It’s tough being the last cat around as all the others get chosen day after day.

Nobody wants Ziva, the black and white kitty with the wonky whiskers, but her luck is about to change.

Ziva, who is right now awaiting adoption in the Pet Valu store in Bedford, is a finalist for the Petcurean Uplift the Underdog: Cat Edition. It’s an international contest which urges people to vote for shelter cats who are having a hard time finding a home.

Ziva arrived at Sympathetic Ear Animal Rescue in Cooks Brook in the late summer. Her human, who had several cats, needed to move out of an apartment and couldn’t keep them all.

Before that, she was rescued off the street as a stray, said Erin Lynch, the shelter’s founder.

“She’s very passive. She’s a pushover, we say,” said Lynch. “She’s super sweet and a pleasantly plump girl.”

Ziva in the adoption room at the Pet Valu in Bedford. - Eric Wynne

Ziva is eight years old. It’s her age combined with her colouring which works against her.

“There’s a stigma against mostly black cats and people don’t adopt the older ones because they don’t think they’ll live as long, which is not the case with cats for sure.”

Lynch fostered Ziva in her house and said Ziva can adapt to any environment.

“I have cats, dogs, ferrets, kids, you name it, she’s been around it and been exposed to it,” Lynch said.

About four months ago, Ziva was taken to the adoption room inside the Pet Valu in Bedford. Two cats who arrived with her, Wally and Sushi, were adopted, but Ziva remains.

The staff at the store thought Ziva would be a good candidate for the Petcurean contest and asked permission to nominate her. Ziva not only scored an entry but landed one of the 12 finalists spots, which is already a big win.

Finalists take home a year’s supply of cat food, their adoption fee is covered, and they win a donation of 2,000 meals for their shelter. At the end of voting Monday, the winners in both the U.S. and Canada also get a three-year supply of cat food.

“We’re just a small, little low-key rescue doing the good we can do and just to see she’s been recognized … it gets her name out to say, ‘hey she needs a home, don’t count the underdog out.’”

Getting the cat food that comes with winning is a big deal for this small shelter.

“We’re always hurting (for supplies),” said Lynch.

The shelter is trying to get out the word to get people to vote for the Nova Scotian entry but as of Friday evening, Ziva was fourth out of the six Canadian cats.

Prizes are great, but Lynch said she’s really hoping the attention lands an adoption for Ziva.

“It is very hard when you see them and how sweet they are. We did have a couple of applications come in on her and then they fell through.”

VOTING:

Voting for the Petcurean Uplift the Underdog: Cat Edition ends Monday.

www.petcurean.com/underdog/