People were asked to pet him only on the head and shoulders, and not to pick him up however, he still carried out all his duties and was as friendly as ever. He became very thin, had arthritis in his hips and back, and of course slept more than he used to he was diagnosed also as having hypothyroidism, which added to his frailty. In the final year or so of his life his age began to take its toll, said Vicki. Staff kept a camera handy to record his antics and adventures over the years. He hated it when the library was closed, and would welcome Vicki Myron, library director and his principal carer, with a 'wave' in the mornings when she arrived. He greeted patrons at the front desk, regularly attended every library meeting, and even enjoyed functions such as summer family fun evenings in the presence of 250 people or more. Throughout his long life Dewey loved 'his public'. (See more Dewey links below to his website, videos and various news articles.) The bio page for Dewey that the library used to maintain can now be seen at the Internet Archive, but the IA has not captured a slideshow of images that was also available at one time. He was also the star of a video about library cats, Puss in Books: Adventures of a Library Cat (1997), and his fame spread throughout America and beyond, especially after he was chosen as 'January cat' on a nationwide calendar.

Over the years he provided Spencer Library with plenty of publicity via the local newspaper, national magazines, in books, on postcards and on Sioux City TV. Donations were made for his food, and he received 'city employee discount' from a local veterinarian when medical attention was needed.ĭewey blossomed into a magnificent cat, as can be seen from his 'official' portrait ( right), taken when he was about 2 years old. He quickly made friends among the library staff and patrons, and also the wider public, some from a long way off, as they learned of his story. The idea was approved by the board of trustees and the city council, so he was neutered and vaccinated and became the new resident. Library staff, finding him next morning after hearing his whimpering, and having warmed him up while he purred the whole time, decided they would like to adopt him as library cat. He arrived on a freezing cold January night in 1988, via the book-return chute. For nearly 20 years it was home to the best-known of American library cats Dewey, or to give him his full title Dewey Readmore Books. Spencer is a town with a population of about 12,000 in the American Midwest state of Iowa. Purr-n-Fur UK | Dewey Readmore Books, of Spencer Library, IowaĪrticles in Famous Felines are written byĬertain features on these pages use JavaScriptĭewey Readmore Books of Spencer Library, IowaĬlick thumbnails for enlargements (JavaScript should be enabled)

Author vicki myron