Mittens is a

domestic cat The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small Domestication, domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have sh ...

, formerly of

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, New Zealand, who wandered in

Te Aro Te Aro (formerly also known as Te Aro Flat) is an inner-city suburb of Wellington, New Zealand. It comprises the southern part of the Wellington Central, central business district including the majority of the city's entertainment district and ...

and the city's

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

. A feline flâneur, he roams up to from his home. Selfie pictures with the cat have become a desired item for locals. Mittens is occasionally taken to the SPCA or the

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

. Originally from the suburbs of

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, he has become a

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celebrity Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group due to the attention given to them by mass media. The word is also used to refer to famous individuals. A person may attain celebrity status by having great w ...

since he, his late brother Latte, and their owner Silvio Bruinsma moved to the capital city in 2017. He featured on the 2018 edition of the Wellington Advent Calendar, an online

calendar A calendar is a system of organizing days. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months and years. A calendar date, date is the designation of a single and specific day within such a system. A calendar is ...

counting down the days before

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

. Sam Thacker, an SPCA staff member, posted a polite direction about how to treat Mittens if anyone comes across him; asking members of the public not to report or take him in as they are familiar with his behaviour. On 22 May 2020, Mittens was given the Key to the City of Wellington. Previous recipients include Sir Peter Jackson and Sir Richard Taylor. Later in 2020, he was the subject of an exhibition at the Wellington Museum and a candidate for New Zealander of the Year in August. On 5 February 2021, Mittens was seen being taken in to a car, presumably, to be taken to the abductor's home, for pictures. Mittens' owner described the abductor's actions as a "massive error in judgement". With the help of the social media community, Mittens was quickly located and returned home. On 10 November 2021, It was reported that Mittens was looking to relocate to his home city of Auckland. Andy Foster the mayor of Wellington was quoted saying "He does have the Key to the City so he's welcome back at any time."

References

External links

* {{cite web , website=Facebook group , title=The Wondrous Adventures of Mittens , url=https://www.facebook.com/groups/1976829619311990/ Individual cats Culture in Wellington Individual animals in New Zealand 2009 animal births

See also

References

External links