A Seaham feline is in the running to become the Cats Protection’s National Cat of the Year

Nala has beat hundreds of other entries to take her place as one of contender in the Outstanding Rescue Cat category – which celebrates cats who are adopted from rehoming charities.

The four-year-old cat was selected as a finalist in recognition of how she helped teenager Olivia Usher after she was diagnosed with psychosis in 2018.

Olivia had struggled with mental health issues for years before she attempted to take her own life.

However, after adopting Nala, who had been abandoned before being cared for by the RSPCA, life began to improve for the then teenager.

Now aged 21, Olivia is studying computer science at university and has revealed how much of an impact that Nala has had on her life.

She said: “I was in a very bad way, and I couldn’t see how things would ever get better. But when I first saw Nala, I just burst into tears, I knew she was meant to come home with us.

“Things started to improve and I noticed that Nala would sense when I was having a psychotic episode. These can be very frightening as I lose grip on reality and become consumed with negative thoughts, but Nala helps enormously.

"She begins to nuzzle into me and the feel of her fur and sound of her purr can bring me round.

“She’s had such an incredible impact on my life, I can’t imagine how I could have coped without her.”

Cats Protection’s awards organiser Kate Bunting added: “Olivia and Nala clearly have a very special bond, and it’s fantastic to hear how much better they’re both doing.

“Their story shows just how amazing rescue cats can be, and we hope it will inspire more people to give a home to a cat in need.”

Four category winners will be announced online on Thursday, August 5, with a celebrity panel deciding which cat walks away with the National Cat of the Year title on August 12.

Each category winner will receive a trophy, a £100 pet store voucher, a year’s subscription to Cats Protection’s The Cat magazine and a three months’ supply of Purina cat food.

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