New Zealand Police Departments Embrace Cats as Official Animal Partners

It’s not unusual to see working dogs around a police station, but in some New Zealand police departments, the cat’s been let out of the bag!

When it comes to police animals, most people visualize a powerful Belgian Malinois or German Shepherd, loyally and dutifully performing duties that are often dangerous for their handlers and themselves. You might picture gnarling of teeth as canine members take down the bad guy, or desperation as one finds a stash of something illegal.

But then, were you to walk into one police department in New Zealand, you might be taken a bit aback, as you’d be introduced to different police animal altogether–a fluffy, leisurely-laying cat named Tia.

Tia the police cat

What has four legs, a fluffy tail, and works for police? #tiathepolicecat #catsquad

Posted by New Zealand Police on Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Tia works out of the Wellington District Police department, with her ‘handler’ Constable Kerry Morrell. The pair share videos on Facebook, detailing their ‘work.’ Tia’s typically includes some light admin work, but she’s best at getting pets or napping, says a police spokesperson.

The spokesperson said that not as much gets done at the office when Tia is there, so she telecommutes from home quite a bit. Plus, she’s a cat…she’s smart enough to leave all the dirty work to those dogs!

And while dogs do typically do more of the workload in New Zealand’s police work than cats, Tia is not alone. In the Whangaparaoa department, Snickers the Cat monitors the office as a feline of the law. He’s better known for snuggling and minding the paperwork as well, but he’s also pretty good at guarding the police vehicles!

Is that me or the engine purring ????

A post shared by Snickers the Police Cat (@snickersthepolicecat) on Jul 27, 2017 at 5:24pm PDT

Guess this isn't what the Sgt meant by filing …oh well..time for a catnap methinks.

A post shared by Snickers the Police Cat (@snickersthepolicecat) on Aug 27, 2017 at 2:29pm PDT