Cats Protection are working towards a world where every cat is treated with kindness, providing a nationwide service to rescuing our feline friends and offering a range of information and support services to cat owners. Alongside this, they have an annual celebration of all things kitty and this includes their Cat Awards.

With thousands of entries each year, the moggies are whittled down to those who stand out and meet the ethos of the charity. And this year, our very own local rescue, Eric, has been shortlisted. Eric, belongs to Helen Aitchison and Paul Richardson of North Tyneside.

"After spending time on the streets, followed by a period at a local rescue centre, Eric battled the fatal cat flu three times. The little survivor needed his fur-ever home and we rescued him during the pandemic. We found each other and Eric filled a cat shaped hole in our hearts, bringing companionship and love."

The pint-sized puss soon settled in, becoming the boss of house and sharing his gratitude each day for being given another chance at life. Paul decided to set up a social media account for Eric and overnight, he became popular on Twitter, followed by Instagram. Eric made the front cover of Community Cat Magazine, knocking Ricky Gervais's cat from the top spot! He has featured in a number of magazines and even had a poem published about him in an anthology book. Social media sees him bringing joy to people across the world on a daily basis whilst being an ambassador for #adoptdontshop.

His increasing popularity led to his purr-ents nominating him for the Cats Protection National Cat Awards, under the cat-egory of 'Social Star.' Eric was shortlisted;  the only rescue in his category and the only cat in the North East to have made it to the final. It would be great for Eric to bring the award home for the region and to champion the homeless felines. The star-studded, celebrity presented final takes place in July, in London.

Voting for the awards is free and requires no personal details to be submitted – simply a click. Voting is open until the end of June, via Social Star finalists | Cats Protection

Eric's promo YouTube video is available to watch here https://youtu.be/5wz7v2rPLp8

And you can follow his daily fun through his social media:

Twitter: @erics_escapades

Instagram: @erics_escapades_

TikTok: @erics_escapades

Eric would be purrfectly delighted if you can vote for him and we are all keeping our paws crossed for the awards announcement!

If you are interested in adopting a cat yourself, there are many rescue centres in the region who have cats looking for a loving home, including Cats Protection, here in Gateshead. For more information visit: cats.org.uk/tyneside