America’s Favorite Pet has been the biggest pet popularity contest in the country

Since 2020 , America’s Favorite Pet has been the biggest pet popularity contest in the country.

It pits hundreds of thousands of cats and dogs against each other in a battle for votes.

The winners receive $ 10,000 , and their pet will christen the cover of Modern Cat or Modern Dog magazine.

But beneath the surface, a controversy is brewing.

Some of the owners who get involved in America ’s Favorite Pet allege that its structure obfuscates how well their animals are actually performing.

Kelly Zelna , who is from Michigan and owns a tuxedo cat named Richard , is one of them.

Zelna took that messaging to mean that her cat was in pole position to secure the magazine cover, and the $ 10,000 prize.

Colossal is unapologetic about all of this.

It has translated the tenets of digital hustle culture into a fundraising drive.

The company retains 36.5 percent of the donations for “competition fees,” as well as up to 13.5 .