It may not have been a Banksy afterall but Catching Lives still looks set to benefit from the urban art which appeared on its wall in Station Road East, Canterbury.

Because local urban artist Catman was quick to claim responsibility for the work and is now donating the original drawing of his mural to the charity.

The artwork caused a stir when it suddenly appeared at the day centre for the homeless overnight on Tuesday because of its similarity to that of the world-renown mystery graffiti artist.

But Catman, who lives in Whitstable and is a University of Creative Arts graduate, soon announced on social media that the intriguing piece, which features two children reaching up to a pig being carried by balloons, was his.

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Catching Lives chairman of trustees James Duff said: “It’s very generous of Catman to donate the piece and we are going to auction it through our website to the highest bidder.

“It’s a really nice drawing and we are hoping it will make a few hundred pounds for the charity. But, who knows, it could turn out to be a canny investment for someone if Catman gets anywhere near the acclaim of Banksy.

“We are also going to keep the mural outside because it’s a really nice feature on the building and brightens it up. And we've even had donations from people coming in off the street who admire it."

The artist, who prefers to remain anonymous, has created several eye-catching urban works in Canterbury, Whitstable and Herne Bay, said: "I actually did the work a couple of years ago and since then my style has moved on to bigger more detailed drawings.

"It reflects children's imagination and perhaps wanting something and being told pigs might fly.

"I have thinking about where I could replicate it and I knew the charity would not be offended and now hopefully it will benefit their work which I greatly admire."

He also hinted that two new large scale works would soon be appearing in prominent locations in Canterbury and Whitstable.

The artwork being auctioned is on a 90cm X 60cm piece of marine plywood and was the original from which Catman based his mural.

Anyone interested should email their bid to sealedbids@catchinglives.org and the auction is due to run until April 23. More information will be on the website www.catchinglives.org from Monday.