Getting better with age, IL’s cutest cat is 15 years old. Meet our contest winner
A 15-year-old kitty from Freeburg named Spritz has won our cutest cat contest, garnering 933 votes.
Spritz’s owners, Lyn and Jacob Lanter, adopted her from a friend who was fostering her about three years ago.
“She was super sweet, but just kind of reserved when we first got her,” Lyn said. “But over the years, she’s just turned into the biggest cuddler, talker, and just wants to be around us 24/7.”
The Lanters adopted Spritz in late springtime and named her after one of their favorite cocktails.
“We were pretty surprised with how many votes she got and how well she did,” Jacob said.
The other cats Spritz competed against were super cute and had great stories, he continued.
“But we were still very happy and surprised when she won,” he said.
The Lanters believe Spritz is a Siamese-tortoise shell mixed breed cat, though it’s an estimate as they haven’t done DNA testing.
“I’ve heard that the Siamese part is where she gets her talkativeness,” Lyn said. “She definitely talks to me all day. And as far as her tortoise shell, I’ve always heard that they kind of have an attitude, but I don’t see it in her as much.”
One of Spritz’s favorite things to do is play chase with her crocheted rat toy, and she also enjoys chowing down on her kibble. She makes sure to let her humans know if her bowl gets empty.
Although Spritz is a senior at 15, her owners said she is doing very well, remains active and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. They’ve even asked Spritz’s veterinarian to confirm the age estimate.
“Spritz is actually our second senior cat that we have adopted,” Jacob said.
The Lanters highly recommend adopting a senior cat, and said they can be a great fit for anyone who wants a laid back pet to cuddle with and be a good companion.
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Adult and senior cats have seen a 7% decrease in adoptions compared to last year, according to Shelter Animals Count, a nonprofit organization focused on animal sheltering data. Despite the fact that senior cats in shelters may be less popular than the kittens, they offer several advantages such as a more predictable personality and less required supervision, the ASPCA reports.
Spritz will move on to a nationwide round this fall to find the cutest pets across McClatchy News’ U.S. market.
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