Miss Cellania
12 Bookstore Cats
by Miss Cellania - January 6, 2011 - 1:00 PM
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Books and cats go together as well as peanut butter and jelly. You could file them under “things that are nice to curl up with” -at the same time! We featured a list of bookstore cats some time ago, but there are many stores with friendly and attractive cats.

1. Amber

Flights of Fantasy bookstore in Colonie, New York has a Facebook fan page for their cats, Miles and Amber, although I believe only Amber is still at the store. She attacks customers with what they call “love bombing”.

2. Cleo and 3. Alice

The Dusty Bookshelf has two locations in Kansas, in Manhattan and Lawrence. Of course, that means two bookstore cats. Cleo lives at the Manhattan store, where she likes to sunbathe in the window front, and Alice owns the green chair in the Lawrence store. See more photos of Alice here.

4. Kona

The owners of Bound to be Read Books in Atlanta took in an abandoned and malnourished kitten named Kona in 2005. She loves to climb the bookstore ladder, which once led to a painter spilling latex all over! Kona now “authors” the bookstore’s newsletter and has her own Twitter feed.

5. Evinrude and Friends

The Book Barn in Niantic, Connecticut has several cats on site. Their blog mentions the cats Evinrude, Mrs. Howell, Tiger (pictured to the right of his friend Marie), and Frankie. Evinrude was named after the boat motor -not because of his purr, but because he likes the water! Mrs. Howell passed on in 2010. You can see more of the store’s cats, past and present, on their Friends page.

6. Asimov

Seek Books in West Roxbury, Massachusetts specializes in science fiction (as well as fantasy and horror), so it’s no surprise their cat is named Asimov. He lives at the bookstore full time, since he is too noisy to stay with sleeping people. See more pictures of Asimov (shown here examining his robot series) on the store’s Facebook page.

7. Linda

When Skyline Books closed in January, owner Rob Warren worried about what to do with the store’s cat Linda. She had been at Skyline for years, after a short career as a hardware store cat. Warren had two other cats at home that might not accept a stranger. Ultimately, he gave the two house cats away and brought Linda home to stay with him in a house full of books. A few months later, he opened Rob Warren Books in a new location.

8. Hayes and 9. Rainer

Spoonbill & Sugartown books in the Williamsburg area of New York City has a black cat and a three-legged tabby. Their names are Hayes and Rainer, but I’m not sure which one is which.

10. Guthrie

The Boston Book Annex has a resident cat named Guthrie. He may have a feline companion, which shall remain nameless because I don’t have a name. Update: Commenters Terri and Jin tell us that Guthrie’s co-worker is named Wakefield. Image by Flickr user Dana H. Gee.

11. Ripley

The very popular Ripley lived at Borderlands Books in San Francisco. She was a nearly-hairless Sphinx cat born in 2002. Ripley had a calm and gentle disposition, even with children, but when she had enough, she would climb to the top of a bookshelf to watch customers in peace. Sadly, Ripley contracted cancer in 2010 and was euthanized in May. The bookstore set up a memorial blog in her honor. Image by Flickr user Jeremy Fitzhardinge.

12. Sessa

Sessa is the resident cat at Philadelphia Rare Books and Manuscripts Company. She receives email from fans and collects pictures of cats that are sent to her.

See also: 8 Library Cats and 8 Bookstore Cats.

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Comments (117)

  1. There are two stores in downtown Fredericksburg, VA on Caroline Street that has resident cats. The one isn’t a bookstore but I think they sell nick-knacky sort of things, some pertaining to cats. There is a sign on the window that says not to tap on the glass and disturb the REAL cats. There’s also a toy/children’s book store with a cat but that place smells a little catty…

    posted by Bee on 1-6-2011 at 10:38 am

  2. Oops! Grammar Police: My post should read “on Caroline Street that HAVE resident cats.”

    posted by Bee on 1-6-2011 at 10:40 am

  3. There’s a used bookstore in Big Stone Gap, Va. with a cat. Next time I’m over there, I’ll get a pic and info for your almost-assured sequel . . . heh.

    posted by Frontier Former Editor on 1-6-2011 at 11:03 am

  4. Slightly related, but I used to work part-time at a mom-and-pop TV shop back when I was a teen; the true owner of the shop of course being the older, gray long-haired cat named Fluffy. Her mission in life was to find the warmest TV set to sleep on. The rule of the shop was, if she was found sleeping on your workbench, you didn’t have to work there until she deigned to wake up and leave on her own accord.

    posted by Chad on 1-6-2011 at 11:05 am

  5. Good post! There’s nothing like curling up with a good book and a sleeping cat on a rainy/chilly day. :)

    posted by Krie on 1-6-2011 at 11:15 am

  6. There was a bookstore in Bangor, ME that had a cat, but I was only there once, in 99 or 00 and can’t remember anything about it :( I was so happy to have it follow me around as I browsed though.

    posted by Patrick on 1-6-2011 at 11:44 am

  7. Browser and Sequel were my local bookstore’s cats. Browser would usually be sleeping on top of the cash register and sequel would claim your lap if you sat on the floor.

    Also, where’s #10?

    posted by Courtney on 1-6-2011 at 11:46 am

  8. AAAGH! No number ten. I KNEW when I renumbered these (after I saw I had more cats than bookstores) that I would mess that up! Will fix.

    Updated: I didn’t want to renumber and change the title, so I added another cat.

    posted by Miss Cellania on 1-6-2011 at 12:06 pm

  9. Skylight Books in LA had a lovely lady kitty who has now passed on, I believe. I don’t know if they’ve found a replacement…

    Next up: New York bodega cats!

    posted by muffy on 1-6-2011 at 12:38 pm

  10. To your list I’d like to add Already Read Used Books in Alexandria: http://www.alreadyreadusedbooks.com/bibliocat.html

    posted by Charlotte on 1-6-2011 at 12:39 pm

  11. I love Casper at Carbondale, Illinois’ Bookworm!

    posted by Julie on 1-6-2011 at 12:40 pm

  12. Tower Books in Shreveport, Louisiana (in the NW corner of the state), had one or two resident cats for years. Haven’t been back in a year or so, but I believe they’re still a feline-friendly shop.

    posted by Lafitte on 1-6-2011 at 12:40 pm

  13. Yay, the book barn!! A friend introduced me to it over the summer, theres a lovely beach nearby (well, lovely by connecticut standards, anyway) and Niantic is a great town to be in if you just want to spend an afternoon wandering about someplace. all sorts of neat little shops & pubs.

    posted by sammylee on 1-6-2011 at 12:44 pm

  14. Don’t forget Myopic Books in Chicago! I don’t know the name of their cat, but he’s angular and strange-looking and so sweet.

    posted by Laura on 1-6-2011 at 12:45 pm

  15. there’s a sweet kitty (or two) at Myopic Books in Chicago! here’s a pic from Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/4illty6ER3EHZHyPcKbbBw?select=wFE9j0QjrFolalCAJwSKnQ

    posted by SMS on 1-6-2011 at 12:48 pm

  16. Beckham’s Bookshop in New Orleans (just a hop away from the House of Blues) has a cat as well. Not to mention, they’re the best used bookstore in the city,

    posted by kate on 1-6-2011 at 12:49 pm

  17. There is a bookstore for children in Minneapolis that has a variety of animals, including cats. Last time I was there they had chickens wandering around and some caged reptiles & rats.

    http://www.wildrumpusbooks.com/

    posted by Colleen on 1-6-2011 at 12:53 pm

  18. Keep those suggestions coming, and I will look them up!

    posted by Miss Cellania on 1-6-2011 at 12:54 pm

  19. Howard’s Bookstore in Bloomington, Indiana always has a cat or two in residence as well as a dog.

    posted by Erica on 1-6-2011 at 12:55 pm

  20. I met and cuddled Ripley several times, so sad to learn of her death last year.

    posted by Luci on 1-6-2011 at 12:56 pm

  21. Lawrence, KS also has a bike store cat and a home decor/art store cat. I don’t know the bike store cat’s name, but it’s a big orange tabby that gets a lion shave every summer, complete with tail tuft. In general, just a very cat friendly town.

    posted by Patrona on 1-6-2011 at 12:56 pm

  22. Dog Ear Books in Athens, GA has a store cat. You can just see the top of her head as she’s sitting in a chair in the book club room: http://www.dogearbooks.com/2010/11/23/a-few-pics-of-the-book-club-room/

    posted by Amy on 1-6-2011 at 12:57 pm

  23. Dolly’s Bookstore, Park City, Utah.

    Lovely car, lovely shop.

    http://dollysbookstore.com/

    posted by philly on 1-6-2011 at 1:03 pm

  24. Beers Books in Sacramento, CA has Raffles the cat. Photo to be found here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Beers-Books/158156360893519?v=info

    posted by Eva on 1-6-2011 at 1:05 pm

  25. The library in the town I grew up in ending up adopting a black and white kitten when they found it crying in the bushes outside the building. It was the most laid back cat. Couldn’t care less about your petting him. Just sat at the check out desk on his nice cushy pillow.

    There is also a scifi bookstore in downtown Berkeley called Dark Carnival. They always seem to have 2 or 3 cats running amok in their store. Comic Relief, which is also in downtown Berkeley, tends to have a couple of cats floating around too.

    posted by Lauren Davis on 1-6-2011 at 1:10 pm

  26. The Bookmine in Cottage Grove, Oregon, has at least 1 kitty. (Fact that has nothing to do w/ this story: Cottage Grove is the town where the parade in the film “Animal House” was filmed; it’s just south of Eugene.) Anyway, the Bookmine is locally owned by sisters who were in the film, and is a fabulous little spot!

    posted by Valerie B on 1-6-2011 at 1:13 pm

  27. There used to be a book store in West Liberty, OH with several cats. The store was called the Village Bookery, but I haven’t been there in years, I don’t know if the store OR the cats are still there.

    posted by Marianna on 1-6-2011 at 1:13 pm

  28. The Twice Sold Tales mini-chain in Seattle has cats! I spent many high school nights browsing the Capitol Hill branch and cuddling the kitties.

    posted by wendy on 1-6-2011 at 1:15 pm

  29. Adams Avenue Book Store in San Diego, CA has two cats as well.

    posted by Alex on 1-6-2011 at 1:17 pm

  30. I call Guthrie from the Boston Book Annex “Licky cat” because he will lick ANYONE if given a chance. Unfortunately, I do not know the name of his feline companion, but there is definitely one!

    posted by Ani on 1-6-2011 at 1:23 pm

  31. Chop Suey books in Richmond, VA, has a lovely store cat named WonTon.

    posted by styro on 1-6-2011 at 1:23 pm

  32. Shakespeare & Co Booksellers in NYC. Definitely the one on Broadway & Washington – I’m not sure about the other locations. I don’t know the cat’s name, but she’s completely sweet…I’ve almost stepped on her twice though. *gulp*. Also an amazing bookshop

    http://www.shakeandco.com/broadway.php

    posted by Kelly on 1-6-2011 at 1:38 pm

  33. I’ve been to the bookstore Charlotte mentioned. It’s a little weird to have a cat stare at you while you’re browsing. You start to feel like she’s judging your selections.

    posted by Jenn on 1-6-2011 at 1:38 pm

  34. No one’s mentioned Fup at Powell’s in Portland yet? She’s gone now but she was/is legendary. I loved reading about her adventures in their newsletter.

    There’s also a bookstore in downtown Campbell, CA that has a kitty in the window all the time, but I’m blanking on the name of the store.

    posted by Penny on 1-6-2011 at 1:40 pm

  35. There is a hardware store on Smith Street in Brooklyn that has not only a cat but a grey parrot.

    posted by Marcy on 1-6-2011 at 1:40 pm

  36. The Book House in St. Louis has a lovely long-haired black cat napping amongst the stacks.

    posted by jebaker on 1-6-2011 at 1:43 pm

  37. Rhino Booksellers in Nashville, TN (http://fredkoller.com/rhino.html) now has a bookstore cat at their Charlotte Ave location, appropriately named Miss Charlotte Brontë. :)

    posted by Pére Malfait on 1-6-2011 at 1:48 pm

  38. http://www.bookhouseindinkytown.com/ in Minneapolis has a couple cats, dogs and a bird or two.

    posted by someone on 1-6-2011 at 1:57 pm

  39. Columbia Books in Columbia, MO has Fred.

    http://www.columbiabooksonline.com/

    posted by Maime on 1-6-2011 at 2:01 pm

  40. Have you ever thought of a list of FBO cats and pups? Many FBO’s have animals which always makes my pilot feel at home when he is on the road and misses our zoo!

    posted by Natalie on 1-6-2011 at 2:04 pm

  41. The Iliad Bookshop in North Hollywood, CA. Great store, and great kitty! There’s even a vid of her on the front page of their site!

    http://iliadbooks.com/zencart/

    posted by vikkitikkitavi on 1-6-2011 at 2:05 pm

  42. http://anovelideabookstore.com/ great cats! They even had a competition to raise funds to see which shelter they should adopt the cats from! (after the previous one passed away)

    posted by A. b- on 1-6-2011 at 2:05 pm

  43. oh man Seattle has a ton of great bookstores and bookstore cats! I haven’t lived there in awhile and promptly forgot all names, but someone please help me out!

    posted by erin on 1-6-2011 at 2:10 pm

  44. Yes, please add Franny from Skylights bookstore in Los Feliz. That would be awesome.
    http://www.skylightbooks.com/meet-franny-our-store-mascot

    posted by Erika on 1-6-2011 at 2:12 pm

  45. Bloomsbury Books in Ashland, Oregon (Home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival) had Orlando for 15 years. Sadly, he passed away in January, 2009.

    posted by Mr Retro on 1-6-2011 at 2:30 pm

  46. Great post! The Bookshop (http://www.bookshopinc.com/cgi-bin/bsp455/index.html) in Chapel Hill NC has two cats that wander around/lounge in the cat bed in the shop window.

    posted by Amanda on 1-6-2011 at 2:47 pm

  47. Another great Chicago bookstore with a cat: Selected Works Used Books & Sheet Music on the second floor of the Fine Arts Building on Michigan Ave. Check out the yelp page for pics of the cat!

    http://www.yelp.com/biz/selected-works-used-books-and-sheet-music-chicago

    posted by keo on 1-6-2011 at 3:09 pm

  48. There’s a cat at Community Bookstore on 7th Ave in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

    Picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nyrbclassics/3573655749/
    Website: http://www.communitybookstore.net/

    posted by Karen on 1-6-2011 at 3:20 pm

  49. I work at a rare, antique, and used bookstore in baltimore and we have a shop cat named Madeline! She rules the place. if you do another one of these lists you should definitely include her.

    posted by Moira on 1-6-2011 at 3:20 pm

  50. Isbn the cat lives at Recycle Bookstore in Campbell, CA. She’s featured prominently in their Yelp pictures: http://www.yelp.com/biz/recycle-bookstore-west-campbell

    posted by Anonymous on 1-6-2011 at 3:21 pm

  51. The Drama Book Shop in New York has a lovely cat named Mr Humphrey. He was a stray found when the New York Times building was being built across the street.

    http://www.dramabookshop.com

    posted by Kate on 1-6-2011 at 3:21 pm

  52. if no one has mentioned Twice Sold Tales in Seattle’s University District…i will. it has two plump marmalade cats that sometimes sleep in the window display.

    posted by Christina on 1-6-2011 at 3:29 pm

  53. Gallery Bookstore in Mendocino, CA: http://www.gallerybookshop.com/colette
    This cat was there for 21 years!

    posted by Allison on 1-6-2011 at 3:32 pm

  54. Dark Star Books in Yellow Springs, OH even dedicates part of its website to its resident cats. The store itself sells used sci fi, fantasy, and comics.
    http://www.darkstarbookstore.com/darkstarcats/

    posted by SamaR on 1-6-2011 at 3:37 pm

  55. The mom-and-pop bookstore in my hometown has always had a store dog. A nice alternative for us allergic, non-cat people.

    posted by CPete on 1-6-2011 at 3:43 pm

  56. Guthrie’s feline companion is a six-toed orange cat named Wakefield.

    @Ani: While Guthrie is usually a very licky cat, he hasn’t been quite as outgoing lately because he has skin cancer :(

    posted by Terri on 1-6-2011 at 4:02 pm

  57. I work at Multnomah University in Portland, Oregon and we had a campus cat for 10 years. His name was Rage and the bookstore was one of his favorite places to hang out. He made our campus feel more like home and our students loved him. A student created a Facebook page for him so everyone could post pictures and stories. Has anyone heard of other famous campus cats?

    posted by Jennifer on 1-6-2011 at 4:17 pm

  58. Love this post. Can I suggest a spinoff? Wineries with dogs.

    posted by Pup Fan on 1-6-2011 at 4:18 pm

  59. The Sylvia Beach Hotel on the Oregon coast (which is all about books) has a ton of cats, indoors and out.

    posted by Sara on 1-6-2011 at 4:43 pm

  60. Can we have some stores with dogs? I’m glad people love their cats but I am so allergic to kitties I can’t shop in these places.

    posted by Mickey on 1-6-2011 at 5:02 pm

  61. Re. #1: Miles died, sadly. But now they have Bob, another FIV-positive kitty. And Amber’s a total cuddle-slut, it’s true. :)

    posted by MH on 1-6-2011 at 5:41 pm

  62. Fine! I already have two charming cats (Chica and Tuia). I’ve got the books, lots of them, as well. Ready to open a bookstore, right? Lovable!

    posted by Vania on 1-6-2011 at 5:48 pm

  63. Berkeley’s Comic Relief cats are a mother and daughter named Ash & Ember, respectively. Appropriately, Ash is a gray tortoise shell and Ember is a black one.

    Many, many pics of the store and its four legged inhabitants on FB: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=1584151108&aid=2000352

    posted by Kathryn on 1-6-2011 at 6:31 pm

  64. I am so, so, so happy you included the Book Barn in Niantic! It is my absolute favorite place to shop! Every year, I try to make a spring and a fall trip there. And, believe me, they are day-long trips! :)

    posted by Emily on 1-6-2011 at 6:39 pm

  65. Patrona, Don’t forget other Lawrence cats like Scout at the Toy Store bookshop and the herd of cats that call Love Garden home. Some of my favorite stores that I still go into even though the allergies are killer.

    posted by James on 1-6-2011 at 7:00 pm

  66. What a great post!

    There is a bookstore in downtown Franklin, NC that has a cat roaming around. He is quite good at suggesting a good read.

    posted by OhOreo on 1-6-2011 at 7:11 pm

  67. There is a used bookstore here in my town that has two great danes loose inside. They’re both very sweet dogs, but it can be intimidating walking through the door the first time, especially if you’re short, like me!

    posted by Jessica on 1-6-2011 at 9:21 pm

  68. The local bookstore in Dubuque Iowa, River Lights 2nd Edition, is also the home to a feline bibliophile. She’s a pretty calico named Indy. Other well behaved pets are welcome too! http://www.rlb2e.com/node/79

    posted by tracybee on 1-6-2011 at 9:25 pm

  69. Francis @ Bookcourt in Brooklyn, NY

    Monty @ Shakespeare & Co Booksellers
    in New York, NY

    posted by Mika on 1-6-2011 at 9:54 pm

  70. Years ago, there was a wonderful bookstore in DC named P Street Books (in Georgetown), a warren of rooms and ladders and armchairs where you could easily get lost for a day. In one of the armchairs, there was always a cat. Above the armchair, there was a sign: “The cat’s name is Fiver. No, he is not dead.”

    posted by Maryn on 1-6-2011 at 9:58 pm

  71. in Kansas City, Mo. a fantastic little children’s bookstore called “The Reading Reptile” has a cat, and a rabbit!

    Also, I know in Lawrence, KS there is a place called “The Dusty Bookshelf” which has a cat.

    posted by aaa on 1-6-2011 at 10:20 pm

  72. Kevin Patrick Books in Alameda, CA as a very cute tuxedo kitty named Minerva.

    Minerva about two years old and is a rescue kitty. There is a shot of her majestically watching over the store from the front desk on this Oakland Magazine web page, towards the bottom of the page:
    http://www.oaklandmagazine.com/media/Oakland-Magazine/May-June-2010/In-the-Mix/

    The store is cluttered and eclectic, and a good place to explore. Before Minerva, the store had a sweet long haired kitty named Mr. Books.

    All bookstores should have a nice kitteh :-)

    posted by Tinker on 1-6-2011 at 10:22 pm

  73. Number 11 may end up giving me nightmares…

    posted by Kathleen on 1-6-2011 at 10:36 pm

  74. Haslam’s Bookstore: St. Petersburg, FL

    Having a cat in the building gives a bookstore gives it even more of a soul.

    posted by Jason on 1-6-2011 at 10:57 pm

  75. Guthrie’s feline friend at the Boston Book Annex is named Wakefield! Sadly, Guthrie is very ill :(

    posted by Jin on 1-6-2011 at 11:12 pm

  76. Thanks so much for the great post! Funny enough, the gallery you link to with number 3 (Alice) is from a story I wrote as a reporter at my newspaper about downtown pets in Lawrence, KS. Little did I know I’d run across my own content here! So great! Here’s the story: http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2009/jul/13/window-shoppers-meet-some-downtown-lawrences-most-/

    posted by Brenna on 1-7-2011 at 1:26 am

  77. Wee Book Inn’s four locations in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada) have resident cats, all named after hockey players.

    http://www.weebookinn.com

    posted by Jill on 1-7-2011 at 4:46 am

  78. BookHampton in East Hampton, NY has James, a big orange tabby that has been in the store his whole, long life.

    posted by kidelo on 1-7-2011 at 8:19 am

  79. What a wonderful post! I hope you don’t mind if I re-blog and send people your way. Fuzzies and books, what could be better? :) e

    posted by Elizabeth Dulemba on 1-7-2011 at 8:33 am

  80. Another great bookstore cat is Hodge, at Selected Works Used Books & Sheet Music, in the Fine Arts building in Chicago.

    posted by Rosemary Davis on 1-7-2011 at 8:52 am

  81. Wild Rumpus in Minneapolis doesn’t just have cats – and I saw three, last I counted – but chickens, ferrets, parakeets, and reptiles!

    http://www.wildrumpusbooks.com/

    posted by Maria on 1-7-2011 at 9:31 am

  82. Daedalus Used Books in Charlottesville, VA lacks cats, but customers are welcome to bring in (well-behaved) dogs. The owner keeps dog treats behind the desk!

    posted by Dave Harmon on 1-7-2011 at 9:46 am

  83. Who would shop in a store that kept a cat? Unprofessionalism at its worst. You shouldn’t keep pets at a place of business. The exceptions being firehouses and deployed military units.

    posted by Ryan on 1-7-2011 at 10:21 am

  84. Lighten up, Ryan. You apparently don’t like cats.

    posted by Carole on 1-7-2011 at 10:56 am

  85. Bodhi Tree in Los Angeles has a wonderful store cat–check it out!

    posted by Amy Opperman Cash on 1-7-2011 at 11:22 am

  86. Powell’s Books, Bodhi Tree, and A Novel Idea were featured in the previous post.
    http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/26153

    posted by Miss Cellania on 1-7-2011 at 11:41 am

  87. RIP Ripley! I was lucky to meet her in 2008. Sorry to hear she passed. She made me appreciate Sphinx cats.

    posted by Natalia on 1-7-2011 at 12:12 pm

  88. Carole: I like cats fine. I just can’t stand aging neo-hippy liberal arts types who think it’s appropriate to keep pets at a place of business.

    On the other hand, my gun store allows smoking right in the store, so maybe I can understand shops that keep cats. Tell you what, if you’re okay with me smoking and carrying my pistol into your bookstore then I fine with you keeping a cat in there.

    posted by Ryan on 1-7-2011 at 12:55 pm

  89. Asimov says thank you. I say to Ryan that you’ll need the gun to defend yourself against others of like mind who will probably shoot you for not agreeing with one of their inane philosophies.

    posted by Brad on 1-7-2011 at 2:57 pm

  90. Yes, bookstores and cats do go together. But you could have picked a more universal comparison. Peanut butter and jelly do not go together. At all. Positively vomitofactious.

    (Ryan: Sorry. Sounds rather like a word a neo-hippy liberal arts type, whatever that really means, would make up, doesn’t it?)

    Something else: Bear in mind that bookstores often have problems with mice (my own observation is that they’re rather partial to the glue in book-bindings. Neo-hippy mice, no doubt). Our feline bookstore resident (Phoenix, aka Fifi) solved that particular problem in two days flat, and now works as a kind of store security officer. So it’s not as if she doesn’t earn her living.

    posted by RJ on 1-7-2011 at 3:41 pm

  91. Thank you so much for including me in your fabulous expose of feline bookstore workers. I am encouraged to discover that I’m not in the stacks alone. Also, I’m sure my fellow bookstore cats will agree that sleeping on an e-reader just isn’t the same as a hard, dusty tome.

    Miaow for now,

    Kona Kitty,
    Director of Public Relations
    Bound To Be Read Books

    posted by Kona Kitty on 1-7-2011 at 6:15 pm

  92. No discussion of bookstore cats would be complete without a
    shout out to Will of The Book Shop in Iowa City. They don’t just
    have a cat, they rescue cats!
    http://www.thebookshop2.com/ourworkwithcats.html

    posted by Kitty on 1-7-2011 at 6:46 pm

  93. I work with Mr. Eko, a very mello black cat, at Dark Star Books in Yellow Springs, Oh. We formerly had Bart, another black cat, for 19 years. Folks come in all the time just to visit the cat and he is regularly featured on our Facebook page. I personally think a bookstore isn’t quite right without a resident feline!

    posted by Yvonne on 1-7-2011 at 8:06 pm

  94. Hi!!! I’m Mrs. Book Barn from Niantic, Ct. Thanks so much for adding us in your article. It makes me happy to see so many people loving the marriage of books and cats! We have 21 cats in residence between our house and our bookstore. Most of them are rescues or drop-offs that we have had fully vetted, spayed and neutered. They are loving and make your day a little nicer just by knowing them. If anyone is looking to adopt a cat, Grayson County Humane Society in Kentucky is a fantastic no-kill organization, and they work with you on transportation. Thanks again!!

    posted by Maureen White on 1-7-2011 at 11:57 pm

  95. I visited the Boston Book Annex yesterday and found out that Guthrie died last week. Wakefield is still at the store, but he’s a little bewildered as to where his long-time companion has gone.

    posted by Terri on 1-8-2011 at 10:29 am

  96. Awesome Books in Pittsburgh has two lovely cats. The owner also confirmed RJ’s assertion that many bookstores keep cats around to keep the mouse population from destroying books. So they serve a practical purpose as well as an aesthetic one.

    posted by 'becca on 1-8-2011 at 2:27 pm

  97. In Rio de Janeiro, there’s a bookstore called Beta de Aquarius famous for its siamese cats Isis and Osiris. They sleep on the bookshelves most of the time, and are always willing to receive a belly rub. You can see them both here: http://virtur.com.br/VR360LivrariaBetaDeAquarius/enter_02/

    posted by Marcos on 1-8-2011 at 4:58 pm

  98. Philadelphia Rare Books and Manuscripts is an *awesome* place, though they’re not open to the public all the time (alert for book/history nerds: they have “giftables” for $150 and under. I once got a single page from a 15th cent prayer book for under $100). They’re also super friendly.

    I thought Sessa passed away either last year or the year before when they had a fire, but I can’t find anything on their site about that anymore-I’d be happy to hear I’m wrong!

    posted by Kate on 1-8-2011 at 7:03 pm

  99. The Wild Rumpus, a children’s bookstore in Minneapolis, has cats as well as chickens, chinchillas and other animals.

    posted by Carrie on 1-9-2011 at 11:46 am

  100. Hi! We are an indie, mom-and-pop bookstore in northern PA, in the beautiful, historice little town of Wellsboro. Hobo is our bookstore cat; he writes a weekly book review column in our local paper; he has his own section of our website; our sidewalk sign is a carved wooden image of him, standing on a book pile; and he greets customers most work days, cuddling up to their ankles, asking to be picked up and held, or rolling over on his back, waiting for his belly to be petted. He co-authored a children’s book with my husband, Kevin Coolidge, called “Hobo Finds a Home”.

    posted by Kasey on 1-9-2011 at 12:31 pm

  101. Don’t forget Wild Rumpus in the Linden Hills neighborhood of Minneapolis! Its a children’s books store, but they have an amazingly extensive selection. They have tail-less cats, chinchillas, lizards, and CHICKENS!

    posted by Carrie on 1-9-2011 at 5:35 pm

  102. King’s Books of Tacoma, Washington is the home to two bookstore cats, Miko and Atticus. Biographies of both can be found here: http://www.kingsbookstore.com/about

    posted by troysworktable on 1-10-2011 at 12:16 pm

  103. thanx i really like the books n I’m sure my fellow bookstore cats will agree that sleeping on an e-reader just isn’t the same as a hard, dusty tome.

    posted by kinds of Cats on 1-10-2011 at 1:40 pm

  104. Aw, I worked at the Dusty Bookshelf in Manhattan. RIP Maxine, Cleo’s sister.

    posted by jess on 1-11-2011 at 1:42 pm

  105. nice and homie atmosphere, surely Kindle can’t compete

    posted by James on 1-13-2011 at 12:49 pm

  106. It’s so cute!

    posted by Emily on 1-17-2011 at 5:34 pm

  107. Don’t forget about the cats in Comic Relief in Berkeley, the original owner of the store was also the inspiration for The Simpsons’ comic book guy

    posted by Joseph on 1-18-2011 at 9:10 pm

  108. Great pics. Is there one post for cats on keyboards?

    posted by Pen and Ink on 1-19-2011 at 4:38 pm

  109. I went to visit Guthrie and Wakefield about a month ago; I used to work in the area years ago and loved those kitties. I heard about Guthrie’s health problems and wasn’t surprised to read that he’d passed away. Such a great cat, I’ll never forget him. : (
    On the positive side of things, Guthrie was probably one of the oldest cats in Boston, he was at least 20 years old and only got really sick the last few months. He is missed.

    posted by JC on 1-20-2011 at 8:40 pm

  110. I wish that cats weren’t such a staple of used bookstores. I love used books, but, unfortunately, cats are the one thing that I am allergic to. Can’t look at books when my throat and face are swollen and itchy and my eyes start developing a thick mucus…

    It would be nice if used bookstores (or other shops with cats) could post a sign outside their door announcing that they have one, so that it isn’t a gamble going in.

    posted by Brandi on 1-30-2011 at 11:32 pm

  111. I remember visiting this bookstore in Omaha, NE that had a black cat. I remember it so well because I ended up buying “Time Cat” by Lloyd Alexander that day and the cat on the cover was black. Great children’s book, by the way.

    posted by ang on 1-31-2011 at 3:51 am

  112. Alley lives at the ABC Treehouse in Amsterdam, a small cultural center sponsored by the American Book Center across the square. She also has a facebook page:http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sfrm=1#!/profile.php?id=100001065943719

    posted by Donna DuCarme on 3-28-2011 at 8:48 am

  113. there is Dante. Dante the Cat from secondhand bookstore in Wroclaw, Poland
    http://kotdante.wordpress.com
    http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wroc%C5%82aw-Poland/Dante-Kot-Dante/200576069984841

    posted by dante on 5-24-2011 at 9:05 am

  114. Moby Dickens in Taos, New Mexico has two wonderful young cats named Mabel and Tony!

    posted by Bonnie McManus on 5-24-2011 at 1:36 pm

  115. There is this MASSIVE kitty at Twice Sold Tales in Capitol Hill Seattle. She is like Jabba da Hut kitty, but much more cuddly!

    posted by Kelly on 5-26-2011 at 3:30 am

  116. Not only is Twice Sold Tale’s Logo a cat reading, the fat cat that lives there has his own facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fat-Cat-at-Twice-Sold-Tales-Capitol-Hill/49751939666

    posted by KS on 5-26-2011 at 3:33 am

  117. I’ve had the good pleasure of meeting Alice of the Dusty Book Shelf in Lawrence and she is, in my thinking, the finest bookstore cat around.

    posted by Timothy Kaul on 12-25-2011 at 9:31 am

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