Just when you thought this year couldn’t get any stranger, a celebrity cat is officially in the running to be named New Zealander of the Year for 2020. And it’s fur-real!
Mittens, a feline from Wellington who became famous on social media, is going toe-to-paw with the likes of Prime Minister Jacinta Ardern and NZ’s Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield, for the prestigious honour doled out every year by Kiwibank.
But what kind of credential does Mittens have, you may ask?
Well, Mittens is something of a big deal in the land of the long white cloud, and became a local celebrity when Wellington residents started documenting his adventures and uploading them online.
The Turkish Angora cat now has his own Facebook group, “The Wondrous Adventures of Mittens” with more than 52,000 members following his movements.
You can check it out here.
“Mittens was given the honour, in recognition of bringing happiness, laughter and coolness to the capital – and putting the city on the map internationally with his feline antics,” said the Wellington local council in a statement.
The winner will be announced on March 18 2021.
So will Mittens be the unlikely victor? Or is it im-paw-sible? We’ll have to wait and see!
