Just as we were delighted to hear the news about the animal-friendly, newly elected Prime Minister of New Zealand, and felt a certain glow upon learning that her cat, Paddles, had been adopted, and just as this was to be an upbeat story about the antics of Paddles in the inner circle of the government of NZ, our follow-up revealed some sad news: Paddles had been killed by a car shortly after she became First Cat.
Is it better to let a cat have freedom to run and roam in spite of the dangers they both face from other animals and pose to other animals? Does the danger from cars or humans outweigh the freedom I wish for them? Following several heart-stopping near misses, and one fatal side-swipe of our adorable cat rescue “Smudge” with his sloppy milk-mustache on otherwise all black fur, I resolved not to let our cats out again. That and the little animals they would bring back dead or severely wounded led to this decision. I’ve committed to caring for my rescues inside. One thing that helps them to stay occupied is having another cat or two or three around.
We were so sorry to hear about Paddles and hope that the NZ PM will think about another adoption after the grief related to losing Paddles fades.
