by Rebecca Hannant
A Hornsea cat has gained social media fame after he was spotted making himself at home in the local Tesco.
The cat, named Lincoln, started his travels during lockdown when he used to wander from his owners Lorraine and Kris Clarke and enter the neighbours’ home through the back door.
However, the neighbours then got two cats of their own, but they were indoor cats, so they made the decision to keep the back door closed.
Lorraine said: “I think Lincoln thought, ‘What am I going to do now?’”
After looking for new places to explore, Lincoln soon found comfort at the nearby Tesco store. Ever since, the staff there have welcomed him, fussing him on their breaks.
Lorraine added: “The staff at Tesco have been extremely welcoming to him. During the warmer months, some would take their breaks near the first aid centre, and he would wander around them. He would go near them and sit on their laps. He would then go into the foyer and find piles of anything to sit on. He started going and not coming home, so we had to fetch him in the car.”
As Lincoln’s popularity grew among visitors to the store, his owners decided to create a Facebook page for him so people could post photos of their interactions. The page now boasts more than 900 followers from as far as Brisbane and San Diego. However, Kris and Lorraine have urged people not to give him treats, saying he is a well-looked after family cat, and not a stray.
Lorraine said: “A few too many people are giving him masses of food, and he hasn’t been coming home for his own food. When he did come home, he wasn’t wanting to eat his own food. I went to Tesco the other day and caught him by a bin eating a massive pile of cat food. I just shooed him away, picked it up, and put it in the bin.
“If people continue feeding him, we will have to take the decision to keep him at home for a few weeks. But then nobody will be able to see him, and we don’t want to have to do that.”
