The first ever Frome Times ‘Cutest Pet’ competition has been won by Dexter, a six-year old Ragdoll cat; and his owner says the town’s most famous feline is sure to become quite the diva!
Hundreds of votes were received in the special competition organised to celebrate National Pet Month, which aims to raise awareness of responsible pet ownership and encourage fundraising for the nation’s needy pets. 100 pets in Frome battled it out to be crowned the ‘cutest’ but it was Dexter, owned by couple Matt Othold and James Lavorgna, who stole the hearts of Frome Times’ readers with his bright blue eyes and long fluffy coat.
“It is absolutely amazing, we are gobsmacked,” said Matt. “For Dexter to win out of 100 pets in Frome; we are both shocked and surprised. We always knew he was a good-looking boy, but we really didn’t expect to win.
“Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote, we really appreciate it, and I’m sure Dexter does in his own special way.
“I’ve always been a cat person, but my partner James was a dog person and wasn’t interested in having a cat. But one weekend six years ago we cat-sitted for my brother and it completely changed James’ mind. That weekend he started browsing online for a kitten and soon after, we were picking up Dexter from the breeder – we fell in love with him straight away.
“He’s part of the family. Ragdolls are such a lovely breed and are very cuddly and playful. We call him a ‘cat-dog’ as he behaves much like a dog.
“Now that he’s the ‘cutest pet in Frome’ I reckon he’ll start acting like a diva and a celebrity, he’ll certainly be better known around the town.”
For winning, Dexter and his owners Matt and James were presented with a special pet hamper kindly donated by Not Just Pets in Frome. Staff member Steph Graham from Not Just Pets, said, “This has been a fantastic competition, the response from the public has been amazing. Myself and everyone at Not Just Pets have really enjoyed being involved – Frome has certainly proved themselves to be a town of animal lovers!
“Dexter is absolutely gorgeous and a very worthy winner, his blue eyes are to die for!”
This Saturday, 28th April, Not Just Pets will be hosting a National Pet Month open day, which promises a day of family fun and fundraising for local charities.
All day, visitors can expect opportunities to get up close and personal with a whole variety of animals, including reptiles and birds of prey from Springcourt Animal Rescue. There will also be a raffle, a creepy corner to help anyone afraid of bugs to conquer their fear, stalls, competitions and much, much more.
