NZ loses its ‘First Cat’

NEW Zealand mourned the loss of the nation’s “First Cat” yesterday after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s pet puss Paddles was run over by a car in Auckland.

The Prime Minister’s office confirmed the ginger and white cat, also described by Ms Ardern as the PM (Prime Moggy), died in an accident on Tuesday. “Paddles was much loved, and not just by us,” the leader wrote on Facebook.

After Ms Ardern won office last month a Twitter account was set up for Paddles, attracting more than 11,000 followers.