By Laura Walter

A cat and dog willing to cuddle together? Yup, it’s pretty cute. That was the winning photo by Chris Young and Laura Matusheski of Newark, Del., in our 2023 Star Pets Photo Contest. The summertime contest was presented by the Delaware State News and BayToBayNews.com. The sponsors were Concord Pet Foods & Supplies and Bed & Biscuit Boarding.

“This is Indie the pit bull and her brother, Kon the kitten, and they’ve been best friends since Kon was rescued from the engine bay of a car,” a Yukon truck, to be specific, said Young.

“They love to play together, sleep together, and he loves to be groomed by his sister. Indie is the sweetest dog I’ve ever met. She is always gentle with her brother when they play—and has been known to drown him in kisses before bed.”

Kon is just over 1 year old, and Indie is about 6. They both have their own intense rescue stories.

“I’ve always had pets,” said Young. “I love having animals. They brighten up my life a little bit.”

He laughed at Indie’s laidback personality. Although “she does love playing with other dogs … she’s a really hard homebody.”

Why enter this contest? Like any pet owner, “I know my animals were cute—but I can promise you this was not staged. I just looked over and nabbed a beautiful picture,” Young said. “They’re great pets. I love them very dearly … they’re sweet and they love each other, and that’s something I love a whole lot.”

“This was our first pet photo contest, and we were thrilled to have close to 150 entries from both our Delaware and Maryland regions,” said Heather Cregar, Delaware director of marketing and promotions. “There were lots of great photos, so it was very hard for us to pick just one winner. But I’m sure we will hold this contest again in 2024.”

By coincidence, the winning photo from the Maryland Star Pets Contest also featured a cat and dog pair: Barbara Outten of Crisfield, Md., submitted a charming image of Stormy and Stella.

“I want to encourage others to adopt,” Outten said. “They will not regret it!”

The winning photos both depict what some people might consider an unusual friendship between a dog and a cat. Maybe it’s a hint for everyone to be a little kinder to others.

Readers can view all the photo entries and check out current contests offered at BayToBayNews.com/Contests.