Town's celebrity cat Fizz, who gatecrashed child’s birthday party and shared stage with TV star, is up for award

The ginger cat, well-known throughout Llandrindod Wells, has earned a prestigious place among the finalists in this year’s Cats Protection National Cat Awards.

Four-year-old Fizz has beaten hundreds of feline competitors to reach the final three in the Connected Cats category, which honours cats who make a significant impact in their local communities and bring joy to people near and far.

Fizz’s reputation as the town’s wandering ambassador is legendary.

With a dedicated Facebook page boasting 1,600 followers, the adventurous cat has trotted all over Llandrindod Wells, becoming a familiar figure at the newsagents, gym, bank, job centre, library, British Legion, the bingo hall — and even once stealing the spotlight by strolling onstage during a performance by Kaleb Cooper from Clarkson’s Farm at the local theatre.

His only prolonged absence from town was when his brother, Bubbles, was tragically run over outside their home. Fizz spent two weeks sitting quietly by the kitchen window, hardly moving.

Fizz’s owner, 58-year-old property manager Briony Loder, said: “Fizz started disappearing when he was nine months old. We were driving around looking for him everywhere, so we set up a Facebook page asking people to post a photo if they saw him.

“My phone is never silent. Fizz just loves to follow people. It doesn’t matter if they’re going five minutes or four miles, he’ll follow them.

“He pulled a three-nighter once and ended up in a pub five miles away.

“We’ve had the postman drive up with the post before and drop off the cat. He is a regular at the quiz night at the Conservative Club, he gatecrashed a child’s birthday party, he found his way to an old people’s home and was sitting on residents’ laps, he was sitting at the customer service desk in Tesco when I went in shopping one day - and his latest thing is that he worked out how to use the automatic doors at the bank.

“His big favourite at the moment is the outdoor bowling club. They have a big international tournament soon and he will love that. They have a rule – the game has to stop if Fizz is on the green.

“The only place he’s been evicted from is the hospital – which is fair enough.

“People have called for him to be mayor and to have a statue of him in town.

“Fizz has no fears and no boundaries. As far as Fizz is concerned, the town is his. He gets up at five in the morning, meows like mad until one of us gets up and lets him out, then he’s off.”

Briony added: “He does what he wants, when he wants. I’ve just got to accept he’s a natural-born wanderer. He adores people and loves attention.”

Fizz now moves to the next stage of the National Cat Awards, which involves a public vote across four categories: Connected Cats, Family Cats, Incredible Cats, and Senior Cats. Cat lovers can cast their votes online at www.cats.org.uk/nca until July 31.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on September 24, hosted by writer and presenter Dawn O’Porter. Alongside the category trophies, each winner will receive a £200 pet store voucher and a year’s subscription to The Cat magazine. The overall National Cat of the Year will receive an additional trophy, inheriting the title from Marley, the 2024 winner who was recognised for his comforting presence to women in need at Caritas Bakhita House in London.

Fizz has already pulled in lots of local support including from Llandrindod Wells Mayor Councillor Steve Deeks-D’Silva, who urged people to vote for him and local arts venue, The Pavilion.

Jeff Knott, advocacy and influence director at Cats Protection, said: “The National Cat Awards celebrates the nation’s cats and the extraordinary impact they have on people’s lives.

“This year’s finalists have shown incredible intuition, empathy and compassion.

“We can’t wait to reveal the winners – and it’s now up to the public to decide,” he added.