Disappearance of internet cat upsets fans

It appears the recent disappearance of a Napier cat that has won fame on the internet has been upsetting for more than just its owner.

Children's book author Beverley Dunlop has been writing stories about the adventures of her six-year-old blue-grey part-Burmese cat, Ollie, for the past two years, and has regularly posted them on the internet for fun as part of a newsgroup, at www.onthe.net.au/flippy/adventuresofollie.html.

The first day Ollie appeared on the net, the site received more than 800 hits.

The stories, almost 90 of them, vary from when he got pecked on the nose by a goose he was trying to stalk, to the day he slipped into the family car and went undetected all the way to Rotorua, before being spotted yawning on the back seat.

But about a week ago, Ollie went missing.

Apart from being extremely anxious herself, Mrs Dunlop said people had e-mailed from various parts of the globe, wondering why the stories had stopped.

When she said Ollie had gone missing there was an "overwhelming" response from people. "You have to find him," she was told.

Mrs Dunlop said Ollie had all the neighbours under his claw and loved being in cars. "He could almost get in through the keyhole if he wanted."

But he was very trusting, and may have climbed into someone else's car for a nap and been driven away.

She said he would be smart enough to find his way home if he was in the district, but feared he may have been abandoned somewhere out of town, and if so, would find the journey home far more difficult.

- HAWKE'S BAY TODAY