Zebby, a Moggy cat, received the award for helping his deaf pet parent with “hearing.”
Zebby has not received formal training as a service animal or therapy cat, yet his help is invaluable to his 66-year-old pet parent, Genevieve Moss. When the phone rings or he hears a strange noise, Zebby taps her. When someone is at the door, Zebby paces in front of her. The black-and-white cat even retrieves Moss’ slippers and newspaper for her!
Moss, who lives alone with Zebby in Derbyshire, said she “can’t imagine life without Zebby.”
“Without my hearing aid, I can’t hear anything, but now I have Zebby to help me,” Moss said. “He’ll come and tap me when the phone is ringing, and then I can pop my hearing aid and speaker on and take the call.”
The award is a long-overdue recognition of Zebby’s efforts. He beat out thousands of other cats from across England in the competition. A panel of celebrities — including veterinarian Dr. Scott Miller and former goalkeeper David Seaman — deemed Zebby the finest feline of them all.
Zebby didn’t just receive accolades and verbal praise for his actions, either. He won a prize package that included a pet store voucher worth over $200 as well as a trophy.