PUBLIC PETS: THE CATS WHO HAVE MADE AUCKLAND’S PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS THEIR HOME

A cat called Governor Grey has won the hearts of thousands of fans in the eight years he has held residence at one of Auckland’s historical mansions.

The grey burmese stray first came to Auckland University’s Old Government House in May 2012, all skin and bones, and appeared to have been on the streets for a very long time.

He first started sleeping under a parked van outside the colonial home before becoming a permanent resident in the old house.

Governor Grey has grown to be one of the popular attractions at the building that houses the university’s staff common room in Princes St and his popularity has earned him quite a following on social media, with his Facebook page attracting close to 3000 fans.

But Governor Grey is not the only friendly feline to bring a smile to the faces of those who frequent the city’s public buildings.

A quick poll on Neighbourly found other fur-mous cats have made institutions, hospitals and suburbs their homes.

Meet the cats that are pawing their way into the hearts of Aucklanders.

‘The Guv’

The owner of the cat dubbed Auckland’s “biggest celebrity” and a true gentleman, Emma Newborn, says he is a favourite member of Auckland University.

Newborn said the Guv made the building his home a year after she took up the role of custodian of Old Government House.

“He was skin and bones so definitely had been on the street for a while. I took him to the vet to see if he had a microchip, put up a bunch of lost and found notices – no-one claimed him.

“And then he just immediately started making himself at home and got his name because he is grey and [former prime minister] Governor [George] Grey was one of the first residents of Old Government House.”

Newborn says Governor Grey is famous on campus with staff and students, and there have been numerous occasions where people visit the campus just to meet him.

He often attends lectures, functions and parties in the club house, wanders through the university’s botanical garden and occasionally steps out of campus to the surrounding streets.

He has also often appeared on television, lazily wandering in the background whenever a staff member is interviewed on camera at the house.

“He is definitely a bold cat. He gets around and it doesn’t do your nerves much good knowing he crosses these busy roads but he is obviously a very street-wise cat.”

Daisy at Waitākere Hospital

Daisy, a 2-year-old ragdoll-cross, is the purr-fect medicine for patients with her visits to the West Auckland hospital.

She has been making frequent visits since last Easter and prefers the hospital environment to her Henderson home.

Her owner, Chelsea Smith, says Daisy often goes missing for days at a time but she is never worried because she always knows exactly where she is.

“We get a lot of calls and texts from people, asking if we have lost a cat,” Smith says.

“We just reply, is she at the hospital again? I don’t know why Daisy likes going to the hospital but she spends more time there than she does at home.”

Daisy’s dedicated 2000 followers love her so much they even raised money for a GPS tracker, so they could know where she is at all times.

Photos on her Facebook page show her wandering the corridors of the hospital, inside ambulances or on patients’ beds.

Her favourite wards are the maternity and older adults’ area.

Bruce from Grey Lynn

Bruce the mighty wanderer is a regular in central Auckland’s Grey Lynn suburb.

Although he has been seen wandering at Victoria Park in the central city and as far as West Auckland in the past.

People who come across him say he is a delight and his fur colouring looks like an unbuttoned tuxedo suit.

He is usually found in and around the Richmond Rd Cafe, Ripe Deli and Farro Fresh, and at the West Lynn shops.

Cookie the cat-commander

He is the infrequent wanderer of the North Yard section of the Devonport Naval Base and the unofficial mascot for the Royal New Zealand Navy.

The New Zealand Defence Force does not know who the ginger cat belongs to but he has been named Cookie by some military personnel.

Cookie is known to hang around the Recruit Training School and shows his supawwt to new recruits.

He is often seen around the gym and his photos sometimes appear on the Royal New Zealand Navy social media page.

Constable Harold

Whangaparaoa Police Station is well known for its furry pets.

It used to have a crime-fighting cat called Constable Snickers, a tabby, who was often seen on the beat, crossing the busy main road to hang out on Coast Plaza.

Snickers died after being hit by a car in 2018 but the station has adopted a new cat, Harold, who is loved by everyone.

Constable Bryan Ward said the 5-year-old moggie was adopted from a local shelter by one of their staff, to be the station cat.

“He turned out to actually live not far from the station, previously,” Ward said.

“His owners gifted him to the station as he did not get along well with their other cat. Harold has been with us for about a year and, without a doubt, his favourite places to hang out are our meal room, in the sun and on the sergeant’s chair.”