Derry rescue kitty in the running for 'Nose of Tralee'

A Derry rescue cat is in the running for this year's 'Nose of Tralee’ competition.

Tigger, who was adopted by owner Claire Dougherty earlier this year, has an inspiring story.

Although living in Derry city, Tigger recently managed to escape and was found in the County Derry village of Claudy.

A kind stranger discovered little Tigger and brought him to the local vets to wait on his owners to collect him.

When Claire first got Tigger he was a feral three month-old kitten who was terrified of humans. The staff at the rescue centre even needed gardening gloves to pick him up for fear of being scratched.

Claire recalled when she first brought Tigger home.

“The first week at home he sat on a shelf and didn't come near anyone but he eventually started to trust us. Seeing that transformation was amazing,” she said.

“Since then he has ruled the house. He's a bundle of energy and has such a big personality for such a little kitty. That's why when he went missing it was so devastating. The only silver lining of that ordeal was while Tigger was missing we got another rescue cat, Stitch who is older and more chilled out. When Tigger returned he was unsure at first but Stitch looked after him, he groomed and cuddled him when he was injured. They became best buds. Now, Tigger is fully recovered, he bounces about and Stitch follows after, keeping an eye on him.”

Claire said she decided to enter her pet into the competition because he is a ‘survivor’.

“We decided to enter Tigger in the Nose of Tralee, not only because he's the cutest little kitty, but he has an amazing story. We never would have thought after six weeks he would come back to us and that he would walk and run and jump about after having two broken legs. He's so resilient to have survived. Also we wanted to highlight how grateful we are to everyone who helped get Tigger back to his family and healthy again. It was a real team effort, from everyone who searched for him, to the kind stranger who found him in Claudy, to the surgeons and the vets who treated him”.

Voting closes 18th August at 5pm: To vote for Tigger you can do so via petsittersireland.com/nose-2025/