Purina® Cat Chow® Real Stories Project Contest Grand Prize Winners Announced: Top Five Winners Receive $5,000 Each For Story Submission

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Following thousands of story submissions and votes, Purina^® Cat Chow^® has announced the five grand prize winners of the "Purina^® Cat Chow^® Real Stories Project Contest," a nationwide search to find, showcase and celebrate cat relationship stories. The five grand prizes winners will each receive a $5,000 cash prize, a one year supply of Purina^® Cat Chow^® brand cat food for one cat, and have their cat relationship story told through a Purina Cat Chow brand online video. The winners' videos will be shared online with the Purina Cat Chow Community on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

In June, Purina Cat Chow announced the launch of the Purina Cat Chow Real Stories Project Contest and a search to find cat stories that highlight the special relationship between cat people and their cats, as well as the many ways our cats are always there for us. Purina Cat Chow asked cat people to share a story for an opportunity to be one of five grand prize winners who receive a $5,000 cash prize. The top 10 cat story finalists were selected in August and the public was asked to vote for their favorite cat relationship story until Sept. 18, to help determine the grand prize winners.

Meet the Purina Cat Chow Real Stories Project Grand Prize Winners and their cats:

• Kathy C. and Oreo (Glendale, Ariz.)
• Marsha C. and Lexus (Sautee-Nacoochee, Ga.)
• Lucky H. and Sinbad (Jacksonville, Fla.)
• Kristen M. and Joy (La Palma, Calif.)
• Jennifer W. and Neuman (Phoenix, Ariz.)

"We received thousands of story submissions for the Purina Cat Chow Real Stories Project and the five grand prize winners' stories include the exciting moments of people acquiring their first cat to the cats that faithfully stay with their owners during times of illness," said Vincent Biroscak, Purina Cat Chow brand director. "While every cat person has a story that is unique to the relationship between them and their cat, what connects all cat owners is the constancy and companionship cats provide."

Purina Cat Chow also announced the five runners up, who will each receive a $1,000 cash prize and a one year supply of Purina^® Cat Chow^® brand cat food for one cat.

Meet the Purina Cat Chow Real Stories Project Runners Up and their cats:

• Lisa H. and Kira (Tulsa, Okla.)
• Deena P. and Marsha (Colbert, Ga.)
• Laura P. and Minnie (Farmingdale, N.J.)
• Pat S. and Fluffy (Bonita Springs, Fla.)
• Valerie T. and Misty (Brownsville, Penn.)

Forty stories also received an honorable mention and will each receive a $100 Amazon.com gift card. In total, the Contest awarded more than $30,000 in prizes. To view the winning stories or to share your own cat relationship story, visit www.yourcatstory.com.

In addition to the consumer vote, the entries were evaluated by an independent panel of judges who scored the entries using the following criteria:

• Originality in describing your special relationship with your cat(s) (30%)
• High quality storytelling captured in the essay and/or photo or video (30%)
• Effectively demonstrating the Purina Cat Chow brand belief of "always there for you" (40%)

To enter the Contest, cat people were invited to complete an online entry form and submit a brief written entry about their special relationships with their cat and how he/she is always there for them. Entrants each selected a theme that best described their story from the following options: My First Cat, Why I'm a Cat Person, Forever a Cat Family, How We Found Each Other, Generations of Care, Always There for Me, and Memories.

About Nestle Purina PetCare and Purina Cat Chow Brand Cat Food

The North American headquarters for Nestle Purina PetCare is located at Checkerboard Square in St. Louis, Mo., where Ralston Purina was founded more than a century ago. Nestle Purina PetCare promotes responsible pet care, humane education, community involvement and the positive bond between people and their pets. One of the leading global players in the pet food industry, Nestle Purina PetCare is part of the Swiss-based Nestle S.A. – the world's largest food company. With nutrition for each life stage, Purina^® Cat Chow^® brand Cat Food offers a family of products with 100 percent complete and balanced nutrition to help support your cat's health and well being. For more information on Purina Cat Chow, visit catchow.com.

SOURCE Purina Cat Chow