Russian bank, Sberbank, one of the country's biggest lenders, is giving free cats to people who take out a mortgage, in an attempt to capitalise on a Russian superstition that a cat entering your home first is good luck.

Customers are being offered a choice of 10 felines, which will be delivered to their home. The bank's website features 10 breeds, including Toffee, a siamese, Timothy, a tabby, and Kuzma, a Sphynx.

Sberbank's advert features two van drivers handing over a white cat to an excited couple who have just bought a home. It also shows the couple in a branch talking about a mortgage with a bank employee who is surrounded by cats. The deal is then sealed with a fist-bump.

However, homeowners are only allowed to keep the cat for two hours and must also sign an agreement promising they will not harm the animal.