Meow-velous: Cats at the Library

DOMESTIC CAT. Photography. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016.
quest.eb.com/search/138_1073169/1/138_1073169/cite. Accessed 28 Oct 2017.

We're gutted to have missed National Cat Day on October 29th, but as Sandra Boynton pointed out on Facebook, "...March 28 is Respect Your Cat Day, May 30 is International Hug Your Cat Day, June 15 is World Catnip Awareness Day, June 25 is Take Your Cat to Work Day, August 8 is World Cat Day, Sept 1 is Ginger Cat Appreciation Day, Oct 16 is Feral Cat Day, and Oct 27 is National Black Cat Day," so we have plenty of other chances to celebrate our purry pals. Cats and libraries are a natural match! The tradition of having a cat in the library is allegedly dates back to the Egyptians, and there are cats in libraries worldwide. (There are also cats in the Hermitage Museum in Russia. Which has a library.) There are famous library cats - Dewey! Baker & Taylor! - and not so famous ones.

They have a job description:

1. Reducing stress for all humans who pay attention to him.
2.  Sitting by the front door every morning at 9:00 am to greet the public as they enter the library.
3. Sampling all boxes that enter the library for security problems and comfort level.
4. Attending all meetings in the Round Room as official library ambassador.
5. Providing comic relief for staff and visitors whenever possible.
6. Climbing in book bags and briefcases while patrons are studying or trying to retrieve needed papers underneath him.
7. Generating free national and worldwide publicity for Library. (This entails sitting still for photographs, smiling for the camera, and generally being cute.)
8. Working toward status as world’s most finicky cat by refusing all but the most expensive, delectable foods — and even turning up his nose at those most of the time.

Allergy complaints have made their positions more scarce recently. One cat was nearly banished, but ended up staying on the job after a petition was circulated and the city council voted to retain his services.

There's a stereotype of the cat-loving librarian. We don't know that all librarians love cats, but we sure do! Our library system does not have library cats, but we'd like to point out that even without a resident cat, the library catalog offers plenty of ways to enjoy felines - dander-free! Here's some standout items:

The Inner Life of Cats: The Science and Secrets of Our Mysterious Feline Companions by Thomas McNamee

The Dalai Lama's Cat and the Power of Meow by David Michie [eBook]

Shop Cats of New York by Tamar Arslanian

Cat Tales: True Stories of Kindness and Companionship With Kitties by Aline Alexander Newman

The Cat Whisperer: Why Cats Do What They Do-- And How to Get Them To Do What You Want by Mieshelle Nagelschneider

Men With Cats: Intimate Portraits of Feline Friendship by David Williams

Call of the Cats: What I Learned About Love and Life From a Feral Colony by Andrew Bloomfield

The Old Man and the Cat: A Love Story by Nils Uddenberg

Total Cat Mojo: The Ultimate Guide to Life With Your Cat by Jackson Galaxy

Lost and Found Cat: The True Story of Kunkush's Incredible Journey by Doug Kuntz and Amy Shrodes[eBook]

DVDs

The Story of Cats

The Secret Life of Cats 

Kedi

A Street Cat Named Bob

New & Novel: Purr-tagonists

From Puss in Boots to Krazy Kat, the Cheshire Cat to The Cat in the cult British TV show Red Dwarf (if you're not familiar, he's a Felis Sapiens which evolved from a domestic housecat), felines demonstrating agency have been around for quite some time. Cats in literature have quite a pedigree, particularly in mysteries - some of the most well-known include:

• Lillian Jackson Braun wrote a couple dozen The Cat Who books, starring reporter named Jim Qwilleran and his Siamese cats, Kao K'o-Kung (Koko for short) and Yum-Yum

• Rita Mae Brown has co-authored a mystery series with her cat, Sneaky Pie Brown (the mysteries also feature a cat named Mrs. Murphy)

• Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough have written science fiction books about the space-traveling Barque cats

• T.C. LoTempio's Nick and Nora series has Nora Charles as a crime reporter and Nick is now "a stray cat...who has a talent for detection" 

• Carole Nelson Douglas writes the Midnight Louie mystery books, where chapters alternate between the voice of Midnight Louie, a slightly overweight black cat, and his human "roommate"

• Shirley Rousseau Murphy's cat P.I., Joe Grey, has his own website, which describes him as "the sharpest feline sleuth on the mystery scene--one cool cat, a clawed and formidable enemy of crime"

• Sofie Kelly writes about a librarian who solves mysteries with the aid of her cats with magic powers

• the Dixie Hemingway mysteries feature a sleuth who is a former sheriff, now professional cat-sitter 

How do you feel about anthropomorphized pets in novels? We confess to a tendency to avoid them, having been irrevocably scarred by exposure in our youth to the sad end of the animals in Sounder and Old Yeller, but books about animals running the show seem to be quite popular.  In fact, there are two (very different) brand-spanking-new books with cat protagonists:
 

Cat Out of Hell by Lynne Truss

For people who both love and hate cats comes the tale of Alec Charlesworth, a librarian who finds himself suddenly alone: he's lost his job, his beloved wife has just died, and to top it all off, his sister has disappeared. Overcome by grief, he stands in his sister's kitchen staring at the only witness to whats happened to her - her cat, Roger. Who then speaks to him. It takes a while for Alec to realize hes not gone mad from grief, that the cat is actually speaking . . . and that much of what we fear about cats is true. They do think they're smarter than humans, for one thing. And, well, it seems they are! Whats more, they do have nine lives. Or at least this one does. Roger's older than Methuselah, and his unblinking stare comes from the fact that he's seen it all. And he's got a tale to tell, a tale of shocking local history and dark forces that may link not only the death of Alec's wife, but also several other local deaths. But will the cat help Alec, or is he one of the dark forces?

Mort(e) by Robert Repino

The war with no name has begun, with human extinction as its goal. The instigator of this war is the Colony, a race of intelligent ants who, for thousands of years, have been silently building an army that would forever eradicate the destructive, oppressive humans. Under the Colony's watchful eye, this utopia will be free of the humans' penchant for violence, exploitation and religious superstition. The final step in the Colony's war effort is transforming the surface animals into high-functioning two-legged beings who rise up to kill their masters. Former housecat turned war hero, Mort(e) is famous for taking on the most dangerous missions and fighting the dreaded human bio-weapon EMSAH. But the true motivation behind his recklessness is his ongoing search for a pre-transformation frienda dog named Sheba. When he receives a mysterious message from the dwindling human resistance claiming Sheba is alive, he begins a journey that will take him from the remaining human strongholds to the heart of the Colony, where he will discover the source of EMSAH and the ultimate fate of all of earth's creatures.  Sound intriguing?  For more fiction with cat protagonists, check out the library catalog. We recommend, just for fun, The Meowmorphosis - a parody of Kafka which sees "Gregor Samsa, a seemingly typical man...transformed into a cat"; or, if you prefer something more serious, check out Takashi Hiraide's The Guest Cat, which NPR called "illuminating and achingly poetic". If you're more of a dog person...well, we're sure there's books about dogs too.

*descriptions are taken from the library catalog unless otherwise noted

Life with Pets: Human-Animal Relationships

We love our pets. They become an integral part of our lives, we cherish them and sometimes make them famous - witness Grumpy Cat, Dewey the Library Cat, Boo the World's Cutest Dog, etc. There are countless stories about animals in fiction, but also in non-fiction - a genre that perhaps rose to fame with authors like James Herriot, Gerald Durrell, and Farley Mowat. Here are some stories about pets who made a difference, in the lives of one person or many, and a few other pet-related titles.

Human-Animal Memoirs

Sergeant Stubby: How a Stray Dog and His Best Friend Helped Win World War I and Stole the Heart of a Nation by Ann Bausum 

The World According to Bob: The Further Adventures of One Man and His Street-Wise Cat by James Bowen

Gabe & Izzy: Standing Up for America's Bullied by Gabrielle Ford with Sarah Thomson [Children's]

Saving Simon: How a Rescue Donkey Taught Me the Meaning of Compassion by Jon Katz.

Top Dog: The Story of Marine Hero Lucca by Maria Goodavage

My Animals and Other Family by Clare Balding [eBook]

Once Upon a Flock : Life with My Soulful Chickens by Lauren Scheuer

Dogtripping: 25 Rescues, 11 Volunteers, and 3 RVs on Our Canine Cross-Country Adventure by David Rosenfelt

Pure Joy: The dogs We Love by Danielle Steel

A Dog Walks Into a Nursing Home: Lessons in the Good Life From An Unlikely Teacher by Sue Halpern

Weekends with Daisy by Sharron Kahn Luttrell

Julia's Cats: Julia Child's Life in the Company of Cats by Patricia Barey, Therese Burson

Oink: My Life with Mini-Pigs by Matt Whyman

Cherished: 21 Writers on Animals They Have Loved and Lost edited by Barbara Abercrombie     

Miscellaneous 

The Secret Language of Dogs: Stories from a Dog Psychic by Jocelyn Kessler

Traveling With Your Pet: The AAA Petbook

The Secrets of Lost Cats: One Woman, Twenty Posters, and a New Understanding of Love by Dr. Nancy Davidson

Citizen Canine: Our Evolving Relationship with Cats and Dogs by David Grimm

The Thing with Feathers: The Surprising Lives of Birds, and What They Reveal About Being Human by Noah Strycker

For Fun 

How to Make Your Cat an Internet Celebrity: A Guide to Financial Freedom by Patricia Carlin [eBook]

Metal Cats photography by Alexandra Crockett


If you are inspired to welcome a pet into your life (adopting or fostering), or interested in volunteering at a shelter, there are lots of opportunities in Albuquerque!  Consider:

Animal Welfare [City of Albuquerque]

Animal Rescue Groups [City of Albuquerque]

Animal Humane New Mexico

Squirrel!

"He is a good and smart master and he made me this collar so that I may speak.  SQUIRREL!" - Dug from "Up."

Rock Squirrel at Bandelier National Monument.  Photo used by permission.

Tuesday, January 21, marks National Squirrel Appreciation Day.  The National Wildlife Federation brings 7 ways to celebrate this often maligned mammal.  New Mexico numerous squirrel varieties, including the Rock Squirrel (pictured above) and Abert's Squirrel.  To look at a complete list, New Mexico Game and Fish has a key.  For Squirrel Appreciation of a whole different sort, the Missouri Department of Conservation does have recipes.

Squirrels are well represented in the library's collection.

Children's Picture Books
The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin
Ol' Mama Squirrel
Scaredy Squirrel at Night
Earl the Squirrel
Never Trust a Squirrel

Children's Non Fiction Books
Baby Ground Squirrel
The Raggedy Red Squirrel
Squirrels And Chipmunks

Children's Chapter Books
Bird & Squirrel On the Run
Squirrel World
The Curse of the Squirrel
Harold's Tale
The Heir Of Mistmantle

Adult's Fiction & Non Fiction Squirrel Books
Index of the Ohio Squirrel Hunters Roster
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary
Meat Eater: Adventures From The Life Of An American Hunter
The Natural History Of Tassel-Eared Squirrels

No Squirrel Appreciation Day would be complete without mentioning Scrat from "Ice Age".

Cat Writers' Association Communications Contest

Recently a piece in The Guardian asked, "Are cats top dogs in the world of literature?" The Cat Writers' Association, Inc. (CWA) certainly thinks so! The CWA is an organization of professionals writing, publishing and broadcasting about cats. Member authors include Clea Simon, Lesléa Newman, Shirley Rousseau Murphy, and Carole  Nelson Douglas.  Every year the CWA have a Communications Contest, open to anyone whose work qualifies (see their website for more information).  Winners include magazine articles, newspaper columns, poems, short stories, humor, health care, and DVDs.  Here are some of the winners you can find in the library catalog!


Cat Fancy [magazine]

Cat Telling Tales: A Joe Grey Mystery by Shirley Rousseau Murphy

Bambino and Mr. Twain by P.I. Maltbie

The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook by Joanne Rocklin

Defending the Defenseless: A Guide to Protecting and Advocating for Pets by Allie Phillips [eBook only in our catalog]


For more cat-related items in the library catalog, try a subject search of "Cats".