The Hambone Awards are an annual "competition" organized by an American pet insurance company that highlights the most unusual situations that lead to pet injuries. This year's winner is Giles, a black cat who won the title after ending up trapped between the cushions of a sofa bed. His prize: a ham-shaped trophy, a gift card and the opportunity to donate a financial reward to an animal-related charity.
The 15th annual Hambone Prize was filled with notable competitors, including a Labrador who jumped from a 10-meter-high bridge, a parrot caught by a door and a puppy who chewed on a phone charger. The pet rewards program was started by Nationwide Insurance after a dog suffered mild hypothermia after being locked in a refrigerator and eating an entire ham.
Nationwide's Pet Insurance President Heidi Sirota explained the motivation behind these awards: "When they opened the refrigerator door, they found it next to the ham," Sirota said. "This inspired us to create the Hambone Awards for the most ridiculous medical claims we have for the pets we insure."
The story behind Giles' triumph is equally surprising. While Reid's parents visited her and her partner's son's apartment in New York, they slept on a sofa bed where the incident occurred. "Everything was going well until my parents got ready to go to the airport," Reid said. "When putting the couch back in its place, they forgot to look underneath first." The result was that Giles became trapped under the sofa bed and suffered some injuries in the process.
Although Giles' injuries were not serious, the cat required stitches and made a satisfactory recovery. However, according to Reid, he now has a particular fear of any hinged object.
