Shop Cats

By Helen Rietz

Cats might not seem like working animals, but last January two of our longtime shelter cats found new homes in the world of retail. Meet Helena’s shop cats:

Every day people drop in at Golden Girls Antique Mall, 505 N. Last Chance Gulch, to say hello to Copper, who got his name because he has eyes the color of copper pennies. “He really has a fan club,” says owner Carroll Day. Copper loves to lounge in his cat bed, and when customers come in he’ll roll over so they can rub his tummy. Children and teenage girls get his attention, though, and he’s apt to follow them as they shop in all the nooks and crannies of this two-story antique emporium.

Carroll first met her cat through our Animal Outreach program, when he and other cats needing homes spent a Saturday afternoon at Golden Girls. He seemed mellow and contented there, she noticed. She had cats at home, but never one at work where she (like most of us) spends most of her waking time.

Having a shop cat has been “easier than I thought it would be,” Carroll says. At night he has the run of the store, but except for the one time he explored around the furnace ducts and emerged with black fur, he hasn’t caused any damage. “Cats aren’t bulls in china shops,” Carroll notes as Copper delicately weaves his way through the antiques.

Each morning, Copper greets Carroll at the door. On slow days, he’s wonderful company, she says. He even appears in her latest ads and fliers. “He’s a celebrity.”

Little One has a fan club too. She’s a tiny tortie who holds court at Outside In Interior Landscape, 1200 Euclid Street. Owner Betsy Pennington originally adopted a shelter cat named Skye, but found that cat really preferred being at home with Betsy’s husband. Then she heard that Skye’s sister Gretchen was still at the shelter where she was stressed and not thriving.

Gretchen is blooming at Outside Inn. Betsy calls her Little One, though she’s gained more than two pounds since adoption and is sleek and healthy. She too lounges in a cat bed near the register where, Betsy says, it’s not unusual to have customers lined up to pet her.

Betsy is most amazed that Little One seems to know when she needs help. When the shop is busy and customers have to wait, Little One hops down, makes the rounds, and entertains them. “She’s definitely a draw” for Outside In.

When closing time comes, Little One stays at the store. She watches the caged birds, moves her toys all around, and shreds any paper towels or toilet paper that the staff has left within reach. But she’s never harmed the baskets, pots, or plants, Betsy says. “All my concerns about a cat doing damage were unfounded.”

Knowing that Little One is waiting makes coming to work “feel like coming home,” Betsy says, adding that she’ll never again be without a cat to share her workplace.

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Lewis & Clark Humane Society
2112 E. Custer Avenue • P.O. Box 4455 • Helena, Montana 59604 • Phone: (406) 442-1660 • Fax: (406) 457-9446
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