It has been a hard year for the Simonsen family and, to top it off, their 9-year-old family cat Puddy has gone missing.
Kushla Simonsen and daughter Zoey, 8, had three cats and, after Puddy went missing a month ago, the other two, Misty and Tiptop, died.
Zoey's grandmother Donna Laing said:
"Zoey just lost her great-grandmother, and they have had so many other losses and grief lately. This just tops it off, right on Christmas."
Puddy went missing when the Simonsens moved from Perry St to Masters St in Masterton.
The family are baffled the cat has gone missing, as they had moved back to the house Puddy had lived in as a kitten.
"We've got neighbours in Perry St looking out for her," said Miss Simonsen.
"We would really like her back for Christmas, or at least to know what happened to her."
Puddy is described as a "typical puss in boots", black with white paws, a white stripe around her neck and down her nose.
"She's very affectionate," said Miss Simonsen.
"She's a baby to us more than a cat. I like to call her my firstborn."
Despite the loss of her cats, Zoey is optimistic and keeps herself busy looking after 4-week-old Tip and Top, both kittens of Tiptop.
