Kentucky

KY pet owners: Your cat or dog has a shot at national fame. Enter our contest now

A stock image of a cat and dog with an orange background.
We’re on the hunt for Kentucky’s cutest cat and dog. Here’s how you can enter your pet in our 2025 photo contest for a shot at national fame. Getty Images

If you’re the proud owner of a downright adorable dog or cat that’s absolutely the cutest, the Herald-Leader wants to help your furry friend get the recognition it deserves.

We’re searching for Kentucky’s cutest pets, and while we’ve previously spotlighted the commonwealth’s top cats and dogs in 2024 by polling our readers, the winners of this year’s contests will have a shot at national recognition.

Cat and dog submissions are now open, and any of our readers may enter and vote in the contest. Submissions close at noon Thursday, Oct. 16. We cannot accept late entries.

Submit a photo of your pet using this Google Form. Since it’s the spooky season, we encourage you to enter a photo of your pet in their Halloween costume, but it’s not required to compete.

While you’re at it, please also tell us a little about your furry friend by answering a few questions, such as what their hobbies are or a fun fact about them. Please submit multiple pets as separate entries.

Dogs and cats will get their own dedicated polls with two rounds of voting each. The first round kicks off Monday, Oct. 20 at Kentucky.com. Once voting opens, readers can vote as many times as they like. So encourage your friends and family to participate to launch your pet to the top.

Along with a feature story at Kentucky.com, the top vote-getters in each poll will go on to represent the state in a contest of McClatchy newsrooms spanning the country — with national recognition on the line. Custest cat and dog winners for Kentucky will be announced Monday, Nov. 3.

We hope you enjoy this competition, which is just for fun.

By submitting a photo, you agree your entry and images may be published online or in print by the Lexington Herald-Leader and its parent company McClatchy News, and you accept our Terms of Service.

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Aaron Mudd
Lexington Herald-Leader
Aaron Mudd was a service journalism reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader, Centre Daily Times and Belleville News-Democrat. He was based at the Herald-Leader in Lexington, and left the paper in February 2026. Support my work with a digital subscription
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