Ely Sainsbury's cat Garfield holds 'book signing' Published duration 16 March 2019

image copyright Book Guild image caption Garfield, now 12, has been visiting the supermarket since 2012

A cat that gained 5,000 Facebook followers after making a supermarket his second home has been "signing" copies of a book about his adventures.

Ginger tom Garfield took a liking to Sainsbury's in Ely, Cambridgeshire, after the store was built on his old stomping ground.

The co-author Cate Caruth said copies of the book - What's THAT doing There? - sold out in half an hour.

Garfield "signed" his book in Ely Library with a paw-print stamp.

It was modelled on his real paw.

Garfield, now 12, first started visiting the store after it was built in 2012 on a meadow opposite the flat where he lives with owner David Willers.

image copyright Tali Iserles image caption Garfield was "banned" from using the escalator to get to the rest of the supermarket

His favourite spot was a sofa in the Virgin travel shop in Sainsbury's lobby, and he often tries to get into people's cars outside the store.

Fans of the cat posted photos of him at the supermarket and at one point his owner had to ask people to stop feeding him as he was becoming fat.

Facebook page set up with photos of the cat in the supermarket has a following of more than 5,500 fans from places as far away as the United States, Canada, Australia and Russia.

image copyright Ginny Phillips image caption A second print-run had to be done after the book sold out "within hours", owner David Willers said

A book of his adventures and misadventures has now been written by Mr Willers with Suffolk author Cate Caruth.

The title - What's THAT Doing There - refers to Garfield's reaction when a fence was erected across his favourite meadow ahead of the supermarket being built.

image copyright Ginny Phillips image caption Garfield was not happy when a shop was built on his favourite stomping ground

image copyright Ginny Phillips image caption The book fictionalises a number of the cat's adventures in the store

image copyright Cate Caruth image caption A paw-print stamp was made for the book signing

The book tells how Garfield was once banned from the store for scratching a customer who became a little too familiar - and many of his other adventures.

In the book he is called Garfield Abercrombie Reginald Fergusson, but as that was "far too much like hard work... everyone just called him Garfy".

"It is a little familiar of people," Garfy would always think, "but I suppose I can live with it," he says in the first chapter.

image copyright Cate Caruth# image caption Garfield took the book signing in "his stride" said co-author Cate Caruth

image copyright Cate Caruth image caption Garfield was very relaxed during the book signing and "lapped up" the attention

Speaking after the book signing on Saturday, author Ms Caruth said it was a "big hit."

"Garfield took it all in his stride, posing for photos with his fans and inspecting the library services with great care.

"It was non-stop for two hours and we sold out of books in half an hour" she said.

image copyright David Willers image caption Garfield's proud owner has had a tattoo of his cat on his leg

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