All black cats look alike

[vilakins]

This story came up on a US site, and I was even more amused when I realised just who had tweeted it - Clarke Gayford, the partner of our new prime minister, Jacinda Arden (about whom I am very excited).

The story of the mistaken cat

It's worth looking at a few others of his tweets. My favourites:

His response to the account set up in their cat Paddles' name

Paddles' response to the media mobbing their house

Swearing-in day - 'lady' for Labour?

The kea, bird of the year - YES! I absolutely loathe our people being labelled - and labelling themselves - as a stupid, shy, nocturnal bird that can't fly. If people can't handle the four syllables of New Zealander (the same number as in "American" or "Italian" - c'mon!) than let's go with kea. They have personality.

Comments

[gwendraith]

Oh my gosh I laughed at the black cat one :) People can't tell my two apart but I'm used to them and can tell one from the other.

[pebblerocker]

I often can't tell my black cat from my grey one! They look very similar in silhouette or in the shadow, even though they're not at all the same size and have different mannerisms.

[vilakins]

There's another black cat who comes to our garden and I have to call to it to see whether it Sebastian or not; Sebbie will come to me. A couple of times though he's just stared and it wasn't till I saw his white patch that I knew it was him.

[feng_shui_house]

Hah! I scrolled through quite a few of the comments and there were other people recounting similar experiences, including several that were just like what happened to my cousin.

They buried their white cat, the victim of vehicular caticide, made it a grave with a headstone and flowers and wept and carried on. And looked up to see their *real* cat, Snowball, gazing at them curiously.

[vilakins]

Awww, huge relief for them, but sadness for someone else. Did they find out who? I'd rather at least know than wonder what happened.

[feng_shui_house]

I think the cat was a semi-feral stray. It had no collar, and they would have remembered if they'd seen an extra cat based at someone's yard.

[vilakins]

Our cats have gradually lost their collars and I can't be bothered to put new ones with ID on them unless there's a possible emergency. They're all microchipped though - the first thing I'd check with a stray.

[toft]

I'm glad you got a good prime minister, or better than the alternative at least! I hope she works out well!

[vilakins]

She has to be better! Unlike the previous one, a rich farmer who didn't give a stuff about the poor or the environment, supported corporates, and was happy to sell the country off to overseas buyers. Jacinda Arden is warm, likeable, and very much gives a damn about people and fairness.

[imhilien]

Hooray for the kea. :)

[vilakins]

Yessss! Let's be keas!

[imhilien]

Definitely. It would be a better national bird for us too. :D

[mab_browne]

I was happy for the kea to be bird of the year. Maybe the kaka might get a look in too sometime.

I have quiet expectations for the new govt but I do expect to be happier with it than the previous shower, so there's that at least.

Our next door has a black cat just like ours but since ours has a very pronounced personality and squawk, I doubt we will have any confusion.

[vilakins]

I don't think they could be worse than that lot!

At least our Sebastian has a white patch, and I'd never mistake him for another inside the house where he makes distinctive trills and carries his tail curved over. The other local black cat looks very like him outside though where he's being a cat away from our company.