A cat that spends his days at an M&S store mysteriously disappeared – only for his owner to discover he was on the Isle of Wight.

Loki, a two-year-old cat, often frequents the Foodhall in Eastleigh and is well-known with staff and shoppers alike.

From clambering over the trolleys to ‘supervising’ inside the store, Loki is a regular visitor.

However, his owner Zöe Allen became concerned when he did not return home after four days.

'A man picked him up from M&S'

Daily Echo: Loki at M&S in Eastleigh Loki at M&S in Eastleigh (Image: Zöe Allen)

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The 50-year-old retail manager said: “M&S is about a two-minute walk from our house and he’s there every day.

“We have had him since he was a kitten and he’s always done this. He’s known as the M&S cat.

“There was even an instance last year where Loki got into one of their vans and ended up in Shirley, so we had to go get him from a vets surgery there.

“On January 12 my son received a call from a vet on the Isle of Wight to say they had Loki.

“Turns out, a man had picked him up from M&S in Eastleigh and took him in his car all the way to the island because he thought he was a stray.”

'We were angry'

Daily Echo: Loki the cat at M&S Loki the cat at M&S (Image: Ray Whitfield)

The unknown man kept Loki for several days before taking him to the vets, only to discover that he did in fact have a home across the water.

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Zöe said: “It’s all very strange.

“If you find a cat that you think is a stray, you would take them to the local vet, not to an island.

“We don’t know anything about this man but he had Loki for four days.

“When we realised someone had taken Loki to the Isle of Wight, we were quite angry and very worried about his safety.

“I am a cat lover, I have three in total, and I don’t want anyone to hurt them.

“Loki is part of the family, and I was concerned for him.”

Since returning home last week, Loki has since been spotted back at M&S enjoying the company and cuddles of customers.

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