He loves the boxes, but hates the doors.

September 10, 2023 5:24 AM

Meet Leo, who lives at a Home Depot in New Jersey. (Single link WaPo gift article)
posted by Melismata (17 comments total)

I knew from the title that this was a cat who is very much loved.

Whenever I have been to a big box hardware store, they always have a couple birds inside who wandered in from the garden section. Not this one, I expect.
posted by Countess Elena at 5:46 AM on September 10, 2023 [3 favorites]

Our local Ace Hardware had Benjamin for years, but he just retired.

I know people have allergies and there are reasons not every store should have a cat, but some stores really benefit from a cat associate.
posted by the primroses were over at 5:50 AM on September 10, 2023 [10 favorites]

He is the boss battle of Bodega Cats.
posted by mhoye at 5:52 AM on September 10, 2023 [10 favorites]

who lives at a Home Depot in New Jersey

Spongebob Squarecat?
posted by a car full of lions at 6:01 AM on September 10, 2023 [15 favorites]

In Richmond, VA, we have Francine at Lowe's.
posted by COD at 7:04 AM on September 10, 2023 [8 favorites]

COD beat me to it. I went years without ever seeing her on visits to that store, but I've had a lot better luck these days.
posted by emelenjr at 7:41 AM on September 10, 2023 [2 favorites]

I'm glad corporate is handling this well. I could see it becoming a tricky issue with (of course) overbearing management, but also (of course) jerky customers. Seems like a heaven for a cat. So many extremely tall things to climb, boxes, and mice and rats are probably in those stores all the time.
posted by SoberHighland at 7:57 AM on September 10, 2023 [7 favorites]

So many extremely tall things to climb, boxes, and mice and rats are probably in those stores all the time.

The article explicitly notes he was adopted as a mouser - the noble and ancient calling of the cat.
posted by NoxAeternum at 10:35 AM on September 10, 2023 [9 favorites]

I, uh. I just grabbed some half-inch bolts, washers and lock nuts. And some covers from Electrical.

I had no idea.
posted by tigrrrlily at 11:43 AM on September 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

ok I see he hates the doors, so what is his stance on jethro tull
posted by anhedonic at 1:26 PM on September 10, 2023 [18 favorites]

Whenever I have been to a big box hardware store, they always have a couple birds inside who wandered in from the garden section. Not this one, I expect.

If birds wander into that store, they're probably not there for long.

ok I see he hates the doors, so what is his stance on jethro tull

He doesn't seem like he'd be into Three Dog Night.
posted by gtrwolf at 1:30 PM on September 10, 2023 [2 favorites]

Oh, he loved Three Dog Night. It would have been four dogs, but the last one saw what happened to the others and just turned tail and ran.
posted by Grangousier at 1:40 PM on September 10, 2023 [2 favorites]

anhedonic: "ok I see he hates the doors, so what is his stance on jethro tull"

the mouse police never sleeps
posted by namewithoutwords at 6:53 PM on September 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

Our local HD had a cat named Pumpkin who had a shrine all to herself in the greenhouse part of the garden center. No visit was complete without stopping in to see her for a quick scritch. She was quite chill and earned her keep by chasing the mice away. She eventually had to be sent to a house because it was alleged that she scratched someone. I'd be very surprised if someone - a child maybe, or maybe one of the endless people visiting with their dogs - hadn't been aggravating her, but that's neither here nor there. All I can say is that she was asleep on her pillow every time I saw her, and then she was gone.
posted by jquinby at 9:23 AM on September 11, 2023 [2 favorites]

I knew from the title that this was a cat who is very much loved.

Of course: this is not a layabout cat, mooching Tender Vittles and complaining that his bowl is empty when it is clearly three-quarters full. This cat has a job.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 2:23 PM on September 11, 2023 [3 favorites]

One of our cats also came from a Home Depot in New Jersey (she was not a lost cat despite the wording of that article; she was a pretty wild stray)!

Although I like to say she's "going to work" when she sits in our home office all day, she does not currently earn her keep.
posted by bcwinters at 5:53 PM on September 11, 2023

Home Depot’s corporate office declined to allow employees at the Mount Laurel store to comment publicly about Leo, but a company spokesperson said the cat is a welcome addition to the store.

A CONDITION OF WORKING HERE IS YOU MUST NOT SPEAK TO THE MEDIA ABOUT THE CAT.
posted by JHarris at 10:30 PM on September 11, 2023 [3 favorites]