LucyBalu's Catmodel Contest participants 2023

For the third year in a row, our Munich startup LucyBalu hosted the "Cat Model Contest".
After the great success of the last 2 years we had high hopes that many people would once again fancy entering their indoor cats for the Cat Model 2022 title – and our expectations were even exceeded! We received over 5,000 applications. Challenges and community voting decided who made it into the final.

Let us introduce you to the 16 indoor cats who made it into the final:

Our 8 live-shoot indoor cats shone on the shoot weekend in Munich:

Aslan - @aslan_n_friends

Aslan also comes from Istanbul. He was found by animal welfare workers at a dog feeding station — could that be why he loves dogs so much? He is very cheeky and, like a magpie, steals anything edible. He does not like being shut out and will even jump at the door when he wants to be let in.

Wuschl was born as an "ordinary farm cat" and as a kitten he was very ill and injured, which is why he now has only one eye. He was bottle-raised by his owner Beate. Wuschl is a gentle and sensitive tomcat who drools quite a bit when purring and also likes to be carried around the house on people's shoulders.

Tigger originally comes from Istanbul; owner Caro brought the tomcat back to Germany after completing a semester abroad in Turkey. He was unfortunately very ill with cat flu and had to endure many vet treatments. As an outdoor cat in Germany, he enjoys life to the full, but also demands his share of cuddles.

Fabius, aka FabFab, came to his owner Yvonne at six months old. He was very small and shy at the time. He is still small, but only shy in unfamiliar places. He loves cuddling and his purring sounds like a kettle. He has no problem wearing a cat harness and goes on short walks with his owner.

Lucky is very people-oriented and follows his owner Silvia's every step. Intensive morning cuddle sessions are a must. When his two owners are not available, he is happy enough with his sister Finja and plays and cuddles with her.

Last year, Lucy went from being a big-city cat to a village kid. As a great explorer, everything has to be investigated by her; at the same time she is a real sports star with her favourite little balls. Morning and evening, extensive cuddling is a must, but when the dishwasher is being unloaded she prefers to keep her distance.

Tomcat Lio comes from the area around the beautiful Wörthersee in Austria and is a lively and curious tomcat. However, he also has a shy side that comes out above all in unfamiliar places. At home he is also a very active talker and starts early in the morning when his owners stay in bed too long.

Milo loves clicker training and now has almost 40 tricks in his repertoire. He also walks better on the lead than many a dog and obeys commands. He and his sister Mizu will soon be trained as therapy cats.

The 8 home-shoot candidates struck a pose at home:

Oliver was born as a stray in a cellar in Kyiv. He had a severe infection and an injured eye which the vets were sadly no longer able to save. With lots of love, patience and care, Oliver recovered and today he is a very sweet, cheerful and fluffy tomcat. Oliver likes to eat and eat a lot. He likes fruit, vegetables and herbs. He also knows about ten commands, which he likes to show off together with his dog friend Kerry.  Before the war in Ukraine, Oliver's owner travelled a lot with him. They visited several cities around the country and also the sea.

O'Malley is a very communicative tomcat and loves being petted. Owner Bianca is currently getting him used to walks in the park. He loves to dunk his toys in the drinking fountain and then pushes the soaked-through toy across the parquet floor.

Hildi has been living with her owners for a year, is used to wearing a harness and accompanies her owners everywhere. Train, bus, tram or car rides are also no problem. She also fetches toys like a dog and is a bit picky when it comes to food.

 

Honey was born in February this year and, along with her sister, was allowed to move into her current home in May. She follows her owners around everywhere and complains loudly when she isn't allowed into the bathroom. Honey likes to drink water best from a running tap, and her favourite playmates are balls and her sister.

 

Little, delicate Khaleesi did not grow up in a good environment but has found her forever home with her current owners. She is an outdoor cat and is currently perfecting her mouse-catching skills; three to four mice a day are the norm. She can also give high-fives and is a self-proclaimed world champion in non-stop purring.

 

Miyu belongs to one of the rarest German cat breeds – the German Longhair – and is a little clumsy thing with a squeaky voice and a weakness for Kinder bar wrappers. While sleeping, she likes to tumble off the sofa, trips over her siblings while playing or slides into the water bowl when running. She also has a talent for opening sliding doors.

Aki comes from a wonderful Bengal breeder in Rhineland-Palatinate. He is lively and cheeky and voices his opinion loudly. He loves balls and sisal mice and fetches them like a dog. He also likes to bring his toys to bed at night when he's bored. He follows his big brother's every step on walks.

Bella comes from beautiful Hamburg and is into everything made of leather: e.g. handbags or shoes. She snuggles up with them. She loudly communicates what she wants and is the only one who sleeps every night in the bed of her owner Wiebke. And treats will always win her over.

With their unique personalities we would happily have crowned every single cat the winner! In the end, however, the community and the team from "Geliebte Katze" of course had to decide on one indoor cat.

 👉HERE👈 you can read more about the story and the winner.