A once abandoned cat’s personality has made him a social media legend, its owner from Watford has said, after the cat won a recent pet picture competition.

Simba, a four-year-old tabby, was voted as having the best pet pose by Watford Observer readers in celebration of April’s National Pet Month.   

Simba’s owner, Lisa Hodges said his win was predicted by friends and family.

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She said: “So many people said he must win, he has the best photo.

“We just laughed because everything about him is in the photo. That is him summed up to a tee.

“We were really happy when he won and went home and got him a big bag of treats to say thank you. He looked at me as if to say ‘what are you on?’.”

Simba went to live with Miss Hodges, her fiancé Tom Sweeney and her mum when he was eight weeks old.

Watford Observer: Simba at homeSimba at home

He had been found abandoned in a cardboard box in a park and is one of the family's three rescue cats.

Miss Hodges, who lives in central Watford, said: “We were warned when we took him on that he had a very boisterous nature, and he would need other cats in the house to calm him down. But it’s ended up that he rules them.

“He’s got the biggest attitude that I have ever come across in a cat. Everything is on his terms.

“When I post pictures of him on social media he proves very popular and everyone tends to love him.

Watford Observer: Simba striking another poseSimba striking another pose

“His first Christmas with us I posted a video of him climbing a Christmas tree and it had a stupid number of views, every Christmas people say: ‘Has Simba climbed the tree again?’.”

Miss Hodges refers to Simba as her “guard cat” because he follows her round the house and is a “shadow” of hers.

Simba’s place in the family is one of great importance.

Miss Hodges said: “We took him on because we lost an old family cat that we had for many years. We’d be lost without him. He is such a big presence in the house.”

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