It’s always the same story when Papa Legba sneaks out.
In 2019, Crystal Robert and her family adopted Papa Legba after finding him on the streets. Despite their efforts to make him an indoor cat, his adventurous spirit often gets the best of him. Whenever he slips out, it’s clear he has somewhere special he’s going.
“When he sneaks out (we do try to keep him inside), he seems to run in the same direction, as if he has a destination in mind,” Robert shared. “But he always comes back when we call his name or shake a bag of treats.”
For years, Robert suspected that Papa Legba had another family nearby, but she couldn’t confirm it. That changed one day when he returned home wearing a sweater.
“It’s amazing that his second family managed to get him to wear a sweater,” Robert said. “He loves being cuddled but hates collars or being dressed up. How they convinced him to wear it, I’ll never know.”
The blue striped sweater was just the beginning. A few weeks later, Papa Legba strutted in wearing a pink holiday outfit. His latest look features a T-shirt reading, “Born to be awesome.” Robert is still piecing together the mystery of his second family but is determined to find out more.
“I’ve narrowed it down to two houses,” she explained. “I’ve been visiting homes with baked goods, hoping to learn more. So far, I’ve met five families but haven’t found his other family yet. I’m hoping we can share custody when I do.
Though Robert and her family wish Papa Legba would stay home, they’re grateful someone else out there cares for him too. They’re looking forward to meeting his second family and thanking them for all the thoughtful sweaters.
“I hope people keep their pets inside where they’re safe,” Robert said. “But for wily cats like ours, I hope others are lucky enough to have kind neighbors like we do.”
