A beloved cat who has helped bring comfort to women escaping slavery and trafficking has been rewarded for his remarkable ‘gift of empathy’.
Marley, a seven-year-old black and white moggy, has won the coveted accolade of Cats Protection’s National Cat of the Year 2024.
The much-loved feline has been recognised in particular for helping people feel comforted at Caritas Bakhita House in London, which houses women who have been enslaved, trafficked and exploited.
Head of Caritas Bakhita House Karen Anstiss, 59, said: ‘I’m so proud Marley has won National Cat of the Year – he’s a wonderful example of the power of love.
Marley, a seven-year-old black and white moggy who lives at Caritas Bakhita House in London, has won Cats Protection’s Cat of the Year 2024 award
‘Often Marley placing a paw on our guests’ legs is the first kindness they’ve experienced in years. He has this incredible gift of empathy and has assisted many, many women along the road to recovery.’
Caritas Bakhita House – currently home to 11 women from 11 countries – adopted Marley four years ago, after he stayed in a rescue shelter and was taken in by a family whose other cat bullied him.
‘Before he went into rescue, I think he had a hard time. So, he recognises our guests’ trauma because he has suffered too,’ Ms Anstiss said.
Marley, who was adopted by the shelter four years ago, has helped women who have been trafficked recover from their trauma, according to the head of the shelter
Despite possessing the ‘gift of empathy’, Marley can still display typical ‘cat’ behaviour and patrols his favourite patch of the communal garden like a ‘security guard’
Marley is said to have helped women begin to recover from their trauma by offering them cuddles and sympathetic ear
‘Initially he sits really close, to see how the women respond. Then he gently puts a paw on their leg letting them know they’re not alone.
‘We had one guest who was so traumatised she didn’t speak to us – only to Marley – and because she trusted him, over time we were able to reach her.’
Ms Anstiss said Marley is also staff supervisor, a security guard patrolling the grounds, and chief gardener.
She said that ‘nobody is allowed to touch his patch of daisies’.
He is a popular for art therapy, often joins the staff and guests at dinner, and one guest even composed a song for him.
‘Marley really is the fluffy heart of our home,’ Ms Anstiss said.
To reach the final four cats in the National Cat Awards, Marley first won the incredible cats category, which celebrates cats whose bond with their humans inspires extraordinary acts of love, in a public vote.
He was then selected as overall National Cat of the Year by a panel of celebrity judges, winning a trophy and prize package which included a £200 pet store voucher.
He follows in the pawprints of last year’s winner Zebby, who won National Cat of the Year 2023 in recognition of how he supports his deaf owner Genevieve Moss by alerting her to sounds around the home.
The nation’s biggest celebration of cats was held at London’s One Marylebone on September 18 and hosted by novelist, presenter and self-confessed cat lady Dawn O’Porter.
Other category winners this year included Zara, the winner of the family cat category, who offered pastoral care to the congregation at St John the Evangelist in Bexley, comforting mourners and starring in wedding photographs.
Cilla was the winner of the connected category, as a school cat at Outwoods Primary School in Atherstone, Warwickshire, who calms pupils before their SATs and sparked donations of £5,000 worth of books from social media followers around the world, restocking the school library.
The winner of the senior cats category was 21-year-old Miss Dave Mittens, who has shared a lifetime of love with her owners.