Zebby the support cat named national cat of the year for helping owner with hearing impairment

One feline from the UK is here to give guide dogs good competition by being one of the most supportive cats. Cats are known to make you feel better by simply sitting on your chest and purring out loud while it chooses to offer you the pleasure of laying your hands on it. However, Zebby, a two-year-old black and white cat, does a lot more than that for his owner with a hearing impairment. He helps his owner, who is deaf, by alerting her to noises. Zebby taps his human to alert her if the phone or doorbell rings. This admirable behavior has now earned him the title of National Cat of the Year from Cats Protection.

Genevieve Moss, Zebby's human companion, expressed to the BBC that she "can't imagine life without Zebby" and is "over the moon" with this distinction. "I am so proud of Zebby for showing the world how intuitive and caring cats can be and what a positive effect they can have on people's lives. Without my hearing aid, I can't hear anything, but now I have Zebby to help me," she says. The cat received a trophy and a prize package worth $258 from a pet store.

The 66-year-old woman went on to explain what Zebby does for her to assist her. "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. In the night, if there's an unusual noise, he will bat me on my head to wake me up and let me know," she said. Zebby will tap Genevieve on the cheek or pace in front of her to remind her to put on her hearing aid. Astonishingly, the cat has not been trained specially to assist Moss. Aside from alerting her to noises, Zebby helps the woman by picking up the mail from the doormat and delivering it to her in his mouth or bringing in her slippers.

Zebby was among the four felines who were finalists in the Family Fur-ever award category and was voted the winner by the public. "From the moment we read his entry form, we knew Zebby was something special," Ashley Fryer, Cats Protection's National Cat Awards organizer said, "Zebby is clearly devoted to Genevieve, and their story highlights the powerful bond that exists between people and their cats. He's a shining example of the joy and comfort a cat can bring."

Moss added, "Zebby is very special, I've never known a cat quite like him. He loves to be around me, wherever I am, he's not far behind. We've got a very close bond and I wouldn't want to cope without him. Living on my own and being deaf means life could be lonely, but not with Zebby around, he's my hero."

Cats don't fail to break stereotypes and impress us. In another cat-caring story, Santos, a sensitive black tomcat dad, has gone viral on social media, with millions swooning over the new dad who appears to understand what his baby mama requires from him during labor and the early weeks of parenthood. In the video, shared by the TikTok account (@santospoppy), cat mom Poppy is seen sitting in her birthing box as Santos peers over the side and jumps in beside her. To relieve Poppy's pain during labor, Santos gently massages her with his paws.