Let Mimi walk

Preferred

With the best of intentions, Emerson started looking for a cat to adopt in 2016. The first cat she came across on her search was Mimi, but before she could take in a cat at all, she knew she had to move. The then owners of her flat did not want pets in the complex. Once Emerson moved into her new flat, and went back to the shelter, she saw that Mimi was still there. As if it was meant to be, so Emerson took Mimi home with her.

Once home with Emerson and her new furever home, Mimi immediately went exploring, crawling into cupboards, under and over furniture and being sweet and affectionate. ‘That night she slept on the foot of my bed’ tells Emerson, who immediately took that as a good sign.

(Mon)Ster

Mimi was already called that when Emerson adopted her. However, she has since been given a nickname: Mimi the MonStar. Because, as you might guess, Mimi can sometimes be a MonStar, but in Emerson's eyes she is a Star!

Emerson can't bear to be away from Mimi. ‘She means the world to me, I love her so much,’ tells Emerson who really just wants to be with her cat all the time because it is comforting for her. Mimi is not the most cuddly cat, sitting on your lap for hours but gives the occasional short cuddle when she feels like it. It doesn't matter to Emerson, she just likes being in the room with her. Mimi always comes with us on holidays and joins Emerson in the office at least once a week, where she has been given a position as Inspiration Manager!

Let Mimi walk

In 2020, Emerson bought a house in Wright, she did the necessary homework and contacted animal control regarding the rules regarding letting cats outside. Many places in Australia have so-called ‘Cat containment areas’ which means that cat owners must keep their cats on their own property because it is close to a nature reserve. This protects native wildlife and also means cats in these areas have a longer life expectancy as they are less likely to be injured or fall ill.

Emerson was told by animal control that it was allowed to let her cat out there on a leash, and so there was no reason for Emerson not to go through with the purchase of the house. When she finally moved in one year later, she found out that Mimi was not allowed outside on a leash at all and was only allowed to be kept in the house. Had Emerson known this, she would never have bought the house because Mimi just loves going outside. Also, the fine Emerson risked with letting Mimi out is not little either, this being 1,600 Australian Dollars.

So Emerson had to stop walking Mimi and soon noticed a
change in her cat. That's why she decided to take Mimi to the office more
often, but Mimi still became depressed and her well-being deteriorated.

Doing nothing was not an option, Emerson had to take action,
and started a petition: "Let
Mimi Walk". A few thousand flyers were printed and distributed in the
mailbox around Canberra. In this way, Emerson hoped to make change for her
Mimi.

In the news

The petition collected almost 2000 signatures in 2 months and
Emerson was interviewed by a.o. Canberra Weekly, Canberra Times and
HIT104. She was named on ABC hit radio and even reached the Dutch news! The
fact that the petition became such a success was partly due to Mimi's strong
support on Instagram.

In the
end, Chris Steel, cabinet minister, visited Emerson's home. Chris met Mimi
there and... Then he was convinced! Chris saw that people who walk their cats
on a leash are actually trying to be responsible. It was therefore not logical
that the legislation was diametrically opposed to this and so Emerson managed
to convince Chris.

When they enacted the legislation in the
year 2000, they probably didn't even consider that there are people like
Emerson who walk their cats on a leash. As of July 1, the law has been changed,
and Emerson can finally go outside again with Mimi on the phone! The native
fauna will still be protected, and the new legislation also promotes
responsible pet ownership. By keeping pets on a leash, everyone can enjoy the
outdoors while still protecting native wildlife. This benefits the health and
well-being of everyone.