CAT OF THE YEAR
MR LONDON MEOW
Hospital therapy cat loved by patients, staff and his thousands of social media followers.
And as well as helping poorly people feel better Mr London Meow makes everyone smile too – with his wardrobe of purr-fectly amazing outfits!
The dapper four-year-old is often pictured on his Instagram account – posing for his 10,000 followers in everything from specially-made sunglasses to sheepskin jackets.
He’s half Persian and half Rag Doll, giving him an elegant look and kind, inquisitive nature that’s made him such a hit with patients.
And the judges were impressed by the way he interacts with people to give them a boost when they need it most. It was his guardian, city worker, Isabel Serafim, who realised that his lovely nature meant he could help others.
He became a registered therapy cat with Pets As Therapy UK and has teamed up with NHS Barts Health and Barts Volunteers too, regularly popping into hospitals around his home, in London, to offer therapeutic care to patients. He spends time on different wards, being petted and stroked and always causes quite a stir.
As Yusuf Yousuf, a healthcare support worker at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, says: “The atmosphere lifts up any time he comes onto the wards. “Whispers start going around. We all get really excited.”
His guardian, Isabel Serafim, 44, adds: “He has this way with people, and is very charming. He’s very generous, bubbly and fun. I think he has a sense to be around someone, if that someone needs a little bit of attention and care.”
She is delighted that he has been singled out for an award – and says he’ll be making a special effort to look his very best for the evening ceremony.
As Ingrid explains: “It’s amazing that he’s being honoured with this award – I’ve always known he was very special but it’s lovely to think that other people think he’s special too.
“When we go to hospital people love seeing him – he makes people smile and can help people feel calm when they might not be in the best of health.The relationship between animals and humans can be special and with Mr London Meow you can see that.”
“We had to take a little bit of break because of Covid but we’ve started to go into hospitals again, we’ve been taking it slowly but it feels good to be back. We’re looking forward to the awards – it will be a really special night – all we need to do now is get our outfits ready.”