Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer.
Cat tries to escape ‘diet centre’
In Russia, a rather portly feline named Kroshik, or Crumbs, had had enough of the weight rehab facility it had been sent to and tried to scarper. Unfortunately, Crumbs’ weight prevented any sort of dash for freedom. He got wedged im a shoe rack with his face stuck in a blue Croc.
“‘Kroshik… he caused a ruckus and escaped today,’ rehabilitation expert Ekaterina Bedakova said. “He was extremely displeased when we found him disguised as slippers, but… after a portion of food, he mellowed out.’
“It’s been a long road for Crumbs — named for his ability to hoover up food — who was first discovered a week ago in the basement of a Russian hospital. Staffers had reportedly fed the portly pet a diet of cookies and soup, which caused him to balloon up to a scale-shattering 37.47 pounds — so heavy he couldn’t even walk.
“Fortunately, vets are positive about Crumbs’ new routine. Under this new health regime, they predict that the plus-size couch-scratcher will lose between 70-50 grams per week. In fact, Bedakova suggested that Crumbs’ ill-fated escape attempt was actually a good sign because it demonstrated that he’s a “very active guy.” Source: “38-pound rescue cat Crumbs gets stuck in shoe rack while trying to escape from fat camp: ‘He caused a ruckus’,” by Ben Cost, 13th September, www.nypost.com).
5 stars – obviously this is a cat that someone cared enough about to try and help recover from being abandoned and then overfed.
Kiwi home invader comes in through cat flap
Our national bird is a bit of a character and to most of us remains elusive. I have never seen a kiwi in the wild, only in a zoo, so you can imagine what a great experience it was for a Northland woman to find one of the wee champions wandering through her house recently.
“Tabatha Bird was in bed [in Russell] when she heard rustling sounds, which she assumed were her cat, and went to check what was going on. Much to her surprise, the source of the noise was in fact a young Northland brown kiwi. ‘I saw something under the kitchen table and was shocked that it turned out to be a kiwi,’ she said.
“She said the bird was relaxed and appeared to just be ‘moseying about’. After securing her cat, Bird was able to herd the kiwi outside into the nearby bush. ‘He went on his way and carried on his evening.'” (Source: “Watch: Unexpected visitor looks for a bit of ‘kiwi hospitality’,” by Phoebe Utteridge, 13th September, www.stuff.co.nz).
5 stars – you gotta hand it to a bird having the ingenuity to come through the cat flap, have a bit of a nose around, and not cause too much of a fuss. Maybe this is why the kiwi is our national bird, after all.
Pizza Hut goes back in time to the 1980s
As a kid growing up in Christchurch in the 1970s/1980s there wasn’t the huge selection of restaurants and eateries that we have today. One firm family favourite was Pizza Hut. It was colorful and novel and while the pizza was very much an antipodean concoction we knew no better and frankly, didn’t care. It was a good time.
Pizza Hut has announced that they are bringing back its all you can eat buffet to celebrate 50 years of operation in New Zealand. There are a few draw cards. Firstly it’s in Auckland and secondly it’s only for three nights. Oh, and it’s already sold out.
“Diners at the ‘Pop-up Hut’ can expect unlimited chips, garlic bread and soft drinks, the pizza buffet complete with pizza, salad bar, as well as the famous dessert bar, with soft-serve ice cream, raspberry jelly, chocolate mousse, hot fudge sauce and a range of toppings. The event will be at the City Works Depot in central Auckland, with lunch and dinner sessions running from September 26-29.” (Source: “1980s Pizza Hut menu emerges online as all-you-can-eat buffet tickets sell out,” by Nazahryth Bernard, 18th September, www.stuff.co.nz).
Even better – a Pizza Hut menu from the 1980s has been doing the rounds online. It will make the good old days hanker for those good old days even more.
