Sticky-pawed Stig now in a book
When Lisa Peckitt adopted cat Stig, she never imagined two years later he would have 15,000 followers on social media and she would be looking to publish a children’s book about his exploits.
‘‘I thought I was just getting another cat,’’ Peckitt joked.
It took the Timaru woman one morning to pen a rhyming story which recounts her norwegian forest cat’s rise to notoriety after he began pinches boots, T-shirts, and more
from the neighbours – following his owner’s move from a farm to town in June last year.
‘‘I always make up wee rhymes about things and once I started thinking about it, it came together quite quickly,’’ she said.
‘‘It’s quite exciting.’’ Peckitt had matched photos to the words and produced 10 copies of the book The Norwegian from New Zealand with the Very Sticky Paws, giving them away to a number of Stig’s victims including the owner of the nearby Top 10 Holiday Park, his favourite target.
A 4-year-old boy had been so taken with the book he had started acting like Stig and carrying items around in his mouth, she said.
Peckitt now wanted to selfpublish a spruced-up version of the book, and planned to apply for a $500 Creative Communities Scheme grant to print 50 copies.
‘‘If that gets the book out round Timaru that would be enough for me. It would be good for Timaru kids to have something that’s about Timaru,’’ she said.
‘‘The aim isn’t to make $1 million. I’d just like to get the book out there and give people something to chuckle about.’’
But she believed the book could garner interest further afield, with Stig boasting 15,000 fans on social media including from Australia, the Philippines, and Peru.
‘‘He gets such a good response and it makes people smile.’’
Peckitt said she could see Stig’s adventures becoming a series.
One idea for a future entry was to focus on her other cat, Dave, who does not understand Stig’s penchant for stealing.