Readers' Poll: Cat of the Year 2010

It's forever a temptation to turn the Daily (Maybe) into a purely cat blog. Cats purring, cats jumping, cats looking at owner ruefully... you know, that sort of thing. Perhaps I'll take a leaf out of Iain Dale's book and stop being a blogger, apart from the occasional blog post, that is.

You're stuck with things as they are at the moment I'm afraid. However, as a concession to that alternative world I thought I'd run a poll on CAT OF THE YEAR. You can vote for one of the following seven short listed cats in the side bar to the right;

Pepper the fire-fighting cat

Pepper saved the family home from certain doom. Seeing the kitchen ablaze Pepper raced to a window and opened it, letting out the smoke and alerting the neighbours in the process. Pepper's owners were very grateful as it meant the fire was caught just in time.

I'm slightly concerned Pepper's heroic actions essentially involved running away and not much else but the fire crew commander heaped praise on the cat saying ‘If he hadn't done that, the fire would have developed quite a lot.’

Oscar the medicinal cat

Forget the lady and the lamp now we have Oscar the medicinal cat. The Telegraph describes Oscar as "five and generally unsociable" with an unusual talent - spotting the shadow of the grim reaper. Nurses began to rely on Oscar to know which soul to prepare for their coming end.

We hear of an occasion "When nurses once placed the cat on the bed of a patient they thought close to death, Oscar "charged out" and went to sit beside someone in another room. The cat's judgement was better than that of the nurses: the second patient died that evening, while the first lived for two more days. "

You can't doubt his commitment "He'll slip out for two minutes, grab some kibble and then he's back at the patient's side. It's like he's literally on a vigil." Although his owner "Dr Dosa offers no solid scientific explanation for Oscar's behaviour." No?

Giuly, the fattest of cats

There are a number of things that are every cat's specialist subject. Sleeping, knowing when it's half an hour before breakfast and wearing an excessive layer of extra winter padding. On this score Giuly is a princess among felines.

Giuly is one of those cats that knows they truly are the center of this most comfortable of worlds and is surely an inspiration to cats the length and breadth of the nation, if not the world.

Casper the public transport cat

Casper hit the headlines last year for his penchant for taking the bus home after a hard days "mousing". Sadly, Casper was killed in a hit and run earlier this year but right until the end his commitment to public transport and free loading was undimmed.

Casper was a regular on the number 3 Devon and Cornwall First Direct. A company spokeswoman said "Casper touched many people's lives and clearly had a very exciting life - travelling around Plymouth and who knows where else. I suspect he's now exploring heaven and is telling all the other cats up there about the many adventures he had."

Bob the streetwise cat

Bob was found one day by Big Issue seller James Bowen having been attacked by another animal. James nursed Bob back to health before allowing the free spirit to go his own way. But Bob had grown attached to his new human and decided to stay. He even helps James sell his Big Issues outside Angel tube station.

Bob must be the envy of the town strays because he's become a local celebrity and is possibly the only cat in London to have been awarded an honorary Oyster card. He certainly seems a happy chap.

Blackie the oldest cat

Blackie, shown here with young'uns Scarlett and Tom Harris, has lived to the grand old age of 24. The Mail says she's 'going strong' which is possibly a slight exaggeration to my mind.

Her carer Quentin Shaw says 'She doesn’t hunt now, she can’t see in the dark and if you try to brush her she usually falls over, but she’s very determined and still going strong.’ which I think is very, very funny.

Described as having a lot of attitude as well as a hefty snore Blackie deserves her place among the cat of the year short list if anyone does.

Alfie the resurrection cat

Alfie looks like your common or garden ginger Tom, but you'd be wrong to think it because he is Alfie the resurrection cat! Not only was Alfie knocked don by a car his human friend Angelo Petrillo actually buried him in the back garden. Wracked with grief Angelo and family then moved home.

Bizarrely eight months later they received a phone call from their ex-neighbour because Alfie had been spotted trying to get into his old home and "had remained outside all night, meowing pitifully."

Leaving aside the fact that the neighbours didn't take Alfie in and give him some warm milk and a tin of tuna but just left him outside (!) Alfie is indeed a miracle cat having come back from the dead.

Take yourself to the poll on the right hand side bar to vote for the cat you think should be 2010's CAT OF THE YEAR.