# What happened to bookstore cats? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 20, 2013, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-bookstore-cats/674309 "2013-11-20T01:59:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-bookstore-cats/674309/1 "2013-11-20T01:59:04Z")
It used to be that independent bookstores in the US, especially used/antiquarian/rare book stores, had cats. You could wander around looking at stuff and occasionally a cat would stop by, but would rarely have good advice since they couldn’t read. A fair number of these shops have closed their doors, but some remain. Recently, I’ve been to several used bookstores that have survived, but there don’t seem to be any cats anymore. What happened? Is this a general trend in marketing ideas and the latest numbers indicate that cats provide a negative rate of return overall, or are there specific health code or liability issues which made Bill and Ann’s Rare Books and Quality Old-Time Tomes Shoppe insist that Bill take his cat home? Did too many customers get scratched? ---
**Author:** ![pabstist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e99b99/32.png) [@pabstist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pabstist)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-bookstore-cats/674309/2 "2013-11-20T02:11:05Z")
The place I buy my wood pellets and heating oil from has an office cat. And it loves attention! ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-bookstore-cats/674309/3 "2013-11-20T02:15:46Z")
Both branches of Recycle Books in San Jose have [resident cats](http://recyclebookstore.com/cats.html). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-bookstore-cats/674309/4 "2013-11-20T02:37:13Z")
Flights of Fantasy in Latham, NY has two cats. I don’t think there’s any issue with them; it’s just that some bookstore owners don’t want to have cats in the store, for whatever reason. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-bookstore-cats/674309/5 "2013-11-20T02:42:46Z")
> [@pabstist](#): > > The place I buy my wood pellets and heating oil from has an office cat. And it loves attention! Maybe the bookstore cats are branching out. My favorite kitchen store has a cat. Hmm, another Amazon effect? ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-bookstore-cats/674309/6 "2013-11-20T02:45:36Z")
The local coffee roaster where I buy my coffee has a dog. Does that count? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-bookstore-cats/674309/7 "2013-11-20T02:47:19Z")
I’d think Amazon would have more to do with whether or not the store exists, rather than whether or not they have a cat… ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-bookstore-cats/674309/8 "2013-11-20T02:53:02Z")
One thing this absolutely isn’t is the [Baader-Meinhof phenomenon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency_illusion). Unh-uh. No way. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-bookstore-cats/674309/9 "2013-11-20T03:00:50Z")
In most cases it’s the bookstore that went away. Seek books in West Roxbury in Boston not only has a great sf/fantasy collection, it has a friendly bookstore cat. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-bookstore-cats/674309/10 "2013-11-20T03:01:42Z")
A hardware store in Denver I used to visit had a dog. Very friendly dog, it would go up to people looking for them to pet him. I did a few months in a rehab facility which had a cat. Also friendly, it would stop and let people pet him. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-bookstore-cats/674309/11 "2013-11-20T03:04:41Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > One thing this absolutely isn’t is the [Baader-Meinhof phenomenon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency_illusion). Unh-uh. No way. I was just reading about that! Probably a coincidence. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-bookstore-cats/674309/12 "2013-11-20T03:09:41Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > …since they couldn’t read. Cite? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-bookstore-cats/674309/13 "2013-11-20T04:20:34Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > The local coffee roaster where I buy my coffee has a dog. Does that count? A local women’s and children’s consignment shop where I take my old clothes does too - a part-Pekingese (I think) that’s smaller than my cats. So does one of the antique malls where I have a booth, although in this case, the dog won’t be a permanent fixture. She’s a pit bull puppy, and they don’t want to leave her at home alone, or outside, just yet. She’s a sweet, friendly not-so-little thing. They do have to keep an eye on her, because she will wander around the store otherwise, not a good thing when there are a lot of breakables around. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-bookstore-cats/674309/14 "2013-11-20T04:27:10Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I did a few months in a rehab facility which had a cat. Also friendly, it would stop and let people pet him. Ever heard of Oscar, the nursing home mascot who is uncannily accurate in predicting imminent death? A book was written about him called “Making Rounds With Oscar”. > **[Oscar (therapy cat)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_(therapy_cat))** > > Oscar (c. 2005 – February 22, 2022) was a therapy cat who as of 2005 lived in the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. He came to public attention in 2007 when he was featured in an article by geriatrician David Dosa in the New England Journal of Medicine. According to Dosa, Oscar appeared able to predict the impending death of terminally ill patients by choosing to nap next to them a few hours before they died. Hypotheses for this ability i... ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-bookstore-cats/674309/15 "2013-11-20T04:33:30Z")
**Raven Books** in Lawrence, KS – just off Mass Ave. has TWO cats. Named after mystery authors (Ngaio and Dashiell, I think). ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-bookstore-cats/674309/16 "2013-11-20T04:42:39Z")
There’s at least one bookstore in downtown Sacramento that had a very large, very friendly, shop cat last time I was there. I’ve also seen an office cat at a local junkyard (also very friendly). ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-bookstore-cats/674309/17 "2013-11-20T04:49:44Z")
You haven’t been to the Northwest. I know at least two bookstores in Seattle with pet cats, both of them used independent places. The above poster is right in that the reason you don’t see more bookstores with cats is that the bookstores themselves disappeared. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-bookstore-cats/674309/18 "2013-11-20T04:57:42Z")
Although there are factual questions in the OP, I think that most replies to this will be either anecdotal or speculation (as they have been so far). This is probably better suited to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-bookstore-cats/674309/19 "2013-11-20T05:38:15Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Ever heard of Oscar, the nursing home mascot who is uncannily accurate in predicting imminent death? A book was written about him called “Making Rounds With Oscar”. > > [Oscar (therapy cat) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_(therapy_cat)) Yeah- _“predict”_. That’s his story and he’s sticking to it. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-bookstore-cats/674309/20 "2013-11-20T09:48:55Z")
I can remember one used bookstore in Calgary that had a cat, and I believe another in Edmonton had one. Another, in Calgary, had a hound dog (it was appropriately named “Baskerville Books”). It’s been some years since I’ve been to these shops, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were no longer in business. Pity, because in all cases, it was nice when the animal stopped by to say hello while you were browsing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-bookstore-cats/674309.md?page=2)