Put your paws together for Depot the Home Depot cat, everyone: Despite the recent news that management was giving her the boot from the South Carolina store where she’d live for 13 years, the store now says she can stay as long as she wants if no one comes forward to adopt her.

If Depot wants to stay, she can, a spokeswoman for Home Depot tells The State (a South Carolina newspaper, not to be confused with the ’90s TV show canceled before its time).

“Unless someone can provide her a better home, she can stay,” the spokeswoman said, effectively daring would-be adopters to provide a better home than an entire warehouse full of corners to explore that only a cat can reach.

One man who vacations in the area said he started the online petition to keep Depot in her home because he wants her to stay where she is.

“I’ve always liked having the cat in the store when I visit,” he explained. “It was always friendly. The gist of it is, would you want to be yanked out of your home where you’ve lived your whole life?”

He says he’s surprised at how much attention Depot’s plight received — basically just chalk it all up to cat + Internet = big news.

“It really took on a life of its own,” he said. “I’ve had people contact me from around the globe. A doctor in Germany offered to adopt the cat at his own expense.”

“I guess it speaks to the power of the Internet,” he added.

In theory, Depot can now stay indefinitely but ultimately Home Depot’s rep says as the cat ages, the company would like to find a “healthier, safer environment” for her elderly years.

Depot the cat can stay at SC store, Home Depot says [The State]

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