A man claiming to be the driver who hit and killed Jacinda Ardern's cat has spoken out about the experience, saying he is very sorry.
The man, identified only as Chris, called in to the Jay-Jay, Dom and Randall show on The Edge on Friday morning to discuss the experience.
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He claims he was driving down the road at a normal speed when the cat suddenly ran in front of his car.
When he realised he had hit it he pulled over to speak to a local, and was horrified to hear who her owner was.
"I see over the fence a neighbour, flagged her down and said, 'You know whose cat this is? I think I might have hit it'," he said.
"I describe it and her face just goes white, and I'm like, 'Oh well, this must be hers', because she seems visibly upset, and she goes, 'No, it's Jacinda's,' and I just almost threw up."
Chris said he went to apologise to Paddles' owners. Ms Ardern was unavailable due to the opening of Parliament but he says her partner Clarke Gayford was appreciative of his apology.
Chris told The Edge he wasn't driving dangerously when he hit the cat, and as a vegetarian, he feels terrible for causing the death of an animal.
He said he has donated $100 to the SPCA after the incident and requested others donate to the charity too.
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