WILLIAMSBURG — A cat living at Patriots Colony in Williamsburg is among 100 pets competing in the final round of a national online pet competition, with the winner set to receive $10,000.
Mittens, an orange cat adopted when he was 2 years old, advanced through four preliminary rounds of Top Pets, a competition operated by Socialmark, LLC. He was notified Wednesday that he had reached the final round.
The August competition began Aug. 4, with pets placed into groups for public voting. Pets that ranked high enough in their groups advanced through four rounds before reaching the final. The final round began Thursday and runs through Aug. 23, according to Top Pets.
Top Pets is one of several online competitions operated by Socialmark, a for-profit company that also operates photography and adventure competitions. The company says its competitions are designed to celebrate participants while supporting charitable grants.
Voting in Top Pets is free, and participants can vote for pets in each group once a day. The competition uses public voting to determine which pets advance.
The August winner will receive $10,000. Top Pets also says the winning competition funds an additional $10,000 in support of charity and grants for qualified applicants. Separately, Socialmark Giving operates a Rescue Grant program that awards $1,000 grants to people involved in animal rescue and other work involving animals.
Mittens’ owners have said that, if he wins, they intend to give his $10,000 prize to the Newport News-based rescue Purrhaps It’s Serendipity, which saved him and helped him find a permanent home.
Mittens is described by his owners as a friendly, social cat. Unlike many cats that hide when visitors arrive, they said, he runs to the door when he hears the bell.
The final round continues through Aug. 23, with the winner to be determined by public voting.
