When one man brought home a cat from a shelter, he was expecting the usual mix of purring, naps in sunny spots, and the occasional demand for food at 3 a.m.
What he did not expect was to end up with a cat who behaves more like a golden retriever than a typical feline.
Leo, an 11-month-old Devon Rex from Vancouver, has taken the internet by storm after a video of him playing fetch like a pro was shared on Reddit.
The clip shows Leo running back and forth, retrieving a small stick-shaped toy for his owner with the kind of dedication you would expect from a Labrador.
The owner, a 32-year-old who adopted Leo back in February, captioned the viral clip with a line that perfectly sums up life with this unusual cat:
“I think I accidentally adopted a dog.”
At first, the fetching seemed like a cute accident.
The new owner explained that he would toss toys across the room to distract Leo so he could get some work done.
Instead of just batting them around and leaving them where they landed, Leo would proudly trot back with the toy and drop it right at his feet, waiting for another throw.
What started as a quick solution to keep him occupied quickly turned into a full-blown game that Leo now insists on playing daily.
“He started playing fetch the week we brought him home,” the owner said.
I think I accidentally adopted a dog
byu/tasyn123 incats
“Now, it is part of his routine. He’ll meow until we throw something for him. He does it every single day.”
Leo’s talent has not gone unnoticed online.
The video was posted on the popular r/cats subreddit, where thousands of viewers commented on his impressive skills.
Many were amazed to see a cat so determined to play fetch, with one person writing that Leo “has the heart of a dog but the body of a cat.”
But as strange as it looks, experts say it is not entirely unheard of.
Certain breeds, like Siamese, Burmese, Bengal, and Devon Rex cats, are known for being extra playful and intelligent, making them more likely to pick up dog-like habits.
A 2024 study published in the journal PLOS One even found that 41 percent of cats play fetch, a statistic that surprised many who still think of cats as aloof and independent.
The research, cheekily titled “Making Fetch Happen,” surveyed over 8,000 cat owners and found that younger, indoor cats were the most likely to enjoy the game.
Mikel Delgado, a senior research scientist at Purdue University who led the study, said that the findings challenge how we think about cats altogether.
“Bringing a toy to us is a social request,” Delgado explained.
“In truth, cats really do enjoy these interactions with their owners.”
For Leo’s owner, this discovery has only deepened the bond with his quirky companion.
“He makes working from home so much better,” he said.
“It is impossible to be in a bad mood when he’s running around the living room, dropping toys at my feet like a little dog.”
The internet seems to agree.
The video of Leo has racked up thousands of upvotes and comments.
With some viewers joking that he might need obedience school, while others were ready to adopt a Devon Rex themselves just to get a cat like him.
Leo, meanwhile, seems completely unaware of his newfound fame.
For him, life is about one thing: making sure his human keeps throwing the toy.
And if you are wondering whether this game ever gets old, the answer is a resounding no. According to his owner, Leo can keep going for hours if given the chance.
“He’s relentless,” he said with a laugh. “I have to be the one to stop. Otherwise, he would keep bringing me toys all night.”
For anyone who has ever thought cats were too cool or too lazy for games, Leo is living proof that some felines are just waiting to surprise us.
And for his owner, it is safe to say that adopting this “dog in disguise” has turned out to be one of the best decisions he has ever made.