El Candigato Morris. Image from Candigato’s Facebook page.

Morris, a feline resident of the Mexican city of Xalapa, is standing for election in his hometown.

Sergio Chamorro, owner of the political pussy, explained that the cat standing for mayor started as a joke between friends but the widespread disenchantment with leaders has resulted in it becoming something a bit more serious. The cat has grown to stand as a symbol of people’s rejection of the leaders, he is essentially saying ‘we don’t care who wins’.

He said: “Morris has become an expression of how fed up people are with all the parties and a political system that does not represent us.”

The cat has garnered a huge following on Facebook with his ‘Candigato’ (gato means cat in Spanish) page receiving over 130,000 ‘likes’, a significant number more than the other candidates in the election.

A range of artwork and campaign propaganda has sprung up around the cat, including t-shirts with the ‘YES WE CAT’ slogan emblazoned on them in style of US President Barack Obama’s ‘Yes we can’ campaign. However, his first campaign slogan was: “Tired of voting for rats? Vote for a cat.”

Chamorro added that the whole thing has taken on a life of its own: “The truth is that Morris no longer belongs to us. He belongs to his fans.”

Obie in his heavier days.

A seriously overweight Dachshund that has managed to lose more than half of his bodyweight has gathered a bit of a cult following.

Obie was taken in by Oregon Dachshund Rescue after his elderly owners overfed him. He had reached a massive 35kg, more than twice the average weight of a standard Dachshund.

Fortunately under the care of new owner Nora Vanatta Obie has managed to lose the extra pounds and is now down to 14kg. His massive weight loss left him with a substantial amount of excess skin, which he has since had removed in an operation that took off around a kilogram of skin.

His new owner commented on his good nature: “He is extremely sweet and loving. He was obviously loved and is a joy to work with. The ageing owners just couldn’t say no.”

Now, Obie’s weight loss achievement has given him something of a cult celebrity status on the internet. A Facebook fanpage set up for him has received over 97,000 ‘likes’, and Vanatta has received thousands in donations towards the dog’s ongoing care needs.

But the fame has come at a cost for Vanatta, who spent tens of thousands of dollars on legal battles over custody of Obie. Tensions rose high between herself and Oregon Dachshund Rescue, but eventually the two managed to reach a settlement at the start of this year and Vanatta is to keep Obie.

Socks struts his stuff to Fleetwood Mac.

The Shetland pony that starred in a commercial for mobile phone network Three has found itself at the centre of a paternity battle after swimming across a Scottish loch to be with the mare of its dreams.

Socks found fame while moonwalking to Fleetwood Mac’s Everywhere in the Three advert released earlier this year. Before the bright lights came calling, the five-year-old was already busy working as a stud stallion, however, and his lustful ways have led him into hot water over the paternity of a certain foal.

Born last month to a mare named Kimberley, Scamp the foal does not know who his father is. His mother had been happily grazing in a field with another mare and another stallion, Nuggett, when Socks took a shining to her and swam across a loch to get better acquainted.

Socks’ owner, Mari Williamson, told her story to The Telegraph: “There is a bit of paternity battle involving him at the moment. I put him with three ladies in a field with a loch. But he is a very good swimmer and unfortunately he took a shine to another one of my mares – who I had put in a group with my other stallion Nuggett. He just fancied her more and thought the grass is always greener on the other side.

“Socks swam across – and with his three ladies in tow – and now we don’t know for sure who is Scamp’s real father. Socks was put in stables for two weeks after. He’s certainly one for the ladies.”

She added that there is now an expensive DNA testing process in motion to ascertain who is Socks’ true father and to “keep the line correct”. Socks’ fame mean that Scamp will command a premium if he is sold with confirmation of his lineage.

Fortunately Ms Williamson confirmed that even if Socks turns out to be the son of Nuggett, Socks has “plenty of years as a stud in him so “there should be lots of little Socks running about”.