Mike TV — who is small but mighty — voted cutest cat in US. See the ‘short king’
The votes are in, and a small but mighty cat from Liberty, Missouri, has been picked as the cutest in the country.
Mike TV, who was born with a disorder that stunted his growth, earned 8,537 votes, or 34% of those cast, in McClatchy Media’s national cutest cat contest, which launched Nov. 10.
More than two-dozen cats from around the country faced off after being crowned as the cutest in local contests hosted by McClatchy newspapers. Papers in California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Washington state took part on the local level, sending their most fetching felines to the national stage.
Who is McClatchy Media’s cutest cat?
Mike TV, who’s 3 years old, has hypothyroidism, The Kansas City Star previously reported. The kitty hops “like a rabbit” because of his shorter front legs, said Mandy Morris, one of his humans.
He also has what his family calls “short king syndrome” and “just does not care that he’s the smallest in the house,” Morris said.
Mike TV is named for Mike Teavee, a Willy Wonka character.
He’s featured along with the other cats in his household on his family’s popular Instagram and TikTok accounts.
His humans help foster cats in the area and run a foundation to help cats with special needs.
What cats were runners-up in the cutest cat contest?
Spider, a fetching feline from Tumwater, Washington, was the runner-up in McClatchy Media’s national cutest cat contest, with 6,002 votes, or 24%. Lieutenant Dan from Fort Worth, Texas, took third place with 4,478 votes, or 18%, while JoJo from Modesto, California, took fourth with 3,713, or 15%.
Reminder, the polls weren’t scientific – they were just for fun. And we had a lot of fun sharing adorable cats with our readers this fall. Thanks to all who entered and voted.
This story was originally published November 17, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Mike TV — who is small but mighty — voted cutest cat in US. See the ‘short king’."
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