Local disabled cat wants to be named ‘America’s Favorite Pet’

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A disabled cat is competing to become ‘America’s Favorite Pet’.

Tyson the Cat was injured by a dog when he was just one month old. He can’t use his back legs, but that’s not stopping him.

His owner is trying to improve his quality of life, and the prize from this competition will help.

“Can’t believe how far he’s come with his progress,” said Rachel Stallings, Tyson’s owner.

He means a lot to Stallings.

“He just brings me so much joy. He’s such a sweet cat,” she said.

No matter how challenging things get, she still takes care of him.

“Didn’t break any bones, didn’t break the skin, but he messed up something in there,” she said.

Stallings says he lost feeling in his back legs.

“It never slowed him down for a second,” she said.

She says his physical therapy is expensive. So she entered him in ‘America’s Favorite Pet’, a contest with a $10,000 prize.

“That would really help with his medical bills because he’s an expensive cat,” she laughed.

Stallings says there’s a lot of competition.

“We are competing against all kinds of animals. We’ve got frogs and cows and rabbits and guinea pigs and alligators. You name it,” she said.

Right now, Tyson is in second place. He’s fighting for first… with a frog.

“It’s tough, but Tyson’s a fighter. I think he can make it to the end. We’ll see how it goes,” said Stallings.

She hopes it goes well for the cat that keeps going. That competition runs until the final week of October. You can vote once a day for free.