Monday, April 21, 2008

Flower Cat

I met this fluffy guy on Friday as he guarded a shop in the Flower District. I like his white "Got Milk?" moustache. Many small business in New York City have resident cats, particularly delis, bodegas, and stores where food might fall prey to marauding mice. Even the New York Times ran an article about these cats back in December. Although these cats violate city laws banning animals from food-selling establishments, many owners, as the Times article points out, take the chance and rely on these felines to combat the threat of vermin. As a cat lover, I always enjoy walking into a shop that has a cat lounging in an aisle. Yet one can even encounter dogs in shops these days. While they may not be employed for pest control, I suspect having a big, friendly dog asleep at the door might draw dog-loving customers in. But why do I seem to spy more dogs at hair salons? Is there a connection I'm missing? At my wife's favorite salon, one can often find a pair of Boxers holding court. And there's an upscale salon on 10th Street near Fifth Avenue that nearly always holds two very large St. Bernards either asleep on the floor or sprawled on the sidewalk out front.


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2 comments:

BooCat said...

What a sweet old baby. I am currently on a cat hunt. The trapping of the feral colony down by the river is now in progress, so I may get one of those. Failing that, by the first of May after the retirement check hits the bank account, I will be visiting the Metro Shelter. You photographs remind me of just how much I miss having a cat in this house. The Mu-man was often curled up in my lap asleep or purring softly as I blogged.

Kitty said...

oh, he looks so stoic, like he's not used to having his photo taken.
I've met a grey cat there. Usually he's sleeping in a crate of moss or sitting sniffing some grasses.

I really love seeing cats in shops. It just shows that cats can live just about everywhere. I've seen dogs more in home furnishing places for whatever reason.