A cheeky cat, who has become a local celebrity, escapes everyday to visit B&M and Morrisons – but after not coming home for days his owner has “grounded” him.
When Clare Hughes noticed her cat, Biscuit, aged ten, was nowhere to be seen, panic started to set in.
The 37-year-old took to her local Facebook page to see if anybody had spotted him – but was left shocked when there were multiple posts about the tabby outside B&M and Morrisons.
While he’s always been an outdoor cat, the mum-of-three had no idea her pet had been making a name for himself and now, he’s become a “celebrity” in the area.
“He has a water bowl outside and gets lots of treats – one lady has bought him a whole tin of corned beef before,” the healthcare assistant from Castleford, told NeedToKnow.co.uk.
“I have stated multiple times that I would rather people didn’t give him actual food, as I feed him everyday, but he’s a greedy man.
“All the staff love Biscuit and while he knows that he can’t go into the shops, he does sometimes push his luck.
“He is well known enough now by all the staff and most regular customers – the security guard is particularly fond of him.”
Clare, who is mum to Izzy, 16, Mia, 13 and Henry, nine, with husband, Gaz, 42, rescued Biscuit when he was a kitten after finding him lost in a thunderstorm.
Since then, he’s become one of the family and is described as an “affectionate and playful” feline.
Now, in a bid to warn others that he isn’t lost, the mum has put a message on his collar that reads: “I have a home and I’m very loved – but I like it at Morrisons.”
Biscuit also has his own Facebook page, with nearly 1,000 followers, where his adventures are documented – and posts from a very worried Clare when he doesn’t come home.
In one post, which has racked up hundreds of likes, the mum shows a sorrowful snap of Biscuit, who has been “grounded” after not coming home for two days.
The post reads: “GROUNDED. Little monkey decided not to come home for two days resulting in me looking like a crazy person circling the car park shaking treats.
“I did get a few funny looks.
“Thank you to the lovely lady from Morrisons that helped me lure him.
“He does love his family but he legs it when he sees me because he doesn’t want to be grounded.
“Must make us look bloody awful.
“Gonna have to follow suit and feed him corned beef every night.” [sic]
Users have flocked to the comments to share their reactions, with many left saying that his “celebrity status” has gotten to him.
“The fame sending him off the rails,” Donna said. [sic]
Sandra added: “Thinks he’s Elvis now with superstar status.”
“He was drinking puddles at 8 this morning! Refused to get out of a cars way anorl,” Lynsey commented. [sic]
Becky said: “Cats are the most cheeky and naughty little buggers at times lol silly Biscuit.” [sic]
“Dirty stop out! No sign of him (again – for me) this morn when I went to both b&m and morrisons. Once more…gutted!!” Angela added. [sic]
Clare added: “I set up the page, as even with the collar, people would phone me to say he’s there.
“I thought if he had a page, people would know he’s OK and likes it there.
“People were posting his picture on the local lost pets page and it was every other day that I had to look for these just to say he wasn’t homeless.
“I don’t like that he crosses the railway lines in between our home and the shops, but he keeps himself safe.
“Sometimes, he’ll stay out for a couple of hours or late enough to see the staff finish at midnight so he can collect treats.
“Most of the time, he will come home by himself, but there have been occasions where we’ve not seen him for days at a time, so we have to go down and bring him back.
“I think half of the town must know him by now.”
