For Immediate release: Winston named 2015 Cat of the Year

 

For Immediate release:

Winston named 2015 Cat of the Year

MISSOULA, Mont. January 28, 2016---- In a stunning landslide victory, Winston has been named the 2015 Cat of the Year.  This result was especially surprising to David, who reports voting Alex “6 or 7 times."

“I thought it would have been closer,” a crushed David said.  “It was as though voters overlooked diminutive and unassuming Alex at the polls. That is the story of his life".

David went on, despondently, to explain, “We had some friends over the other night and when they saw Alex, they asked if we had a new cat.  I said no that is Alex, he has been living here since 2007.  I guess they never noticed him before. They quickly returned to yelling Kitty, Kitty, Kitty at Winston”. 

Alex faced an uphill climb especially after all the media attention Winston had received over the past year.  Winston was widely viewed as the inevitable candidate.  Winston has his own Instagram page, a devoted fan base and support from the establishment, including Miles and the chickens, as well as the political machine of the the non-partisan Missoula City Council (though not unanimous, 11-1).  Alex tried to start a grassroots campaign, and was dismissive of support from the Persians, Turkish Angoras, Cats of the Internet and others.  Ultimately that may have proved to be his undoing.  People liked Alex’s message, and his quirky attitude, but they were concerned about his age, and his advancing arthritis, and worried about the possibility of him being an effective leader.   Chester backed him, but he is a political outsider.  Actually, we have no idea who Chester really is, or where he is from.  In the end, the media “blackout” of Alex was ultimately his demise.  Fox News calculated that Winston received 63% of media coverage, Miles (viewed by most pundits as non-competitive) 18%, the chickens 9%, Chester (like the chickens, ineligible) 8%, and Alex 2%.  The mountain lion rug received less than 0.05% (though that might have just been Cryss Anderson).  With so little media attention it is impressive the race was as close as it was. Alex garnered 34% of the vote.  There were no write-in, third party candidates.

Despite that the polls closed on January 12, the official transaction of the award has not taken place.  Release of the results and award have been delayed pending approval by the Republican-dominated Public Service Commission (not that is it the law, apparently their approval isn’t required for anything, really), and for Marilyn to return from her Vietnam trip.  Marilyn’s steady-handed input was required because David was ready to award Cat of the Year to Alex. 

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For more information see: 

Voting open for 2015 Cat of the Year

Winston_is_a_cat  (Instagram)