Wellington's celebrity cat Mittens is moving to Auckland, his owner has confirmed.
The Turkish angora is an icon of the capital with a massive fanbase following his travels as he makes himself at home in shops, cafes and even people's cars.
Now he's making the journey up north over the coming holiday period in a shock loss to the capital.
It's understood that owner Silvio Bruinsma is selling his home in preparation for the move.
"This is for personal reasons and is the right move for our family but I do appreciate this will come as a shock to some of you," Bruinsma said in a post to 'The Wondrous Adventures of Mittens' Facebook page.
"Mittens is a wonderful example of social bridging and has brought people from all walks of life together and collectively as a community we have raised over $35,000 funds for the SPCA and the Mental Health Foundation to help those in need - and we intend to continue to support similar organisations from our new residence.
"We will see what chapters Mittens' writes in the next stage of his life in the Wondrous adventures of Mittens."
Last year Mittens was awarded Wellington's keys to the city by Mayor Andy Foster in recognition of his contribution to the city.
Foster told the NZ Herald the Wellington Council is aware of Mittens' move.
"I think everybody is going to be really sad to see our favourite feline heading off for new adventures and he's obviously brought a lot of people a lot of joy over the time he and his family have been in Wellington," he said.
"He does have the Key to the City so he's welcome back at any time."
