This is a blog that I never thought I would write. Back in 1999, we were lucky enough to be chosen by a very adorable black and white cat as it’s new provider of food and shelter when it turned up on our doorstep. Despite extensive efforts to locate the owner at the time we never found anyone and the cat never left. Given the cat’s size (rotund) and it’s propensity for lounging around everywhere our boys who were 7,6 and 3 at time came up with the name Mr Blobby.

Part of this was probably because one of our favourite TV programmes at the time was the Noel Edmonds Variety show that featured the original Mr Blobby. A genuinely British slapstick comedy that probably looks very dated now.

Anyway time marches on and 20 years have now elapsed since the cat turned up on our doorstep. During that time, a lot has happened with our three sons all growing up. The purchase of a couple of motorhomes. Many holidays in said motorhomes but never in any of these said holidays have we taken Mr Blobby with us.

All that changed this week. With our usual house sitter heading away at the same time, we decided to leave Mr Blobby with our two youngest sons who flat together. On Sunday we left Blobby in preparation for the trip away Monday. He has been here before, so we expected no issues only to receive a text first thing Monday to say he had gone missing and was nowhere to be found. Sarah didn’t want to leave until we knew what was happening with the cat, so we delayed our departure.

We made the trip to Mt Wellington and searched all the surrounding streets without success. So it was a rather sad evening at home that night thinking that a cat that had been part of the family for 20 years was probably dead or dying on the side of the road somewhere. The following day it was back out for another search, still without any sign of the cat. Then at about 3pm, we had a phone call from the gardener at the Waipuna Hotel, which is about 500 metres and two main roads from my son’s house, to say they had the cat. (and read the tag on his collar with my phone number) Since he is old and his kidneys aren’t too good he drinks a lot of water, they had found him sitting under the sprinkler system completely soaked, something he often does at home.

We still wanted to get away but didn’t want to risk taking the cat back to our son’s so we decided that we would take him with us. So after 20 years of perhaps a 15-minute drive to the vet as his maximum time in a vehicle,, we were about to embark on a 4-hour journey. We placed Mr Blobby in his cage sitting him on the back seat so he would have a good view of all the scenery on the trip. I must have done an abysmal job of securing the lid of the cage as not long after leaving I caught out of the corner of my eye the cat escaping the cage. Not wanting to pull over on the motorway, we carried on with both of us unable to catch a glimpse of the where the cat had gone.

Since he wasn’t making a sound and neither of us could see him, we figured he must be sitting in the step area by the door and carried on. Stopping for diesel at the BP on the Northern motorway we had a proper search and found him tucked next to my seat behind the handbrake, there he stayed for the balance of the trip asleep and relaxed like an authentic travel professional.

One of the advantages of travelling with a cat as old and arthritic as Mr Blobby is that his days of running are now well past him. These days he can barely manage a brisk stroll and the days of running are a memory long forgotten. So although we purchased a lead to take him on a walk outside, we also let him have a freedom stroll with Sarah by his side pacing him. He has, however, prefered to remain in the motorhome sleeping for most of the time.

With all this sea air and change of scenery, he has been very content, and we will more than likely now take him on another trip soon.

To view the places we have visited click here to see them on Google maps. You can click the links to read the blog about that area.

To view the Ratings, we have done for places we have stayed click here 

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