EDMONTON – The mystery of a gold-coloured cat perched in the office of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is now a full-on hissing match.
It began in the house last week, when Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi publicly accused Smith of questionable judgment for accepting lavish gifts from foreign leaders, including a “giant golden cat.”
A statue of a gold-coloured feline can be seen in the background of one office picture sent out by Smith’s office on social media and has since become a popular internet meme, with the critter even hopping up on Smith’s lap to be petted in one false, manufactured video.
Smith’s chief of staff Rob Anderson has since weighed in on social media to say the “infamous” cat is made of copper — not gold — and is, in his words, worth “a few hundred dollars.”
Anderson says the cat was a gift given to the province during a visit from Saudi Arabia’s energy minister in 2023 and is on display in the premier’s Calgary office.
Anderson says Nenshi’s criticism just shows he’s not fit to lead, and he dismisses those who think there is anything lavish or untoward about the cat statue as conspiracy loving tinfoil-hat wearers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 24, 2026.
