He’s a charming guy. People love to give him rides and offer a place to sleep and a meal.

But Otis the cat has a home.

“Otis is a star,” said Henson Graves, who along with his wife adopted Otis during the pandemic. “When people come by here, lots of people, men and women, stop and photograph him and play with him and talk to him and do all of those things.” 

The problem is that people — especially TCU students —  want to take him home. 

The couple recently hung a purple banner proclaiming: “OTIS LIVES HERE. . .DO NOT CAT-NAP.”

He’s been on several adventures, including car rides with strangers. Henson said Otis has left at least five times with TCU students or neighbors, who return him after the discovery of his microchip.

Otis showed up on a Sunday morning during COVID. Henson said he did a double take one day after letting his cat Zoe into the backyard. 

“And I wondered if there was some problem with me or whatever,” Graves said.  “But when I looked closely, Zoe was small and round and Otis was long and thin. He wasn’t starving but he was an adolescent, had very long legs, and a very long tail. And they were just lying together.”

Henson and Patricia began feeding him, and what started out as just a daily morning meeting led to Otis moving in. 

“We didn’t need another cat,” Graves said. 

“I watched him go door-to-door,” he said. “His demeanor was clearly that of a prince. He was very handsome, and had a wonderful coat, but much much thinner, and so we kept trying to think if he was going to live with us.”

Otis moved in – sort of. He meows constantly if he stays inside too long. He refuses to wear a collar when goes out to case the neighborhood, and some of the people he charms decide to take him home. 

So if you meet him, remember Otis has a home.