Meet New Zealand’s most famous cats: Fiddy, Zeplyn, Shiloh, Mittens & Traeger

Some florists find it hard to choose one bloom as their all-time favourite – it’s a bit like picking a favourite child – but nature-loving Fiddy has never had that problem. Her floral displays consist of one flower and one flower only: the humble but beautiful camellia.

When Aalish Bennett started finding camellia blossoms scattered on the windowsill of her Bay of Plenty bedroom, she thought her partner Matt was trying. For a little rustic romance. The mystery deepened when the flowers kept appearing despite Matt denying all knowledge.

Fiddy finds her forever home

It was several days – and floral deliveries – later before the covert florist was revealed to be Fiddy, a new friend who’d been visiting their yard on the regular. She was spotted in the act – jumping through the window with a camellia in her mouth.

Four years and four changes of residence later, Fiddy continues to bring camellias home for Aalish. She’s well and truly a Bennett now. Early attempts to return the wanderer to her original human family were foiled when Fiddy kept popping back up, bloom clutched between her teeth. The cat had made her decision and all the humans fell in line.

The bond between Fiddy and her new family grew stronger when a bad back kept Aalish home from her teaching job for several weeks in 2021, and the pair spent every minute together. As for Matt, before Fiddy moved in, he thought of himself as more of a dog guy – you can guess how that’s turned out.

Aalish is grateful that Fiddy has chosen camellias to inspire her craft as many other flowers are toxic to cats. When the trio moved to Wānaka in 2022, Aalish wondered whether Fiddy might diversify. Instead, she’s been able to go one better and work from home, thanks to the healthy camellia bush growing on their rental property!

Landing a starring role alongside Lucy Lawless in My Life Is Murder has been a career high for versatile actor Zeplyn. The ginger Maine Coon joined the cast of the hit show in 2021, when production was relocated from Melbourne to Auckland.

The search for a Kiwi co-star

The show’s lead character Alexa Crowe, portrayed by Lucy, is at her best when she’s got a feline sidekick, but the Aussie battler who played Captain Thunderbolt in the first season baulked at crossing the Tasman, so the hunt was on for a Kiwi cat to step up.

Zeplyn almost flubbed his chances when he did a poo under a producer’s desk at his audition, but luckily trainer Rosie Miles saw past his faux-paw and recognised his star quality! After all, she’d cast him before in ads for Noel Leeming and Colorsteel roofing, as well as a bit-part in the series Ash Vs Evil Dead.

Teachability and talent

Rosie says it’s Zeplyn’s teachability that gives him the edge over other aspiring performers, while Lucy has praised his acting skills, describing her co-star as “magnificent, even though he’s the biggest diva on the show”.

Maybe there’s something in the water out there in coastal Parau, where Zeplyn lives with his human mums Leda Taylor and Camille Courtois, because when he comes home from a big day on set, he has plenty of other actors to rehearse with – there are three other cats and six dogs in the family, and all but one of those work in showbiz.

Training and playtime

As well as running lines with Zeplyn, his housemates help him stay in shape for filming. Leda and Camille run a dog-walking business called Follow the Leda, and their own dogs and cats are often joined by canine visitors on overnight stays. The house is always full to bursting and Zeplyn loves to join the pack for rambles on the beach at high tide, especially since he learned how to boogie-board!

Black cats are famously associated with witchcraft and magic. And in the Gisborne suburb of Kaiti, smooth operator Shiloh isn’t doing anything to dispel this stereotype. She’s the nimble namesake of the Black Cat Cauldron, described on its Facebook page as “Gisborne’s only witchcraft store, stocking a wide range of products from candles to water features”.

From namesake to intuition expert

Store owner Marita Chisholm never intended for Shiloh to do more than inspire the name of the business, but her furry friend insisted she had a bigger part to play. She’s more than just a pretty face who knows how to shake paws – she’s got feline intuition.

Shiloh the spiritual sidekick

Marita offers both palmistry and tarot readings, with Shiloh attending nearly every session to provide nuzzles and smooth the way for customers to connect with their spiritual side. If Shiloh climbs onto your lap, you know you’ve struck it lucky. Given some are superstitious about black cats, Shiloh might have expected some pushback, but she’s never encountered anyone who didn’t want her taking part in their reading. Customers love her and many reviews mention her by name.

A cat with character

Shiloh has always been a special puss who knows her own mind. She chose her name herself after hearing Neil Diamond’s song Shilo on the stereo and lending her voice to the chorus. She’s a talkative miss at the best of times, but Marita reckons those miaows had extra layers of meaning – it’s a song about an imaginary friend who shows up when she’s needed and makes you smile. Clearly Shiloh was on to something!

The store is a repurposed garage connected to Shiloh and Marita’s home, which they share with Marita’s partner Ivan, four dogs, a flock of chooks, some fish and a turtle named Boris. It’s a safe haven and a perfect place for Shiloh to relax after her working day.

How many cats do you know who’ve been officially presented with a key to the city?

Some felines are just born for stardom and marvellous Mittens is one of those.

The ginger gem first came to public prominence in 2017. He took it upon himself to patrol Wellington’s inner-city streets, calling at homes and businesses ranging from tattoo parlours to churches, spreading a little joy wherever he went.

As locals began to look forward to his visits and go out of their way to cross paths with Mittens, his popularity skyrocketed. Soon, a selfie with “His Floofiness” was a must-have in a COVID lockdown.

Mittens receives the key to the city

In May 2020, at the peak of the pandemic, Mittens was awarded the highest honour of the capital. Mayor Andy Foster gave him the Key to the City at a small but swanky ceremony. Previous recipients of the honour include Sir Peter Jackson and cricketer Brendon McCullum. And the accolades didn’t end there. Later that same year, Mittens was nominated for the prestigious New Zealander of the Year award, alongside hero of the hour Dr Ashley Bloomfield. The moggy’s nomination made headlines around the world, but Mittens was narrowly beaten for the 2021 title by microbiologist Dr Siouxsie Wiles.

Since then, he’s had a book written about his exploits, The Adventures Of Mittens: Wellington’s Famous Purr-sonality, and he’s gained nearly 70,000 followers on Facebook.

Mittens moves north

Wellingtonians were devastated when Mittens made the tough decision to trade the streets of the capital for Auckland suburbia, moving back to his original hometown with his human companions, the Bruinsma family. He refuses to be drawn on which is the better city, but if you call him a “JAFA”, he’ll have you in front of HR before you can blink.

Nowadays, Mittens is semi-retired, but he still makes time for an occasional stroll through his local park in central Auckland, bestowing some sparkle on his adoring public. Unlike some celebrities, he doesn’t employ a bodyguard, preferring to take his chances and get down in the weeds with the little people.

Belgium-born Traeger’s job is making beautiful babies and he excels at it. This debonair British shorthair is one of Wendy Powell’s top performers at her Kāpiti Coast breeding cattery, British Bella’s. He turned three this year and he’s already fathered several litters of stunning kittens in shades of blue, lilac and fawn.

As if that’s not enough, Traeger has a whole other string to his bow. He took out the prestigious title of New Zealand’s top cat in 2024, when he wasn’t even two years old. From the moment he arrived in the country in 2023, Traeger showed his class. His pedigree name is Masterpiece du Petit Prince. His paws had barely touched Kiwi soil before his striking orange eyes were casting about for something he could win.

The perfect British Shorthair

He’s powerful, like a little lion with lightning-fast reflexes, and his body type is classic for the breed. If you’re a British shorthair wanting to make a living from your looks, it’s all about being round. A compact frame, small ears set wide on your head, big eyes and a short, thick tail. Traeger ticks every box.

In his first-ever show, he won the People’s Choice Award. At the nationals two months later, he was up on stage more often than Taylor Swift at the Grammys. He smashed all the standards for his breed and took home the top prize. British shorthairs are often described as the teddy bears of the cat world, and some people say their personality doesn’t match their looks. But Wendy begs to differ – despite his predatory power, Traeger has an affectionate temperament, loving nothing more than a snuggle and smooch!

Life beyond the shows

Perhaps that’s why he’s so successful and fulfilled in his work at British Bella’s. Or could it be that he has every tomcat’s dream job? You be the judge. His part in the process is over quickly. Then he retires to his man cave – a luxury enclosure in Wendy’s backyard, where he tinkers with his toys, sleeps in a hammock and enjoys the best of Kiwi cuisine delivered to his door.