Curling Up With The Bookstore Cats

AbeBooks.com is hard at work compiling a definitive "cat"-alog of bookstore cats. To date, they've collected stories from nine fantastic felines located in bookshops throughout the US and Canada. It's nice to see that many of these cats overcame difficult upbringings before landing their cushy day jobs as head-kitty-in-charge of their respective shops.

Here is just a sampling of some of their stories:

[Side note: Did you know a group of cats is called a "clowder", and a group of kittens is a "kindle"??]

Nietzsche

The Book Man

Chilliwack, BC

"He seems to bring out the best in people, and has created some wonderful memories for our bookstore journal, like the time we spied upon a 6-foot-4 muscle-bound man with a shaved head wearing camouflaged pants gently petting him saying, "Who′s a nice kitty? Is that you? Are you a nice kitty?" in a soft voice. Or perhaps it was the little boy who had to leave his cat in Ontario when he moved here to Chilliwack, British Columbia, who gave Nietzche a terracotta pot of cat grass that he had planted, grown and brought in as present for him."

Zola

The Iliad Bookshop

North Hollywood, CA

"Because she′d previously been kept in a wire-mesh hamster cage and shared untreated feline herpes infections with other cats, she lost one eye and most of her teeth; when she first moved in, her fur was patchy, she was underfed, and the poor baby had so little muscle tone she couldn′t stand without shaking. But her personality was winning from day one: She′s invariably playful, even-tempered, and loves to be petted. Once she′d recovered physically, we also discovered that she had an astoundingly beautiful coat, and she′s often mistaken for a Maine Coon. She′s been featured in the Los Angeles Times and has a coterie of devoted fans who bring her treats and toys."

Kiki

BookMarx Books

Steubenville, OH

"All day long it is tap, tap, tap on the window as the regulars walk by. When new visitors to town walk by and see the beautiful "stuffed" cat in the window, they remark, "Doesn′t it look real." If they are really curious they poke their head in to ask about Kiki. "Is that a real cat?" they say. With a wink of an eye, I tell them I wind her up every morning and put her in the window. When the front door is open everyone is concerned she will "escape". "Escape?" I say… Not likely, she knows where her food is; she won′t stray far from her daily repast."

Cotton

Vintage Books

Russellville, AR

"I run an organized, well stocked bookshop. I greet customers; smell their hands; inspect the books they bring. I look customers in the eye, listen politely and nod at their stories. I follow them around in hopes of helping them make intelligent book choices. I am the only staff member that customers insist on petting. It is undignified. If I hiss fiercely, it deters petting. I′m alert for dangers that threaten the bookstore, such as flies, spiders, mice and unpleasant cell phone rings. Sometimes I have to knock over stacks of books to get underlings to attend to their duties. I keep the employees in shape by challenging them to a morning game of tag before the store opens. I show them real prowess by jumping onto a counter nearly four feet tall. (They expect me to perform this feat for my desserts, even though I have certainly never seen them jump onto the roof for theirs)."

Booker

The Book Nook of Mexico

Mexico, MO

"The Book Nook is co-managed by Booker, a calico very much in charge of things. Booker has her own Facebook page (Booker Fox) in which she makes recommendations on books of interest that we have in stock. She also provides commentary on the daily goings on here. She has impeccable taste in books and greets each customer with an alternation of genuine warmth and blatant disdain. She is a two-year-old rescue cat who, through nurturing and tutoring, has risen above her circumstance to become an icon in our little community. Her new station is manifested in her fastidious grooming practices and her grasp of literature."

To read more about these kitties, and four more, click here.

Special thanks to my dear Mom for sending in this link!