Rescue cat supported mum with postnatal depression

A cat that has been credited with helping its owner through postnatal depression has been nominated for a national award.

Joanne Booker, from Didcot, said her rescue cat Panzer supported her after her baby Finn required life-saving treatment following his birth.

Ms Booker said her cat, that she adopted from a local shelter four years ago, was "a bit of a character" and "always up for fuss and strokes".

The 17-year-old feline is a finalist in the senior cats category at the Cats Protection National Cat Awards 2025 - which will be held in September.

Explaining how Panzer helped her, the 33-year-old librarian said that as a first-time mum, she found it "quite lonely and overwhelming" but her cat was "very caring".

"Panzer seemed to know when I needed a bit of comfort and having him there for cuddles was really reassuring," she said.

"If he wasn't cuddling up, he was keeping an eye on us the whole time."

"He suffered from anxiety and had over groomed and we felt sorry for him, so we took him in," Ms Booker said of Panzer's adoption.

"Within a couple of months, he was off his medication, his fur had grown back and he was zooming around the house."

Panzer is now one of the finalists in one of four categories at the National Cat Awards, with the public voting window opening on Monday.

Voting will conclude at the end of July, ahead of the ceremony later this year.

The annual awards are organised by Cats Protection - a charity which helps about 157,000 cats and kittens in the UK each year.

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