Our Readers’ Favorite Bookstore Cats (Volume Two)

It doesn't take of lot of hard work for a cat to become famous: 1. get a job at a place where people gather, 2. have someone upload your photo to the internet, and 3. eventually, someone will request that you be featured at mental_floss! Here are more of our reader's favorite bookstore cats.

1. Raffles

Beers Books in Sacramento is named after Mrs. Nellie Beer, in case you were wondering. Their 13-year-old store cat Raffles was adopted from a shelter in 2002 and is referred to as "the world's best bookstore cat". She hosts the Beers Books Facebook page, where she has many fans. Raffles was named one of Sacramento's "Essential Midtown Characters", the only non-human to make the list. Image by Flickr user Kent Kanouse.

2. Mr. Eko

Dark Star Books (and comics) in Yellow Springs, Ohio is a store that loves cats. Their mascot Bart lived at the shop for nearly twenty years and is memorialized at the site. The current store cat was named Mr. Eko after a character from the TV show Lost. He has quite a presence on the store's Facebook page, especially in the photos. As you can see, Mr. Eko figures prominently in Dark Star's promotional materials.

3. Ember

Comic Relief is a comic book supermarket in Berkeley, California. Two cats, Ember and Ash, have the run of the place and have made fans of the customers. There are a lot of pictures of the very photogenic Amber (shown here), and you can see one of Ash at Facebook.

4. Smokey

Hyde Brothers in Ft. Wayne, Indiana employs a cat named Smokey. His biography is short and to the point:

In the spring of 2008, on his way to work, Sam saw a cat walking down the street. He thought, "Now that's a bookstore cat." An hour later, Smokey strolled in the back door of the store. He so obviously belonged, we didn't even make him fill out an application. A buddy to all he meets, he enjoys all of the attention he receives from customers.

Smokey's predecessor, Katy, who once appeared in an award-winning short film, is memorialized at the store's website.

5. El Marko

Twice Sold Tales in Seattle has some real gems in their website, like the admonition against abusing books. However, the site doesn't say anything about the many cats who live at both locations. Flickr user Mike Baehr took a picture of El Marko, who lives at the Capitol Hill store and whose picture graces the store's t-shirts. See more of the store's cats at Flickr.

6. Eve

Despite the name, Dog Ear Books in Athens, Georgia has a store cat named Eve, shown here during the grand opening of the store's new location. You can also see her peeping up from a comfy chair in the book club room.

7. Caspar

Bookworm in Carbondale, Illinois is home to Caspar, whose hobbies are napping and shedding, but he also loves to be petted by customers. Caspar has his own photo album on the store's Facebook page.

8. Gwenievere

Already Read Used Books in Alexandria, Virginia is proud of their hardworking employee Gwenievere the Biblio Cat. She is part Maine Coon cat, part Siamese, part Manx, and part alley cat. Gwen loves bookstore customers, but passes instant judgment on vendors and solicitors.

9. Mr. Dolly and 10. Che

When Dolly’s Bookstore was founded in Park City, Utah, it was named after a human named Dolly. However, it has become a tradition to keep at least one store cat named Dolly. There have been three cat Dollys, including two named Mr. Dolly just to keep the cats' identities clear. The current Mr. Dolly is a tuxedo cat that shares shop duties with a large Main Coon named Che.

If your favorite bookstore cat isn't listed here, it may be found in one of the previous posts, 12 Bookstore Cats, 8 Bookstore Cats, or Our Readers’ Favorite Bookstore Cats (Volume One). Or it may be in the next edition of the Bookstore Cat series!