How Much is that Kitty In The Window? He Works Here.

Sam Goldwert • March 3, 2025

New York may be notorious for its bodega cats, but did you know that Philadelphia has its fair share of employed felines as well? From bookstores to pet supply retailers to music shops, encountering a friendly four-legged employee while shopping can be easy if you know where to look.

Shop cats can have many benefits for a business. In some cases, the signaled presence of a cat may attract more customers into a store, serving as an innovative and cute marketing tactic. “Sometimes people will just come in and be like, ‘I heard you had a cat,’ and it can feel like we’re just props,” remarks Miro Bullo, general manager of The Book Trader in Old City, for the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Book Trader is home to Dr. Abraham Horatio Pickles, and the shop has more than embraced its orange-and-white attraction, selling postcards of Dr. Pickles for $2 each.

Some businesses keep a cat on the premises to repel rodents, especially small bookstores and libraries, where mice love to reside. Other cats, such as the elusive Sir Fletermaus of Repo Records (not pictured, as he decided it was too cold to come to work on this particular Friday), simply accompany their owners to work and return home at the end of the day.

I’ve compiled a short, non-exhaustive list of shop cats I’ve found around Center City. To do this, I heavily utilized the ShopCats app developed by David Martin. The app lets users document shop cats all around the world through photos and comments, and rate them on factors such as friendliness, mischief, or customer service. One city scavenger hunt and an embarrassing amount of time spent “pspspsps”-ing down store aisles later, here are six shop cats worth a visit and a chin scratch in Philadelphia.

Dr. Abraham Horatio Pickles, the orange tabby bicolor of The Book Trader, sleeps in a sunny armchair by a window overlooking Market Street. Though described as “frisky” by the sign on the door, Dr. Pickles was committed to his nap. @thedrpicklesofbooktrader on Instagram. Credit…Sam Goldwert for *The Falcon*

Casper, a 14-year-old white shorthair cat (though his age is listed as 234 years old on the ShopCats app), helps out on the cash register. According to this full-time employee of Doggie Style Pets Queen Village, checking out customers in a prompt fashion takes second priority to head scratches. Credit…Sam Goldwert for *The Falcon*

Sadie, an affectionate blue-cream and white tortoiseshell, guards the front door of Rustic Music in a protective loaf position. Sadie can often be found lounging in the sunbeams by the front of the store, or occasionally wandering the selection of vinyl records. Tortoiseshell cats like Sadie are almost always female, because the two distinctive coat colors are a result of X-chromosome inactivation during meiosis (Male tortoiseshell and calico cats, then, must have XXY chromosomes, which is very rare). Credit…Sam Goldwert for *The Falcon.*

Punky Brewster, a senior tuxedo cat, shows off her Eagles bandana while enjoying a nap in the sunlit window of Litterpaw Pet Supply. Punky isn’t the most rambunctious cat, but she can sometimes be found strolling down 10th Street while on her breaks from attracting customers. Cat coat coloration begins at the spine during fetal development and spreads outward as the kitten matures, which is why white patches frequently appear on cats’ paws, tails, and bellies, and why you’ll never see a black cat with a white-colored back. Credit…Sam Goldwert for *The Falcon.*

Mr. Chaucer, a longhaired tuxedo cat, and Miss Pencil, a graphite-colored cat with an ear tip, are coworkers at The Book Corner. These two are full-time residents of the bookstore. Mr. Chaucer can be found minding his own business near the mystery novels, whereas Miss Pencil, a newer hire, prefers a more customer-attentive approach, following patrons around in search of pets. Miss Pencil’s ear tip may mean that she was at one point a stray; it serves as a signal that she was spayed and released as part of a TNR program. Credit…Sam Goldwert for *The Falcon.*

Are there any hardworking felines that I missed? Be sure to let me know in the comments.

About the Contributor

Sam Goldwert, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Sam Goldwert is an Editor-in-Chief of The Falcon and a proud member of the 14-year club at Friends Select School. Sam is the Lead Critic of the 2024-2025 Cappies team, a participant in every FSS Theatre production, a diversity clerk, and a member of QSU. When not doing any of these things, Sam can be found committing to yet another project or playing The Sims.