The State has its 1st Cutest Cat in Columbia winner, based on reader votes! Take a look
Congratulations Columbia, your cutest cat has been crowned!
At least, according to readers of The State.
Diego, a 1-year-old orange and white cat won The State’s first ever Cutest Cat in Columbia poll after a multi-day voting process. He was one of 38 cats who initially vied for the title. While all Columbia residents were allowed to submit their cat, only subscribers of The State were allowed to vote in the polls.
In the last poll for the final four, Diego was the clear winner with 724 votes, which was 68% of the total 1,061 votes cast. Pepper came in second with 260 votes, while Dora was third with 56 votes and Ashlee was last with 21 votes.
Khyra Taylor, of Columbia and Diego’s owner, said he came into her possession through her mother, who had been caring for a community cat that had birthed two kittens.
“One week, she asked our family to ‘kitten-sit’ while she went out of town, after which she was going to give them to a permanent home,” Taylor wrote in an email to The State. “We planned to care for them until it was time for them to leave, but they immediately stole our hearts, and our home became their forever home.”
One of those kittens was the cuddle-loving Diego.
“We love him so much,” Taylor wrote. “He’s always the first to greet us in the morning, and he doesn’t let a day go by without having play and cuddle time.”
Besides never turning down a good cuddle, Diego loves foods like chicken, salmon and tuna. He spends most of his time playing and sleeping inside. However, he sometimes enjoys spending time outside in his play tent.
His favorite toys are sparkle or catnip balls, Taylor wrote.
With Diego now the official winner, the family plans to celebrate, Taylor wrote.
“We are planning a ‘Cutie PAW-Tootie’ celebration with toys and his favorite crunchy and lickable treats,” she wrote.
This story was originally published October 2, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
