Rustle the Cat now world famous in Feilding thanks to Swiftmantis mural

Rustle.

Rustle the cat is about to be world famous in Feilding.

The 4-year-old tabby was the muse for a huge mural by artist Swiftmantis on a bare brick wall of the Courtesy Ford Bowen St apartments, as part of the Manawatū Street Art Festival.

Manawatū Guardian contacted Rustle's owner Sophie Oram to find out more about him now the cat was out of the bag, and to see how he was handling his newfound fame.

Turns out Rustle was born in London. Sophie returned home to New Zealand soon after the initial outbreak of Covid-19, having spent nine years abroad.

There was never any question her precious moggie would follow her home although Rustle ended up having to stay on in London a further six months while separate travel arrangements for him were made.

Rustle.

Rustle was able to doss down with friends during that time before boarding a flight to be reunited with Sophie.

After picking Rustle up from his three-day stay in quarantine in Auckland they had time for a catch up in the drive back to Feilding.

"I was expecting him to be a bit hacked off with me, to be honest, but I think he was just relieved to see me," she said.

So, what was Rustle like?

He was bigger than your average cat, but Sophie said he was a gentle giant.

"He's gentle. He's quite a chilled-out cat. He's not very good at being a cat - he's not very good at jumping and catching. And he is quirky. He likes to sit next to you rather than on you," she said.

Swiftmantis is poised to make a cat called Rustle world-famous in Feilding.

Meanwhile, artist Swiftmantis was putting the finishing touches on Rustle for his mural this week.

Swiftmantis used photo realism as a medium for his street art murals and that involved a photo shoot with Rustle this time, using the best of those images as a reference point to translate to each wall.

"I always go for a local cat," he said.

The photos were purposely taken at a slightly upward angle to give the perspective that the viewer was at ground level.

He then hired a scissor lift to hoist himself high up the wall, working away in solitude. He just zones into his work with headphones on to keep concentrating.

"It's not an exact science. Every mural is different and you never know exactly how long it is going to take," he said.

His real name was Mikal Carter. He said he had always loved cats, but he wasn't restricted to cats in his art and tattoo work. He could work with all animals. Most of his work was animal-inspired.

Palmerston North-based artist Swiftmantis.

"I'm passionate about cats. I'm passionate about all animals," he said.

Large scale tattoos progressed to large walls, and his work was popping up all over the lower North Island.

"It's not everyone's cup of tea and you can't please everyone with every mural but you try to make them fun and engaging and bring a smile to people's faces."

Palmerston North artist Swiftmantis working on a mural in Levin last year.