Laudi

This is Laudi, a very sweet cat we met last Friday while at a party in an 1880s Soho loft. She's reputed to be an expert mouser, keeping the old building's rodent population in check. Laudi's also considered an accomplished watcher of pigeons on the fire escapes. However, she's obviously an expert eater too, because she is definitely on the plus size. Laudi was very affectionate and exceedingly patient with the large dinner crowd, a group that included my boys and a bunch of noisy friends.

Another Shop Cat

This beauty - "Smokey" - lives on 7th Avenue at 12th St. According to his owner, "Smokey" is a great mouser and regularly leaves little "presents" from a night's hunt. He had to be one of the sweetest, most affectionate cats I've ever encountered in the city. Sitting outside the shop, he was unfazed by the passing crowds - and numerous dogs - but readily welcomed visitors.

Another Shop Cat

This friendly feline lives at "Aphrodisia" on Bleecker Street. She's usually asleep in the window or perched on a pillow-covered stool farther back in the shop.

Calico

Found this sweet little calico cat in a convenience store on Hudson St. over the weekend.

Chelsea Cat

Ralphie: Described by his owner as a "declawed, co-dependent, attack cat." He regarded us with unflappable suspicion and didn't move a muscle to check us out. So much for curiosity "killing the cat." I like to think that I can get just about any cat to approach me. Ralphie would have none of it.

Bodega Calico

I encountered this sweet little calico, probably no more than seven or eight months old, in a bodega on Hudson Street near St. Luke in the Fields. She was a little skittish each time we walked in here over the weekend, but curiosity always drew her out after a few seconds and she quickly became very affectionate and friendly.

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.

If I Could Be a Cat . . .

. . . I'd be a cat that lives in a shop in Greenwich Village. Then, like the sleeping feline in this photo, I could watch the world stumble by, choose to snooze, or rub the legs of customers and accept the ministrations of my admirers. (Actually, there are many cats that live in businesses in our neighborhood. And of course most of them spend the day like this, sleeping in a window. This contented cat has lived on Bleecker Street for several years. There are even a few dogs that come to work with their shopkeeper families. Unlike the cats, however, they usually sit at the stoop, watching carefully for other dogs or the potential wielders of treats.)