Former Shelter Cat Gets To Spend His Golden Years In A Bookstore

Written by: Adri Sandoval
Adri Sandoval is the Special Projects Manager for iHeartDogs and iHeartCats. Her work has deepened her love for animals, fostering a strong passion for rescue and animal advocacy.Read more
| Published on July 8, 2016

Once upon a time, a 9-year-old ginger cat lived a cranky existence in an animal shelter. His unfriendly attitude made most people overlook him; but not Danielle Joy Whatley.

Whatley, the owner of the Second Edition Book Shop in Davie, Florida, knows the value of giving things another chance–including kitties! That’s when she met the crabby (and appropriately named) Catsby.

“He was picked up by a local rescue group called Cat Crusaders. Catsby was older and incredibly unfriendly towards other animals. He needed a place and I had a book store,” she said in a story by Love Meow.

As it turned out, Catsby had been suffering with a myriad of health issues. He was FIV+ and needed “a massive amount of eye surgery,” as Whatley told Love Meow. This was due to a condition called Entropion, which causes the eyelid to fold inward and irritate the eyeball. Ouch!

“It probably explains why he was grumpy, curmudgeonly back then. He was constantly living in discomfort,” she said in the story.

But after he recovered, Catsby went from being a cantankerous cat to a social butterfly! “He loves people. I don’t even think an hour goes by where he’s not with somebody,” Whatley told Love Meow. “People come in to see him all day, every day. He loves it.”

And the book shop patrons are just as happy to receive the kitty’s company. Some senior visitors, who can no longer have cats, consider Catsby to be their part-time pet. Others bring snacks and toys for the customer service cat. (It looks like his people skills are much better than the bookstore cat in North Carolina.)

Now 14 years old, this feline has been a fixture at the bookstore for several years. He is even considered a permanent member of the staff. “We call him the CEO Kitty as he owns the store and signs my paychecks,” Whatley told Love Meow. “Some CEOs like a cup a joe when they get to the office. I prefer a cup a H20,” reads this caption on Instagram.

A video posted by The Great Catsby (@catsby_the_bookshop_cat) on

What a beautiful cat! This rescue kitty is finally loving life in his bookshop as he brings joy to customers–this is definitely a fairy tale ending!

You can see more pictures of the Second Edition CEO cat on Instagram @catsby_the_bookshop_cat.

(h/t: Love Meow)