Clarke’s cat-ch: Prime Minister’s partner hangs with funny feline in Tonga

Charcoal the cat, who lives in Tonga, loves being buried in the sand up to his whiskers. Photo / clarkegayford on Instagram

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s partner Clarke Gayford has shared an interesting video while enjoying some time in Tonga, where he playfully buries a cat in the sand up to his whiskers.

Introducing his new furry friend as “Charcoal”, Gayford explained in the caption on a social media post the cat is “the cutest most eccentric little cat of Mounu Island.”

The TV presenter and keen fisherman had earlier posted a photo of Charcoal buried in the sand, with just his head and the tip of his tail above ground level.

“I only came back online to show you this cat I just met,” Gayford wrote, “can report that working away from home goes way better when you can end each day with a cat that loves being buried in the sand.”

People flocked to the comments of the post to share their confusion over the seemingly captive kitty.

“That’s about the most random thing I’ve seen. And I’ve seen some things!” one person wrote.

“I’ve got a lot of questions and all of them about this cat,” another said.

Gayford finally revealed how he managed to conceal the cat beneath the sand with a video posted online last night.

“They say a magician should never reveal technique, but I’ve had so much feedback from the cat pic,” Gayford wrote on Instagram.

“Including from many who thought a cat couldn’t possibly enjoy being buried in the sand, I give you this behind-the-scenes vid I made for my daughter.”

He explained that Charcoal “really does enjoy being dug in at the beach” and would often “sit with just his head out for 30mins each evening taking in his day while buried up to his whiskers”.

In the video, Charcoal excitedly jumps into a small pit that Gayford has made and patiently sits and waits while Gayford fills it back in.

Gayford then to sings a jingle to his new friend, who sits happily listening, swinging the tiny tip of his tail that’s still visible above the sand.