Cat companion is the ears of their deaf caregiver and provides incredible support

NEWS AND VIEWS: For Ms Moss of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, her cat Zebby is her ears and general helper. She is deaf but can hear with a hearing aid. Zebby has been trained to pick up the day-to-day sounds to which a caregiver needs to respond such as the front door bell or the phone ringing.

Genevieve Moss said she is ‘so proud of Zebby for showing the world how intuitive and caring cats can be’ (Lucy Ray/PA)

He does more than that; he fetches her slippers! And he picks up the post at the front door in the morning and brings it to her. How about that?!

Zebby has been named Cats Protection's National Cat of the Year 2023 in recognition of his wonderful support for Genevieve Moss, 66.

She said:

“Without my hearing aid, I can’t hear anything, but now I have Zebby to help me. 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."

And if there is an unusual noise in the night, he will bat her on the head to wake her up to alert her to it. And if someone is at the door, "he will pace about in front of me until I get the message."

She added that, "He is very helpful and likes to bring me things – he’ll get the post from the doormat and pick it up in his mouth before dropping it in the bedroom."

Zebby beat thousands of other pets to be named the overall winner in Cat Protection's award. Ms Moss couldn't envisage a world without her cat's help. She regards him as a hero.

Cats protection's National Cat Awards organiser, Ashley Fryer said: “From the moment we read his entry form, we knew Zebby was something special. Zebby is clearly devoted to Genevieve, and their story highlights the powerful bond that exists between people and their cats.”

Comment: I love these stories. Firstly, they tell us that domestic cats are not just about keeping their own a company or entertaining them. They can also be "utilitarian" in the same way that dogs are. Dogs are regarded as more utilitarian and therefore more useful on a practical level than cats but it is not always like that. Cats can be trained to help practically as is wonderfully illustrated in this warm story.