A clingy pet kitten pulled the robe of a Catholic priest to ask him to play during a mass.

Footage shows the grey tabby feline using its two front paws to tug the minister's long white clothing while standing on two back limbs in South Cotabato province, the Philippines, on September 6.

As the old man was busy officiating the religious gathering, the moggy gave up walked to the other side of the room.

Jem Juaman said the amusing cat joined them during her grandfather's funeral mass.

She said: ‘The kitten lightened the mood for us. Some of my relatives believe the kitten could be my grandfather's reincarnation.'

Filipinos are predominantly Catholic due to Spanish missionaries' influence in the archipelago in the 16th century. They converted the local population to Christianity, particularly Catholicism.