Iowa's small-town library cat
I've been meaning to post about Dewey the library cat for a while now. He's the subject of a new book by Vicki Myron, the library director who tells his unique and very special story.
That alone is all pretty cool, but I had a special interest in this story: It all took place in my mom's home town of Spencer, Iowa, a place I've visited many times during my own lifetime.
Dewey was found in the library's book return on a cold January night in 1988. When the staff found him, they adopted him and the rest was history.
His official name was "Dewey Readmore Books" (the name was chosen by the staff) and the fluffy cat went on to become quite the libary star, reducing stress for patrons and staff, greeting folks at the door, climbing into book bags and briefcases, and providing plenty of comic relief.
He died on Nov. 29, 2006, in the arms of Myron. He had just celebrated his 19th birthday 11 days before that.
But now he's been immortalized in Myron's book, Dewey, which came out on Sept. 24, 2008. (He's also got his own Facebook page.) Here's a blurb from the publisher's Web site:
Vicki Myron was a single mother who had surivived the loss of her family farm and an alcoholic husband. But her biggest challenge as the new head librarian in Spencer, Iowa, was to raise the spirits of a small, out-of-the-way town mired deep in the farm crisis of the 1980s. Then, on the coldest morning of the year, Vicki found a tiny, bedraggled kitten almost frozen to death in the night drop box, and her life -- and the town of Spencer -- was never the same.
I'm sorry my mom's not alive to enjoy the book and Dewey's story. She loved cats (and dogs) and would have been happy to see Spencer in the headlines. (My uncle also was a farmer just outside Spencer's city limits and my dad came from Turrell, a small farming community also just outside Spencer.)
Our special thanks to Vicki Myron, now retired and on a book signing tour, for documenting Dewey's life for posterity.
Now I'm going to go buy the book. It's all making me want to re-visit Spencer again.
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About the Bloggers
Daily Breeze reporter Donna Littlejohn has shared her homes with a succession of wonderful, funny, and occasionally difficult canines -- Muffin, Fritz, Ellie, Mercy, Pilgrim and now Cowboy, an Australian shepherd-border collie, and Tess, a border collie. From strong-willed terriers to weirdly obsessed Australian shepherds, they've invaded her world with boundless energy, wet noses, muddy paws and soggy tennis balls. But they've really brought so much more than that -- like laughter and joy, some unexpected life lessons, and more than a few tears along the way.
E-mail Donna at donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com.
Josh Grossberg grew up with the usual array of animals: goldfish, dogs, hamsters, parakeets and turtles. He now owns the loudest dog in the South Bay(Video: Rocket the Dog) and is the least popular person on his block. He spends his free time in dog parks, pet shops and always has an extra plastic bag in his pocket just in case. He also has a cat.
E-mail Josh at josh.grossberg@dailybreeze.com.
There used to be a cat in the Belmont Shore bookstore, too, I loved going in there to browse and have that cat hanging around.
I've had dogs only for a lot of years now, but I grew up with cats & still would like to bring a feline home someday.
Cats have a way of loving you even when you don't think you need the love. Ever watch a cat always go to someone who claims not to care for animals? Especially cats? They can sure change your mind about them being independent. I have a couple of strays in my shop and they also greet the customers and love on them whether they want it or not. I am going out to buy the book too. Before these two came into the shop I didn't even know cats knew their name or cared.
What a wonderful way to bring people and animals together. I remember sharing a comfortable chair with a tuxedo cat in the reading area of the Either/Or Bookstore on Pier Avenuen in Hermosa Beach. He, along with several other cats over the years, made my daily lunch hour visits to the store an added pleasure. I miss the bookstore and its extraordinary cats.