A cat, a dog and a cow named winners of the Taranaki Veterinary Centre pet of the year competition

Emily and Jayden Morgan, with Frozty the cat, this year's Taranaki Veterinary Centre pet of the year winner. Photo / Ilona Hanne

An unlikely farm cat, a dog that turned her cat-loving owner into a dog lover, and a Christmas cow are the three winning pets from this year's Taranaki Veterinary Centre pet of the year competition.

The winning pets were determined by online voting on the Stratford Press Facebook page, and from the moment voting opened it was clear the competition was going to be hotly contested. The 20 finalists all attracted plenty of attention, with a total of 1822 votes being cast in the search for Taranaki's pet of the year.

Those votes came in from all over the world, with voters living in Canada, Australia, the USA, Europe and The Philippines having their say alongside voters across New Zealand.

"It was great to see such a response from people when it came to voting," says Alysha Judson of Taranaki Veterinary Centre.

She says she and her colleagues were thrilled with the broad mix of pets when it came to the finalists, with the top 20 featuring everything from a lizard to a rabbit as well as plenty of cats and dogs.

"People love their pets, whatever the breed or type. Companion animals can be a real support to their owners especially during lockdowns. I'm sure lots of pets have really enjoyed having their owners home a bit more recently."

Frozty the cat came in first place, with an impressive 531 votes, earning him the title of Pet of the Year.

Alysha says Frozty, a 6-month-old Birman, is a "perfect example" of his breed.

"He's a lovely representation of the Birman breed, he shows all the signs of a really well bred cat, and is clearly well loved by his owners as well, which is always very good to see."

The picture of Frozty that turned him into the top cat in the competition. Photo / Supplied

Owners Emily and Jayden Morgan say they are thrilled with the win, as are their friends and family both here and overseas who all voted for Frozty.

"My cousins, my friends, they were all voting and they are as excited as we are that he won," says Emily.

Emily says she always wanted "a fluffy white cat", so when Jayden took her to meet Frozty, who was for sale through a breeder in New Plymouth, it was love at first sight.

"He is just so beautiful, I loved him straight away."

Jayden and Emily lease a 250 cow dairy farm in Stratford, making Frozty a rather unusual farm cat.

"He loves going outside in the paddock by the house," says Emily.

"And he likes watching the cows. He doesn't get really muddy though, and I do wash him once a week."

While Emily says she always knew her beloved Frozty was a winner, she hadn't expected him to win the competition.

Storm's good looks are matched by a beautiful nature say her owners. Photo / Supplied

"Storm the dog was getting a lot of votes and is a beautiful dog, so I wasn't sure Frozty would win."

Frozty did win however, netting his proud owners a $500 Taranaki Veterinary Centre voucher.

"He has already had all his vaccinations there this year, so I think we will use it to buy some of his favourite treats and food."

In second place, with 247 votes, was Storm, a Siberian Husky owned by Aimee Hinton and Ryk Ferguson.

Aimee says before owning Storm, she had been "more of a cat person really".

All that changed however, when her partner Ryk took her to see Storm.

"I just fell in love with her straight away and am now definitely a dog person. Storm has such a beautiful nature it's impossible not to love her."

Storm is "very chill, really loving", says Aimee, who plans to celebrate Storm's win by taking her for plenty of long walks.

"That's her favourite thing, walks with Ryk and I."

Storm won a prize hamper stuffed full with a range of pet treats, toys and even some shampoo.

Third place went to Maisie the half miniature Highland cow. Photo / Supplied

Taking out third place with 146 votes was Maisie the half miniature Highland cow owned by Phillippa Joblin. Maisie was a Christmas present last year from her husband, says Phillippa.

It's a case of a gift that keeps on giving, with Maisie's win earning her owners a hamper of various pet treats to share with the family's other pets.