Ever hear of the Algonquin cat?

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2dogmom

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I found a little more...

"The story goes that a stray cat wandered in off the street," she says, "It was all raggly-taggly and everything. He felt sorry for the cat and he kept it."

That first cat reportedly drank milk out of a champagne glass. Actor John Barrymore insisted he have a theatrical name, so he was called Hamlet. The idea inaugurated a tradition: When the Algonquin cat is male, he's Hamlet; when female, she's called Matilda. No one knows why.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=5590366
 

swampwitch

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Shop cats are around more than we realize! One has to really look for them because they are so quiet. Usually. Our local mom & pop video store has a shop cat, and the Sylvia Hotel had a cat named, "Mr. Got To Go." I saw a children's book about him; he died some years ago but there's a picture of him in the lobby.

Late one night I saw a shop cat in the window of a store here in Victoria, sleeping on a comfy bed, ignoring us outside.

I stayed at the Algonquin on my first trip to NYC! That is a lucky cat! I tried to stay there a second time but they lost my reservation and I ended up at the Roosevelt. Talk about a budget-blower.
 

addiebee

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Ah, yes. Matilda the Algonquin cat. My boyfriend and I have met the current Matilda. We made a point last year of stopping at the hotel after theatre for dessert and to see the kitty-cat. She's a sweetie-pie and let us rub her fluffy belly.

BTW - this Matilda is a mitted bluepoint Ragdoll.
 

rubsluts'mommy

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Stores, especially bookstores, are also apt to have shop cats... a small bookshop in a nearby town where i grew up had at least two to three cats roaming around... Usually very pleasant and gentle... now Fup the Powells Store Cat here in Portland, from what I used to hear, was not a sweet cat... he was supposedly nicer when he was young, but in his last years (he died fairly recently), he was a grumpy old boy who didn't like being social. I have a Star Wars spoof shirt from Powells with Fup as the hero... I love that shirt! I hope they get a new cat... Powells needs a proper store cat! Of course, I think he was at the Hawthorne store, not downtown...

Amanda
 

jcat

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We have an electrical supply store in our town with two shop cats; there are actually three, but one is quite shy, so you only see him in the windows when the store is closed.

I've read stories about several hotels or bed and breakfasts with resident cats that you can even "borrow" for the night.

Library cats seem to be a tradition all over, especially at university libraries.
 

kluchetta

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Originally Posted by AddieBee

Ah, yes. Matilda the Algonquin cat. My boyfriend and I have met the current Matilda. We made a point last year of stopping at the hotel after theatre for dessert and to see the kitty-cat. She's a sweetie-pie and let us rub her fluffy belly.

BTW - this Matilda is a mitted bluepoint Ragdoll.
I was going to mention the Ragdoll part. I was hoping to go see her when we went to New York.
 

krazy kat2

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There is a small store in the Cotton Exchange in Wilmington, NC that has a shop cat, and he is a grumpy old codger. Beautiful cat, though.
 

zorana_dragonky

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There is a little shop downtown here that is devoted to knitting and crochet and other yarn-related hobbies, and the shop has a shop cat. It's a cute, friendly kitty too! I thought it particularly funny that a shop cat was hanging out in a yarn shop, sleeping rather than making a mess.
 

lsanders

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There's a kids bookstore in Kansas City, MO called The Reading Reptile that has had several resident cats over the years. It's a wonderful bookstore for kids (and adults!) and when we go there to visit my mom's family, it's always a treat to go in and see the cats when we've been away for our own.

I don't know his name, but this cat was probably the most well-known one:


He was extremely affectionate, loved to lay over your shoulder as you walked around the store with him. He was a bit of a drooler, and so your hair and shirt would be pretty well soaked after awhile.


I visited KC for the first time in about 5 years this past Christmas and was really saddened to find out he had passed away a couple of years before. They had his ashes on display in the store. They had another adult cat there, a stray they took in when she was pregnant, and her kittens were just old enough that they were letting them be handled by the public. So freaking cute. But not a replacement for the original!
 

addiebee

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Originally Posted by pixietina

i want too write too her, but it seems strange in a way
It's really not strange. One of the staff workers at the hotel answers the email. I did it. It was cute!

When my BF and I were in London, UK, we went to a club called the Troubador... art gallery-resto-club, actually and they had a shop cat - a long haired orange and white girl rescued from the street. She was sleeping on the banquette where we were going to be seated for dinner and the hostess offered to move her. We said, no. But when we started petting her she woke up, gave us an annoyed and sleepy meow and moved off.
 

jean-ji

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Thanks for posting that link, you have to love a place that has a cat.
I recently went to a spinning retreat in the Catskills, and at lunch, the house cat jumped up in the window behind me to get a little nuzzle. They know where to find a cat lover.
 
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