The identity of the friendly feline who has been making headlines by popping round the shops and visiting the supermarket in a village near Norwich has been revealed.

Norwich Evening News: Pumpkin the Cat, who has been winning fans online through his visits to Tesco. Pictures: Jo HardingPumpkin the Cat, who has been winning fans online through his visits to Tesco. Pictures: Jo Harding (Image: Jo Harding)

Meet Pumpkin, the six-year-old rescue cat who has been turning heads in Thorpe Marriott with his regular visits to Tesco on Acres Way, just a few doors down from his home.

Members of staff at the Tesco Express branch have this week said the mischievous moggy had been "banned from" the store, however his owner says he is causing no harm.

Pumpkin lives with grandmother and cat-lover Jo Harding, her husband Lee, daughter Abbie and granddaughter Amelia, along with seven other cats and a dog.

He moved in two-and-a-half years ago, after the family took him in from a local rescue centre.

Norwich Evening News: Pumpkin the Cat, who has been winning fans online through his visits to Tesco. Pictures: Jo HardingPumpkin the Cat, who has been winning fans online through his visits to Tesco. Pictures: Jo Harding (Image: Jo Harding)

Mrs Harding, 49, said: "Before we rescued him he was a street cat, so he's very naturally quite streetwise and loves to roam around. He tends to come home most nights at around 11pm, just after Tesco closes.

"But it isn't just Tesco he visits, he loves going in and out of all the shops nearby, including the beauticians and the estate agents.

"He isn't causing any harm though and he's very well loved in the area. The staff at Tesco are always really nice to him, even when asking him to leave.

"He just loves going around and meeting people, he's very affectionate."

Norwich Evening News: Pumpkin the Cat, who has been winning fans online through his visits to Tesco. Pictures: Jo HardingPumpkin the Cat, who has been winning fans online through his visits to Tesco. Pictures: Jo Harding (Image: Jo Harding)

Such is the ginger tom's exploratory nature, he became a frequent fixture on community pages on social media, with people who don't know the Harding family keen to find out where he lives.

Mrs Harding added: "He just loves roaming around so we would always see posts asking if anyone knows him, so in the end we set him up his very own Facebook page and he now has more than 250 friends.

"He is probably the most well known cat in Thorpe Marriott and is just so loved."

Pumpkin is one of eight cats currently in the Harding household, though one belongs to 22-year-old Miss Harding. They are Freddie, Batty, Porsche, Lily, Paige, and Poppy; with the latest addition being 10-week-old kitten Dexter, who was found abandoned in a tub just a few weeks ago. The family also has a dalmatian/pointer cross called Ollie.

Pumpkin's Facebook page can be found by searching Pumpkin Harding.