Peter is a truly multifaceted kitty, inside and out. Regular visitors to the Florida bookstore are surely already familiar with him, but he became famous online for the fact that you can even pay him for the books sold in the shop’s outdoor section—which, as the video shows, is an utterly charming sight.

advertisement

Peter is one of the employees of the Old Florida Book Shop, and he is held in particularly high regard. In fact, the cat is such an integral part of the bookstore’s everyday life that he even appears in the introduction on their website: “The Old Florida Book Shop is home to more than 50,000 items collected over the past 40 years, including antique furniture, Oriental rugs, and Peter the cat.” And if that weren’t enough, the bookstore’s Instagram page is full of photos of Peter, revealing, among other things, that he roams almost every corner of the shop—whether it’s the top of a ladder, a bookshelf, or one of his favorite resting places: a decorative bowl beneath which the caption reads, “Peter is the best boy.”

Peter the Cat’s Job Description

Peter became well known for the fact that the one-dollar books sold in the bookstore’s outdoor area can be paid for directly to him. He doesn’t give change, but he will most likely take the money slipped through the slot attached to the glass door—perhaps even play with it a little, if he feels like it. Reportedly, this service is available 24 hours a day, so naturally he can’t always collect the money in person; but if someone is lucky, they might just run into the famous whiskered bookstore attendant.

Beyond his role as cashier, the kitty’s most important duties include monitoring the shop’s operations, customers, and staff, and carrying out quality control when a new shipment arrives—primarily on the empty box. He is a true supervisor who, with his diligent work, maintains order in the bookstore and steals hearts.

The Special Relationship Between Cats and Bookstores

Although this is not a proven fact, Peter presumably has even more “serious” responsibilities than those mentioned above, since old books, antiques, and quiet corners practically attract rodents. It is therefore likely that the Old Florida Book Shop’s cat is also one of those working cats who still practice the ancient trade.

“There is no real library without a tabby,” reads the introduction to a National Geographic article. Indeed, the history of libraries (and essentially bookstores as well—especially one as large in scale as the Old Florida Book Shop) and cats goes back centuries, all the way to the Middle Ages. When you think about it, it’s truly the perfect pairing: peaceful libraries are undeniably well suited to quiet-loving, all-day-resting rodent controllers. Followers of the bookstore’s Instagram page agree as well, writing the following under one of Mr. Cat’s (Peter’s) photos:

Every respectable bookstore needs such a cute and professional cat! If only we could pass a law like this.

Cats Work in Other Fields Too

Our whiskered friends don’t just belong in libraries; there are many places where their mousing skills can be put to use. There is growing evidence that they can also help humans in therapeutic work, and they are appearing more and more often in animal-assisted activities. And there’s no question that a cat’s purring has a genuinely therapeutic effect—something every proud owner can experience day after day.

advertisement