Skip to content

Final push for Vernon cat in U.S. pet contest

Reba, the purebred Himalayan, is hoping she can count on your vote to win top prize
24496022_web1_210318-VMS-cat-contest-reba_1
Reba is an 11-year-old purebred Himalayan from Vernon vying for the title of America’s Favorite Pet. (Elaine Gross - Contributed)

Reba, the purebred Himalayan cat, only has a few hours left to push through to the next round to become America’s Favorite Pet.

Her owner, Elaine Gross, said she never expected her cat would get this far, seeing as the competition is U.S.-based, but support has been rolling in for the 11-year-old “angel.”

Gross first got Reba at six weeks and said she’s struggled with health issues including colitis and tooth resorption which has resulted in plenty of vet visits and the extraction of all but four of her teeth.

“She just bounces back as if nothing ever happens,” Gross said. “She’s a little fighter.”

When Gross saw the ad for the contest on Facebook, she figured she’d try her hand at it, but she wasn’t sure which of her two cats she should nominate.

“‘I’ll do little miss Reba,’” she recalled herself thinking.

Gross completed the nomination back in November and by early January she learned her feline friend had been accepted.

“I thought, ‘Wow! Out of all those cats!’”

Now, she’s sitting purr-fectly in fourth with a shot at the semi-finals.

With $5,000 and the cover of popular cat magazine Catster up for grabs, Gross is hoping to squeeze last-minute support from the Okanagan Valley.

If Reba is victorious, Gross says there will be no frivolous spending of the cash prize.

“I’m planning on buying her and her brother (cat) Quincy — he’s a ragdoll — a new scratching post,” she said, noting the rest would go into a savings account for veterinary costs.

Click here to vote. Voting is open until 8 p.m. tonight (March 11).

READ MORE: AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine begins arriving in B.C.

READ MORE: Phoney $10 used in Armstrong shop a reminder to check cash


@caitleerach
Caitlin.clow@vernonmorningstar.com

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.