When you adopt a cat called Dora the Explorer, you might think you’ve been warned about what sort of personality you might be welcoming into your life.
This time however, Dora has wandered in way that is out of character for the smoochy feline, and the 10 residents of Abbeyfield Motueka are desperate for her to come home.
Dora has been missing for over a week, and although sightings have been reported around the town, she still hasn’t returned home, which is unusual for a cat that had previously never ventured beyond the neighbouring RSA.
Abbeyfield’s Jenny Hudson says that many of the residents have owned cats before, and they were missing her company terribly.
“She just adds a lot of fun and laughs here.”
It’s possible that Dora was trying to tick off a few chores in her travels, because she was spotted first at Milnes Beatson accountants in central Motueka, and then down the road at The Doctors.
“And then she had the night at the Spring and Fern, thank you very much, at the pub,” Jenny says with a laugh.
“She had dinner there.”
The group of residents collectively adopted Dora from the Nelson SPCA last April, and they share the cost and responsibility of looking after her. She adores having 10 laps to sit on, and 20 hands to pet her.
“She’s like Goldilocks,” Jenny explains. “She tries out each bed.”
“Every room is her home,” fellow resident Keith Faulkner agrees, adding that Dora likes to curl up on his pillow.
She also joins in their games and happily goes for a ride on the residents’ walkers.
Their concern is that another household might be trying to adopt her, and they very much want her home. Their cherished cat is microchipped, and a Missing Pet file has been opened at the vet.
Although Dora doesn’t have a collar or any distinctive markings, the group is pretty sure that the sightings around town are indeed Dora, as they’ve been sent photos in response to a social media plea.
The behaviour matches that of their Dora, too.
Perhaps she jumped into someone’s car and went for a ride, the group speculates. She did, after all, once spend 36 hours in a car boot after jumping into an open vehicle.
“Black on black, you see,” Jenny says ruefully. “Nancy didn’t see her when she shut the boot.”
Dora’s absence has left a hole in the residents’ day-to-day lives, and they are fervently hoping that she saunters back into the Anzac Place residence for her dinner.
