CUSHING—There are two things you need to know about Pumpkin, an 11-month-old ginger tabby in Cushing.

He has a penchant for getting into refrigerators and stealing entire loaves of bread, and he has a shot at winning $10,000.

Owner Natalie Dame, who adopted him through a Facebook post, calls him her "chaos goblin," and recently entered Pumpkin into America's Favorite Pet contest.

The contest relies on public votes for the top cat and dog to win a $10,000 cash prize, a feature in Modern Cat or Modern Dog magazine, and a two-page spread. It also serves as a fundraiser for the nonprofit PAWS (Progressive Animal Welfare Society).

"There's just so much craziness going on in the world, and I needed to take my mind off it, so I entered the contest for fun," said Dame.

Currently, Pumpkin is in second place as a finalist in the first round of voting, which ends Feb. 12. If he wins, he advances to the second round, where all the finalists in their respective groups compete for the prize money and magazine spread.

"I love animals and have four cats and a dog," she said. "I thought I'd give it a shot. And folks can vote for free, or they can donate money for more votes, which goes to an awesome organization, Progressive Animal Welfare Society. They do a lot of animal advocacy, and I'm a big supporter of adoption."

Dame said she's been going "crazy cat lady-ish" reaching out to friends to vote for Pumpkin. Meanwhile, Pumpkin is "all about Pumpkin," with zero regard for personal space or boundaries. Whenever she gets out a snack, Pumpkin is right there to steal it.

"Chips, sandwiches, snacks, he ‘doesn’t even like’? All fair game," she said. "If it’s mine, Pumpkin wants it. Preferably immediately."

The refrigerator is his preferred hunting ground.

"He's such a spicy little guy, so friendly and loving and just a riot," she said. "He likes to jump right in the refrigerator and sit in there to see what's in there; he's so weird. And, he loves bread ties. He's obsessed with stealing our bread. He'll jump on the counter and try to rip open the bag.  If he can't get the tie off the bag, he'll take the entire loaf of bread and drag it off somewhere into the house."

If Pumpkin won the national prize, Dame said she'd pay off some debts and focus on animal welfare.

"I want to use the winnings to do a little good in a few important places," she said. "A big part of that would be supporting local animal shelters and rescues— helping with food, supplies, and medical care for pets who are still waiting for their forever homes."

Voting ends on February 12 at 7 p.m. To vote for Pumpkin for free or to donate your votes, visit: https://americasfavpet.com/2026/pumpkin-a372

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com