Everyone loves a kitten – how can you resist their precious little faces? Their playful spirits? That’s right, you can’t.

But for some people, unfortunately, this only applies to domesticated house cats. Stray cats, on the other hand, get a bad reputation for being dirty or feral. Which is absurd because they’re just as precious!

In the United States, most people would want to adopt any stray cat they came across. But in some countries where stray cats are more common, they’re not as desirable.

For example, take Leon. He’s a tiny stray kitten who was just trying to survive on the streets of Brazil’s capital, Brasília.

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One day he ducked into the shelter of an office building. It turned out it was the Order of Attorney’s Brazil (OAB) office, which is the South American equivalent of America’s Bar Association.

“In February it rains a lot in the state of Amapá (Amazonia), so he arrived at OAB fleeing from the rain and thunder. For a week, he was fed and protected in a box,” Leon’s representatives told Bored Panda in an interview.

From that point on he was roaming free around the reception area of the building. He welcomed visitors which was cute to some, but not so well received by others.

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Some heartless people went as far as to file a complaint about Leon being inside the building. They believed he didn’t belong in a “serious institution”, and would rather see him back on the streets.

“Unfortunately, some people started to file some complaints about the fact that at the reception desk there was a stray cat hanging around and trying to make friends with the newcomers.” – Dr. Jeanette Laredo, Facebook

But some of the employees at the OAB had come to love Leon’s presence and looked forward to seeing him on their way to and from work every day. So they came up with a creative idea to deal with the complaints and keep their furry friend.

He was designated an honorary lawyer (with a Ph.D. status and everything!).

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He now goes by Dr. Leon the Advogato (Portuguese for lawyer) and wears his adorable cat-sized employee badge to “work” every day.

Just look at that precious face.

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“So, now it’s official this little fellow is responsible for welcoming the newcomers (whether they like it or not).” – Dr. Jeanette Laredo

The employees of the law office took it upon themselves to take care of Leon and make sure he would never have to go back to the streets again.

He hardly ever meowed or made any noise which the team found strange. Even when he did, he was a very quiet cat. When they had him examined by a vet, it was determined that his vocal chords had been damaged as a kitten.

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A terrible example of what life must be like as a stray.

But now he’s safe, well taken care of, and a dedicated working cat.

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Dr. Leon did more than just become an honorary lawyer. He actually inspired the OAB to start an animal rights institute.

“We are finalizing the documents to launch an animal rights institute. It’s called Instituto Dr. Leon. Unfortunately, we cannot house all [the animals], so we will fund the NGOs in town. We will be an example for Brazil [to follow].” -Leon’s representatives, Bored Panda

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Dr. Leon even has his own Instagram account, with more than 100,000 adoring followers. He has become the poster boy for the law offices, and the animal rights institute that he inspired.

It’s not just people that can go from rags to riches – it can happen for animals too!

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Source: Instagram, Bored Panda, Buzzfeed, The Animal Rescue Site