Leo the Home Depot cat draws in new customers to New Jersey store

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. — Customers at a Home Depot in Burlington County, New Jersey were in for a surprise when the store’s newest feline employee became a social media star.

Jeffrey Simpkins films videos of Leo the cat at a Home Depot in Mount Laurel, New Jersey.

“He has two name tags that say ‘Hello my name is Leo,’ and then the other one says like ‘Mount Laurel Store,’ so he’s registered to the store,” said Simpkins of Mount Laurel.

Store employees said Leo arrived last summer, and before that he was a barn cat.

Simpkins frequently shops with his two cats, Will and Grace. He’s been documenting their trips on TikTok ever since they stumbled upon Leo.

Since then, Leo has grown quite a fan base of viewers.

“Like, all together, all Leo videos, probably over 50 million, around there,” Simpkins said.

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What keeps people watching?

“His unique personality, like he’s friendly, he wears clothing unlike other cats, and he has several places he sleeps at,” Simpkins said.

Leo enjoys wearing clothes and taking rides in his shopping cart. Several associates at the store actually care for Leo, from trips to the vet to making sure he’s fed.

Some of Leo’s fans love his outgoing and playful personality.

“I’m a big cat person, and I love cats so I’m really excited to see him. It’s my first time seeing him in person, and I really love that he wears shirts,” said Theo Lythberg of Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

“It is the last week of summer, so we figured let’s go see the cat and make the most of it and see if we can be part of his fan club,” said Michelle Lythberg, also of Cherry Hill.

Simpkins is hopeful people will donate to cat shelters in the area or consider adopting a cat of their own.