Puss in Boots? No, I prefer Tesco!
WHEN Pumpkin the cat was ‘banned’ from his favourite haunt – a Tesco store – two months ago, the supermarket admitted it would be difficult to enforce.
And so it came as no surprise that the ginger tom was spotted lounging on his preferred spot, a self-service scanner, on Sunday.
The ‘unexpected item in the bagging area’ was photographed by a delighted customer, who posted it on a Facebook page dedicated to the friendly feline.
Pumpkin’s owner Jo Harding, who lives a few doors away from the supermarket in Thorpe Marriott, near Norwich, yesterday said she had never expected him to change his ways, adding: ‘Pumpkin is taking no notice of his ban.’ The six-year-old rescue cat began hanging out in the store in 2018 and became so popular that people would actually shop there in the hope of seeing him.
But health and safety inevitably intervened and in November Tesco said he was no longer welcome.
A spokesman said at the time: ‘Although we love the little ginger cat who visits, a food store isn’t the best place for a cat to be, so our colleagues [will] gently encourage him to go out when he tried to come in.’
Fans on his Facebook page – which has more than 2,000 members – celebrated Pumpkin’s defiance yesterday, however, with one hailing him a ‘rebel’. Another fan, Becky Steele, wrote: ‘Pumpkin is gorgeous and very naughty. Keep up the good work Pumpkin.’
The cat moved in with Mrs Harding, 50, her husband Lee, daughter Abbie, and granddaughter Amelia in 2017.
He currently shares the home with seven other cats and a dog.
Mrs Harding said: ‘ He’s very streetwise and loves to roam around. He tends to come home most nights at around 11pm, just after Tesco closes.
‘He just loves going around and meeting people. He’s very affectionate.’
A Tesco spokesman yesterday said staff would continue to ‘encourage’ Pumpkin outside if he ventured into the store.