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At a Home Depot in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, customers might just see an adorable cat playing amidst the tools, paints and appliances.
In the summer of 2022, the employees of that store adopted a stray cat they named Leo. He moved into the store, and he’s been spoiled with food, belly rubs and pets from visitors ever since. He especially loves sunbathing in the garden center and roaming around outside, looking for mice or birds.
“We knew instantly this was his new home,” store manager John Vazquez told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “He is unlike any other cat.”
Recently, Leo got famous on TikTok when regular customer and commercial floorer Jeff Simpkins began posting short videos of Leo’s life in the store. The videos racked up tens of millions of views and won him lots of fans. This one features Leo with his primary caretaker, Donna:
@cat_dad_2020 Leo is in good hands @The Home Depot #catdad2020 #catsoftiktok #homedepot ⬠original sound –
Jeff (cat_dad_2020)
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For anyone who may have doubts about life in a home improvement warehouse store, Donna explains that Leo has regular vet appointments and gets water and food “and the whole nine yards.”
He is obviously eating well. “He’s a little bit overweight,” she admits.
When you consider how much cats love boxes, it makes sense for Leo to feel at home in a Home Depot store — boxes galore!
Simpkins is clearly smitten as he shows TikTok viewers that Leo has everything he needs:
@cat_dad_2020 Leo’s nightly routine
“Every now and then I might buy something, but Leo is the number one reason why I stop there,” he told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I come in every few days with stuff for Leo from Pet Smart. I just bought him a new bed and a T-shirt, but generally, it’s appetizers and catnip treats.”
He even set up an Amazon Wishlist for Leo and his own cats, Will and Grace. So if you want to spoil Leo, too, go for it!
MORE: This airport just added a cat to its animal therapy team
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