NEW ZEALAND’S TOP MOGGIES INCLUDE A THIEF, AN ESCAPE ARTIST AND A RAT-CATCHING SCRAPPER

They’re the darlings of the feline world, nonchalantly padding their way into Kiwi hearts with a certain attitude that comes with being a celeb.

But far from being just little kitties in a big litter, New Zealand’s famous felines have garnered attention from all over the globe.

Now Stuff has rated the top five.

Number 5: Ross the New Plymouth rescue cat

With a wonky tail, and a bung eye, Ross lacks some of the je ne sais quoi of some of his other showbiz mates, but he oozes pure charm – especially when he’s clambering onto your shoulders.

Like a comforting scarf, Ross likes to flop himself around your neck and will gladly have a cat nap while you wait.

Rescued from a rural road by Jezza Vivian in 2015, he and sister Monica soon settled into her home on Brooklands Rd.

While Monica was a scaredy-cat, refusing to leave the driveway, her brother had always been the complete opposite.

Come brekkie time, you’ll find the 7-year-old black cat tucking in, before he scoots across the road to Pukekura Park to fraternise with the New Plymouth locals.

There he likes to sit resplendently, awaiting his adoring fans. Not one for being a wallflower, Ross also likes to partake in any of the entertainment going – whether that be inserting himself into the picnic basket of some unsuspecting outdoor diners, or chilling at a concert. T

With the entire town wrapped around his paws, Ross has become the highlight of any trip to the park. His Facebook page has over 3000 members, and he’s recently made the big league by appearing in TV1’s Good Sorts.

With people posting photos of Ross’s latest exploits, it’s safe to say he’s spearheading New Plymouth’s tourism promotions.

Number 4: Dirty Frank

He’s the unofficial top cat of Queenstown who is rapidly amassing an adoring fan base around the world with his devil-may-care attitude.

After all, when the bad boy of the deep south turns up at home he’s usually in trouble.

If Dirty Frank isn’t nicking a pastry from a child at a bus stop, he’s making a beeline for the cat tucker at his favourite supermarket, or acquiring new cuts and grazes in fights around the neighbourhood.

But it’s his daily presence at Queenstown’s Fresh Choice supermarket, where he parks himself in the public entrance, that’s really made this puss famous.

There he lazily sleeps the day away, occasionally throwing a few left paws at shoppers who stop to pat him. And if you’re unlucky, you’ll wind up with a stowaway in your boot.

He does have an owner, or rather he’s Jason Kite’s owner. After all it was Dirty Frank who decided where he would live.

It was 2017 and Kite was driving to work “in the middle of nowhere” on a dark morning when he spotted Dirty Frank on the road.

He braked, and prepared for the worst, but was surprised to see a white cat pop out from under the car before purring and wrapping his tail around his legs.

Before he knew it, Dirty Frank jumped in the ute’s open door and that was that.

Kite called him Tarquin, but it wasn’t long before Dirty Frank earned a new name, as each adventure soiled his white fur – like the day he came home covered in pink and red spray paint, although no-one can account for how it got there.

Recently, he looked more like a swamp creature, covered in slimy black sludge from drains where he had been participating in a spot of rat catching. Long-suffering Kite gave him his first shower after that debacle.

“It was traumatic for both of us,” Kite chuckles.

Number 3: Rodney the escape artist

Proving Kiwis are mad for their moggies, Rodney’s story caused a community backlash that led to a local hardware store manager being stood down.

A beloved counter cat at Marton’s ITM for 10 years, Rodney’s disappearance in June 2020 caused a huge controversy in the rural town.

In a bold move, the manager of the store had decided to dump the fearless feline in the countryside because his presence had become an insurance issue.

But once the news leaked out, shoppers boycotted the store, and the SPCA and search parties scoured the area where Rodney had been set free.

It was a public relations disaster for ITM, which promptly stood the manager down.

A month later, a farmer rang ITM to say he had spotted a cat lurking around his barn.

Rodney was found northeast of Marton by a rescue group, but he wasn’t out of trouble yet.

Marton Moggies arranged for Rodney to be microchipped and rehomed, but he was having none of it.

Time after time, he kept padding his way back to the hardware store he had called his home.

He was relocated to New Plymouth, but escaped again.

Miraculously, after four months on the run and with the help of 3,000 flyers, dedicated rescuer Beverly Dowling of animal rescue group Rodney’s Rescues tracked him to Paritutu Rock.

Now in Whanganui with a couple who helped find him, Rodney has a satellite GPS tracker collar, his own room in a house and a catio.

He’s now a ‘therapist’ on his Facebook page with 1,100 followers. He also has a popular Instagram page and has a book written about him.

Using his celebrity profile, Rodney has raised awareness of lost, dumped and abandoned cats, and helps raise funds for a cat charity through merchandise on his website.

Number 2: Keith the thief

Keith is a very bad cat.

So bad that the Christchurch moggie has made headlines all around the world – including on the BBC in the UK and Fox News in America – but like all the best burglars, this fiendish rascal has refrained from creating any personal social media pages.

After all, the last thing a captured crim wants is to have their every move documented.

Stuff was on the trail of this hot-footed thief back in April 2021 when his offending could be considered petty. Then he brought home a Corrections officer’s shirt, ladies’ swimsuits, entire washing lines with pegs attached, the local tradie’s steel toes boots, and various bras, shoes and live eels.

So frequent were his exploits that a box was put out the front of his owner’s house so his loot could be returned to his victims.

But the crimes escalated with his stealthy paws uncovering some of the more risqué items owned by Hoon Hay households eight months later: a bong and a ziplock bag of white powder.

A horrified Ginny Rumbold immediately disposed of the paraphernalia, and strong words ensued about the dangers of a druggie lifestyle.

Soon after, Keith the thief had no shame in leaving kinky black lace knickers on the back fence.

Like any parents of a troublesome teen, Ginny and David Rumbold have been trying to keep Keith on the straight and narrow – but it’s proving a tough task.

His thieving antics haven’t gone unnoticed by the boys in blue, with a police spokesperson confirming the pilfering rascal has been on their radar for some time.

“We’ve been playing a bit of cat and mouse with this prolific offender.

“Of particular concern is Keith’s latest find – an implement used to smoke cannabis. We’ll be seizing the implement and speaking to Keith about where he’s acquired it from,” police said at the time.

And the winner is…

Number 1: Mittens

There’s little dispute that the fluffiest cat of the bunch, Mittens, is the star of New Zealand’s feline world.

And no wonder – it’s hard to think of another animal granted a key to a city, nor one that has almost 70,000 followers on his Facebook page.

But Mittens’ fame was hard fought.

The Turkish angora attempted a showbiz career in Auckland after he was born in 2010, but was unable to find cut through at a time when the city was flush with renowned moggies like crime fighting cat Constable Snickers and top model Cruz.

But after a move to Wellington, Mittens got his big break in 2017 when he became a bona fide social media celebrity thanks to his human servant, Silvio Bruinsma, and the local community.

Using the capital’s streets as his catwalk, Mittens was seen entering office and homes, jumping into passing vehicles or simply having a snooze on tables of folded T-shirts a retailer had displayed.

Mittens even visited a strip club, and checked in with the boys in blue at a local police station. The former saw him headline a UK newspaper.

By 2018 he was featured on a Wellington advent calendar, and a line of merchandise followed.

His popularity saw him become a candidate for the prestigious New Zealander of the Year Award in 2020. Some even say he was within a whisker of taking the title.

The crowning glory was when His Royal Floofiness was handed the key to Wellington city that same year by mayor Andy Foster.

Now he’s the star of his very own book – The Adventures of Mittens: Wellington’s Famous Purr-sonality – and even though he moved back to Auckland in 2021 he is still commanding star attention.