A cat, who regularly spends his days at a North East supermarket, has acrobatically demonstrated using a human toilet.

Benji, from South Shields, has extended the morning bathroom queue of the Doran household ever since the eight-year-old cat left his litter tray behind.

Along with his unusual toilet habits he has begun to regularly visit the local Aldi where he is often reported missing by concerned shoppers.

Rachel Doran, his owner, has been receiving up to 30 calls a day from shoppers and has to explain that he prefers Aldi to his home.

The 32-year-old has taken to putting up posters in the supermarket car park that say 'NOT MISSING'.

The posters say: "I am not lost. I come to Aldi every day. Please do not feed me, I have allergies."

The Northern Echo: Benji the cat

Ms Doran said: "He's an absolute one off, he's always been a bit different but lately he's been driving us mad.

"His toilet habits came as a complete shock to us. It started when he began watching my eldest son during his potty training.

"After seeing Harry using the potty, Benji decided he should be using it as well and would do his business in it, which was strange enough.

"But when Harry graduated to the toilet, Benji copied that as well.

"Now there are times when we're waiting outside the bathroom for the cat to finish on the toilet so that one of us can use it.

"It's a crazy situation and I've never heard of a cat doing this before, but I don't think he's like any other cat."

Benji's love for Aldi began in summer when customers regularly took him to the nearby vet when they assumed he was missing.

Ms Doran added: "Aldi is just the other side of our garden wall so it's not far for him to go and I think he's discovered that if he hangs around by the trollies people will feed him.

"I've had people say they gave him some ham or chicken or even went back into the shop to buy him some treats.

"He now knows that if he goes to Aldi every day he's going to get all kinds of goodies so it's no wonder he's so keen to be there.

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"He likes to be at home when it's raining but if it's a fine day he'll spend the day at Aldi lying under the trollies until someone feeds him.

"I've now put a message on his tag saying 'If I'm at Aldi I'm fine' but people still occasionally take him to the vet because they think he's lost.

"He's a very loved cat and we wouldn't have him any other way but at times his behaviour can be a bit challenging."