FOR Steve the cat it’s not the call of the wild that gets him out of the house, it’s the tantalising aroma of the burger van.

Sarah Harrison’s domestic short-haired cat got hooked on the taste of scraps from the van at Wickes DIY store in Bicester and visited every day.

He became such a regular visitor that staff started to take an interest in him and before long he was lounging around on the DIY gear and homeware.

Customers loved the moggy so much that staff created a Facebook page for him.

Mrs Harrison, who lives in the town with husband Jay and their five children, said: “Steve is a wanderer, a philanderer and loves his burgers.

“Wickes must be about a mile and a half from where we live so it’s quite a way for him to go but he can’t resist it.

“At the end of each day we would go down to Wickes and pick Steve up because we were worried about him getting run over.

“Then staff there gave him a blanket and we agreed he could stay over although of course he remains our responsibility.”

Wickes staff and customers recently feared Steve had been cat-napped when he failed to show up at the store earlier this month.

Mrs Harrison and her children Amy, 16, Summer, 14, Odhran, 12, Luke, 14 and Rebecca, one were also concerned for his safety.

She added: “We didn’t know what had happened to Steve – we were really worried – then we got a call from the RSPCA in Milton Keynes asking us if we owned Steve the Wickes cat.

“A woman from Milton Keynes had seen Steve walking to Wickes in the snow, thought he was a stray and picked him up before driving him to Milton Keynes where she lived.

“When the RSPCA staff found out Steve was from Bicester they thought he might be the Wickes cat because his Facebook page is already well known.

“The RSPCA got our contact details from Wickes and Steve was returned to us.”

Following Steve’s unscheduled trip to Milton Keynes he is being kept indoors for a few weeks.

Mrs Harrison added: “We know as soon as we let him out he will go straight back to Wickes for his burgers but we want to keep him in for a bit.

“I think he has hitched a ride before on the Fresh Direct lorries and got as far as Birmingham and Manchester.”

When Steve returned to Bicester staff at Wickes posted on his Facebook page: "Yes I have been found!!

" I took a small vacation to Milton Keynes but I am now back with my owners safe and sound and relaxing after my trip.

"Thank you all for looking out for me and sharing my details hopefully I will see you all again very soon!!

"Can I also say thank you to the RSPCA at Milton Keynes for spoiling me rotten!!!! PURRRRFECT!!!!!!

A donation box for the RSPCA has now been placed on the counter at the DIY store.

A store spokeswoman said: "We are very glad Steve is back in Bicester.

"Customers were really worried when he went missing."