after he was "a real help through that grieving process and that process of adjusting" when his partner Lara died in 2020.

"It was amazing how life can change so quickly but Magic has been there right through that process," Mr Andrews said.

Lara died after Covid-19 complications, leaving Mr Andrews to "come back to an empty house".

But he said Magic "would be at the top of the stairs waiting for me, so it wouldn't feel like an empty house".

Magic has "seen his award" and is "very happy", says his owner

Mr Andrews told BBC Radio Surrey the tuxedo cat helped him "through the loss of my father as well a couple of years later, and then has adapted to welcome my new partner Emma".

"There's this special bond and they know when you need support and when you need help," he said.

The award-winning cat stayed at home "oblivious to it all" during the ceremony but, according to Mr Andrews, has since "seen his award" and is "very happy".

Mr Andrews said carrying a large picture of Magic displayed at the event home via the Tube was "quite hilarious and quite tricky getting through the ticket barriers".

Also among the winners was Void, owned by Laura Welch from Staines, who was named incredible cat of the year.

Void has saved Ms Welch's life on multiple occasions by alerting her when she is about to have a medical episode related to her heart condition, according to Cats Protection.

Ms Welch said Void once "sprinted up the stairs at full speed" to alert her to an episode

Void, four, is not professionally trained but can "uncannily sense" when an episode is about to happen and alerts his owner by standing on her chest and tapping her with his paw.

Ms Welch previously told the BBC that Void once "sprinted up the stairs at full speed" to alert her to an episode while she was in bed.

The charity awarded the overall title of UK cat of the year to ginger cat Fizz, a local celebrity in Llandrindod Wells, Wales, due to wide-ranging adventures including crashing a wedding and interrupting a theatre performance.