Mittens

Mittens is a Turkish Angora cat who became so beloved in Wellington, New Zealand, that the city formally awarded him the Key to the City in 2020 — an honour usually reserved for visiting dignitaries and heroes. A free-roaming wanderer, Mittens spent his days strolling through the central city, slipping into shops, offices, libraries, churches, banks, the cinema and even Te Papa, the national museum, charming everyone he met. His escapades were tracked by a Facebook group that grew to tens of thousands of members, who would post sightings and reunite him, gently, with his neighbourhood. So thoroughly did he capture the city's affection that he was named Wellingtonian of the Year in the 'absolutely positively' category, and the Key to the City citation praised him for "the cohesion and joy that Mittens has brought to Wellingtonians." His owner, Silvio Basil, has always made clear that Mittens is not lost but simply sociable — a cat who treats an entire capital as his living room. With his fluffy white coat and unhurried confidence, Mittens has become a genuine civic mascot, proof that a single friendly cat can knit a community together.