FINDING MITTENS: WELLINGTON’S ICONIC FELINE ADAPTING TO LIFE AS AN AUCKLANDER
Source: Stuff (Extract)
Posted: January 28, 2022
He was once Wellington’s most famous feline, but now Mittens the cat is settling into his new life in Tāmaki Makaurau.
The Turkish angora is known for wandering far and wide around the streets of Wellington – entering offices and homes, getting in cars, even sleeping on tables of folded T-shirts in Cuba St clothing stores – but his human servant Silvio Bruinsma said so far Mittens was sticking close to home in Auckland.
Known as His Royal Floofiness, Mittens and his family made the move to Auckland city at the start of January, and while his exact location is kept a secret, Bruinsma said he’s living in the central city.
Born in 2010, Mittens originally lived in the Auckland suburb of Remuera, but struggled to find fame in the big city. He became a social media celebrity after his move to Wellington in 2017.
In 2018, he was featured on the Wellington Advent Calendar, and hundreds of messages littered social media pages with sightings of the feline in the city. He even has his own line of merchandise.
Despite originally being an Aucklander, Bruinsma said Mittens is still adjusting to the warmer weather in his new northern home, and due to his fluffy coat he’s been feeling the heat.
“We also recently got a puppy, so he’s been adjusting to having a new brother. He’s still the boss, of course.”
Bruinsma said while the people of Wellington had been sad to see Mittens go, he hadn’t received any backlash from the move, and Mittens was allowed to retain the key to Wellington City he was awarded in 2020.
So far, Bruinsma said Mittens hadn’t been out wandering the streets of Auckland as he was “still settling in”.
“When we lived in Remuera, he would often go up to the New World or the food grocers to say hi – but he wasn’t famous back then.”
Mittens is now considered a “senior cat”, with more than 12 years under his belt, so Bruinsma said he might not travel as much as he did in Wellington.
“He’s not as active as he once was, but he’s very inquisitive, so I’m sure in time he’ll do his exploring.
“He lives a very high-quality life with a better social calendar than any of us. He puts a smile on people’s faces.”
