Not round here in East London-in fact I don't think I've ever seen a
shop cat or dog. The nearest I've come to it was Stamford the cat who
"belonged" to the hospital I used to work at. Enormous black and white
cat- probably enormous due to the fact several staff all thought they
were the only people putting out food for her. Earned her keep through,
no mouse or rat problem there unless you count cleaning up the
leftovers she made

Lovely cat. I have a picture of her on my noticeboard at work. When we
were told the place was closing down several people were in tears not
at the thought of losing their job but who would look after Stamford
once we were all gone?

Luckily Neil was kept on to look after the gardens and whilst he claims
not to like cats he admits she is the exception to the rule

On the day I left, it was something of a rush job since Dave had just
gone into hospital and anyway everyone was at meetings about new jobs
etc. When I came out for the last time, Stamford was waiting to see me
off...come to think of it just like she was the first person I saw when
I started there and I remember thinking "They have a cat. This must be
a nice place to work"

And on the whole it was

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

It would be nice, but I don't recall ever seeing a shop cat here in the UK.

There is a huge rodent problem in Hawaii, so most restaurants or pubs have a
resident cat.  The Health Department looks the other way because it's kind
of like, which would you rather have?  A cat or rodents?  If you serve food
in any form, if you don't have a cat, you *will* have a rodent problem.

I worked in this BBQ place on Maui called "Lone Star Cookhouse".  (Yes, the
owners were from Texas.)  We had a resident male cat, BEAUTIFUL cat, named
Starr.  He was so friendly and all the customers loved him.  He had to be
the best fed cat in the universe, I swear.  LOL.  He wasn't fat, though,
because he kept himself in shape taking care of the grounds.

I was working one night and I heard this ear-splitting scream coming from
the kitchen.  As I turned to go in, Starr came out with one of the hugest
rats I have ever seen.  The rat was screaming and, of course, Starr had to
parade around the restaurant with his prize.  He went from guest to guest
showing off his trophy as the diners pointed and laughed.  He then bounded
off the back porch and I can only assume "took care" of his efforts.

We all had a good chuckle out of that one.  :~)

I feel kind of sad for the rat, now that I have pet ones, but feral rats and
pet rats are two different animals!

kili

--
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kilikini

<snip>

My veterinarian has two shop cats (East Texas).  They are love-bugs and
clearly feel that the place belongs to them.  One had to be lifted off the
printer so a receipt could be printed the last time I was there!  One of
them is a cat that someone left for some medical work and never returned --  
and the address and phone information she gave turned out to be false.
Well, she sure knew the right people to have a soft heart because that was 3
or 4 years ago and the cat clearly has a foreverhome.

MaryL

I noticed a new sign in the window of my favorite bookstore in town "Be sure
the cat stays inside" (words to that effect). Too bad it was after hours,
but I will make a point of meeting this cat tomorrow!

We have quite a few shop cats around here. Our vet has one, the natural
pet food store has 2, a cat store has a blind kitty that goes home with
them at night, and a couple of book stores have cats.

Rhonda

One of the used book stores in Manassas, Virginia (McKay's) has
a long haired black cat named "Page".  He's often found in the
front window when the sun is shining through (big surprise there

over and give a cheek rub or some such, and isn't above accepting
an ear skritch if offered correctly.  It's obviously *his* turf :)
They're usually busy, so I've never gotten the story of Page's
presence in the store.  Judging from the pictures on the back
wall, he's a big hit with the kids...:)

A tea shop west of me had a tabby and kittens running the
place a few years back.  I'm not sure if they're still there,
but I enjoyed looking at some classic British automobiles,
having a cup of tea and a biscuit (they were out of scones,
unfortunately), and petting a happily purring tabby one afternoon.
It seems that she had decided to have her kittens in the garage,
and since they didn't want her or the little ones running around
in an active auto repair facility, they moved her in to the tea
shop that adjoins the garage.  She seemed perfectly happy with
that arrangement...:)

There's also a yarn store near here in Chantilly, VA, whose
advertisements feature a nice little tabby keeping an eye on
things.  I have yet to go in and see if the store actually
is run *by* that cat, or if it's just a gimmick.

Many of the antique shops around here have had furred residents,
but in a couple of cases, people have complained about allergies
and/or fear of scratches, so some of the shop owners opted to make
their shop cats house cats instead.  Happily, I have yet to hear
of any of them that *didn't* keep the cats...:)

Purrs-

Chris

All the veterinarians I have ever visited have had shop cats. I think
that they often "inherit" cats and/or kittens from people who leave
them and never come back. Some of the cats spend their workdays in the
shop and go home with someone at night. Others are on duty at the
office all day and night.

The bookstore I managed had Winthrop, a lovely black and white plush
shorhair. He was a feral who had been enticed indoors, along with his
brother Edgewood, at my apartment. Win was a dedicated indoor/outdoor
who would not even look at a litter box. One attempt, by my associate
Bob, to put a leash on him wound up with Bob at the emergency room.
Other than that incident, Win was affectionate with the whole staff,
especially Bob.

He was more distant with customers but many earned his trust enough to
give him skritches, etc. People would bring him treats but we tried to
monitor his diet. He did not appreciate these efforts on his behalf as
he was a most adventurous eater. He was only at the store during our
hours of operation. However, we were open 24/7.

When he had been there two years, the bookstore reached a point where
it was losing money too fast and we had to close it down. Winthrop was
clearly not at fault as his two Employee of the Year plaques testify.
One of the employees was moving to Boston where he would have an
opening for an enterprising cat to keep track of his kitchen table and
inventory his spoons. So he hired Winthrop and Win is still there,
although quite elderly as I type this.

A few blocks away, another bookstore had a very nice Doberman who was
clearly NOT an attack or security dog. She was a little nervous about
strangers but she picked up on people fast. I am pretty sure she went
home with the owner at night.

Will in New Haven

--

"Never try to outstubborn a cat." - Robert Heinlein
"I am not stubborn, Mr. Heinlein, I am just in charge." - Feather

I remember many years ago, I was waiting on a corner for the light to
change. (Busy street). It was night, in a not so nice part of town. I
scanned around me, looking for possible threats. (inner city survival
mode - always on...).

To my delight, in the store window directly behind me, I saw a small
orange and white cat!

It was a real estate office, and the cat was laying on the window sill
watching the street.

When I came over to the window, he put his two front paws on the glass:
he was a polydactyl!

I moved my finder around the glass, and the kitty was trying to bap it
through the glass. When I stopped, he rolled over on he back, folded his
big paws on his chest, and showed me a tummy that he seemed to want to
have smurgled. It was all white, and looked soft as could be!

He certainly looked like a friendly kitty! I could see by the street
light a food and a water bowl; the bowl was filed to overflowing with
dry food. (I also saw a number of cat toys scattered around the office).
I realized it was Friday night, and perhaps nobody would be in the
office until Monday :-(

I felt sorry for the friendly little cat in the storefront window, until
I thought about how many homeless cats there are, and how many waiting
in shelters for their one true home. Perhaps this kitty was left on his
own a lot, but he had a warm place to sleep, food, water, toys, a nice
view of the street, and somebody obviously cared a lot about him.

Sadly, although I always meant to go back during business hours, I never
did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Life without cats would be only marginally worth living."
-TC, and the unmercifully, relentlessly, sweet calico kitty, Kenzie.

How you behave towards cats here below determines your status in Heaven.
- Robert Heinlein

Life is very difficult. Once you understand that, life becomes easier.
-Buddha

I've only seen cats in one shop here - "The Cat House", which sells items
for and about cats.  They have three at the shop and have another five at
their home (which was a perfect set up for them since the three at the shop
didn't get along well with the five at home).

Hugs,

CatNipped