I read the story of Dewey, the late library cat from the Spencer Public Library in Spencer, IA, and it was wonderful. Dewey was found almost frozen after being dumped in the book return over a weekend. His paws had frost bite.

He recovered, and had many years greeting people in the library, and became an attraction that people traveled from miles around so they could visit him.

Penny will be beloved by many, and will be an asset to the library. Thanks for posting!

He managed to tie a community together--kids,disabled,seniors--he loved them all and they loved him. There was at least one person who thought he should be evicted. I am so glad they did not listen to her!

the ass to others. I know I'll get some crap from someone who is allergic to dander

and not all cats have the same dander that affects certain people. If you're allergic to one cat you are probably not affected by every cat's dander.

A library without a cat is, um... a bookstore. Yay for the kitteh!

Allergies don't seem to be much of an issue in places that aren't obsessed with antibiotics and antibacterial soap.

Maybe this fun-killer-dream-slayer-douche-nugget should watch Safe.

oh sorry the kid died being a pain in the ass

everybody in old days knew of abuses of animals-it was thought normal back in the day....and, go to any shelter and see the poor little chumps terrified stiff! It's a cruel world and if anyone suffers allergies to, say, fascism, there's nada we can do! At least kids can have the little one shooed to a back room! Or else, they can just leave the library....we lefties LIVE with the rampaging fascisti 24/7!
i hadda block ALL the news channels on the tv!

I have lots of clients who are allergic to their own cats. They may have a little itchiness/red eyes/sneezing. If an asthmatic is allergic to cats they shouldn't live with one.

A HEPA air filter and keeping the library vacuumed is more than enough to mitigate.

Drama much???

But being around one for a little while is ok, he just can't live with one . It's not like a peanut allergy that can be fatal.

Certainly never felt my life was in danger-except when they seem to purposely try to trip me lol

I just ADAPT

parent/adult/teacher/maybe even kid carries epi pen with them. I know we did when my niece was little and her allergy to peanuts was diagnosed. now she carries it. If you're that allergic, you'll learn it long before a library trip. I'm not picking a fight with you msongs, I just know what we did for our kid.
and yes, if that guy was only making the complaint because other people complained, then he is...'that guy'

Probably more common than peanut allergy. It's a serious thing.

Count me as one person who can get very sick for days if I'm around the wrong cat.

But I guess what's important is that they're so cute.

No words. Just LOL.

Are covered in cat dander at all times... If your story held up people would be dropping like flies every time they went out in public, or tried on clothing at stores...

Better carry my epi pen everywhere!

Pet dander is far different from a bee sting or peanut allergies. If the kid is allergic to pet dander then I'll put money on the likelihood they're also allergic to dust and mold. Both of which are found in spades at a library. Allergies are not usually just a one-item thing. People are usually allergic to a whole host of things. Not just one. I know because I have allergies severe enough that I have prescription medication for them. Not just your average OTC stuff.


In any case, the public library, and, actually all public facilities, should have an Epi Pen in their first aid kit. If they don't then it's a simple matter to get a couple to have on hand for emergencies and would be prudent to have them. If they mistakenly use it on someone that's not having anaphylactic shock there is low risk they'll cause harm.

Not once when I have gone to any public space, including my local library, have the feline proteins that elicit an allergic response that are present on every stitch of clothing that I wear caused one single person to have as much as a sniffle.

There should be dead kids lying in my wake.

And if a person is that allergic, just going outside might be fatal to them.

Moops.

but I'm not going to die being around one in a large space. I wouldn't die being around one in a small space. In fact, I was in an confined area with 10 cats and I was itchy and stuffy headed. That's it.

Enough said.

I hope that library keeps up their cat tradition. "Penny" the cat, looks like it gets fed a bit too much though.

Thanks for posting---great story!

it is a public building, so those who are allergic shouldn't get excluded. Someone else can take the cat.

If this is true you must also ban all fragrances, smelly foods, dirty socks, men (they smell), etc...

Not realistic expectation, sorry.

life can't be perfect but then libraries don't have to have cats, so I can see those allergic to cats thinking they need not be there.

not pet the cat in the library. Maybe their moms and dads can tell them that. Cats in public places are very, very common. I don't believe I've ever heard of such a cat causing any real problems for people. Most cat allergies are mild and are nothing but annoyances. In schools, for example, so many kids come to school with cat hairs and cat dander on their clothing that there's no way to prevent that. They live with cats. Cats shed.

I haven't heard of anyone being rushed to the hospital from casual contact with a place where cat dander and hair is present. Not once.

there's a cat on the library's sign outside? This is the third one an they take their cats seriously.

And, btw, anything that keeps up interest in libraries is good news, imo.

About "library cats"--

http://www.purr-n-fur.org.uk/featuring/lib.html

while that individual is in the library.

I'm sure a librarian would be more than happy to put Penny in another room for a while. Problem solved without law suits or the U.S. Dept. of Justice.

Meow.

in non smokers. I have seen people 50 feet up wind start coughing when they see me smoking. We are a society of drama junkies.

is using an e-cig and isn't actually smoking at all. It's an a amazing thing. If it just LOOKS like someone is smoking, that's all it takes to set off some peoples' "allergies" and "sensitivities".

he was sitting on my couch chatting for about 30 minutes when my hairy devil Riff Raff emerged from the bedroom - the guy immediately started tearing up and sneezing, even though he had been sitting DIRECTLY in the spot where my cat had was sleeping right before he knocked on the door

Even sitting on a couch where a cat has been is torture for me.

problem gone. (It might also be an aversion to the person sitting nearby or who sat there last, but I try not to dwell on such thoughts)

Those who adapt to their environment or improvise, rather than demanding the environment change to suit their peculiar sensitivities, generally do better in the long run.

The notion of removing a cat to remove the allergen from room is a nice gesture but useless. Vacuuming makes it worse. Dander can cause reactions up to 2 years after the cat is gone.

People on this thread implying that out of sight, out of mind are smoking crack.

Cat lovers are passionate about their pets and I have no problem with that. But diminishing the seriousness of these kind of allergies is foolish and insensitive at best.

Allergies remain the medical condition that gets the most laughs of all the things that can harm or kill someone. Not sure why, but it's still cool to LOL about sever reactions--unless you've had one, I guess. Even on a liberal board like this, people think its funny or hyperbole.

I said HALF the people - I have seen it for myself, people who start sneezing when they SEE my cat, even though I live in a tiny apartment and his hair would be everywhere. I have seen this happen several times!!!

The allergy doesn't go away just because the cat isn't here *right now*.

Everyone's making it up.

has access to all of those books.

you people...

yes, I am allergic and no I do not like them

He won't be able to file a lawsuit without permission.

I'm glad she gets to stay in her home. Being around a cat for an hour or two won't kill anyone. Unless said cat is a lion.

One cat in a building like that, especially as it appears to have hardwood floors, isn't likely to contain that much dander.

People are allergic to all sorts of things, and only a few, such as various nuts and shellfish, are ever bad enough to be life-threatening. And as someone has already pointed out, those people will be carrying the epi pens. Or should be.

Should every single pollen-bearing tree or bush be cut down because of allergies? I live now in New Mexico, and right now the Juniper is in bloom or whatever it does to rile up the allergy to it. Of all the places I've lived and suffered from my various allergies, the Juniper one is by far the worst. Sufferers from it are totally miserable. Fortunately, I am at least so far not allergic to the juniper. If that happens, I'll move. It's a personal choice, but I'd do it because I've suffered from various allergies much of my life, and if there's one I can avoid, I'll do so.

And the only reason I don't currently have a cat or two is that I am currently doing a lot of travelling, and life is simpler without them. My three all lived to ripe old ages, and all were rescue cats.

There are two kinds of cat allergies, dander and saliva. If you are allergic to cat saliva, no air purifier or cat shampoo can help. Plus, every place the cat goes (sits lays down) is a danger zone. For me, once I have touched a place where a cat has been, I'm done. My eyes swell up and I start coughing, sneezing and can't breathe. It doesn't matter if the cat is in the room or not. My son and grandson have the same allergy, with my darling little 5 year old grandson being the worst.

The hatred of people who suffer from allergies expressed by cat lovers (not just here, I've run into it before) sounds selfish to me. A request to keep cats out of public places doesn't seem unwarranted to me. Hopefully the library won't get another cat when this one dies.

Cats lick themselves to keep clean and the allergens are present in the saliva, not in the fur.

One breed that is non allergenic is the Siberian, a gorgeous long haired cat that doesn't have the protein in their saliva that people are allergic to.

When Penny dies, maybe her replacement can be a Siberian.

Also, a vaccine against dander allergy is in the works.

http://news.yahoo.com/treatment-zaps-cat-allergy-symptoms-two-years-191900413.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allergy_to_cats

as well as the one about the vaccine, which is now undergoing trials and will likely be out in a few years.

It won't do anything for weirdos who just hate cats, but it will help a lot of families who don't really want to get rid of a beloved pet because someone has developed an allergy.

Penny is a chubby kitty but I'm sure she's still earning her keep by encouraging rodents to live elsewhere.

Store cats are a big deal in Mass. Most of them are kept out of sight during business hours, but they're there and have the run of the place in off hours. Health inspectors look the other way because they do keep rodent populations down.

I suspect Mr. Higgins is less concerned for allergic people and more concerned with his own dislike of cats. Such people exist and I'm terribly sorry they have to go through life confronting the occasional domestic feline. However, that's life and we all have to put up with things we don't like.

Their interest begins early in life:



They have special interests:



As they age, they read better:



They hold the place for you:



They assist students reading:



And show you when it's time to quit:

is disturbing on many levels

(On edit) One comment at jezebel says:

A building with books and a cat is a bookstore that allergic people can choose not to patronize. A public library is an entirely different thing,

Personally I am allergic to some cats, but I like them. I have had them in my home, but choose not to have any full time. I would go to a library with a cat, but I am only slightly allergic and experience symptoms only when I forget and pet them. Washing my hands and face is usually enough to stop the itching, the burning eyes and runny nose. Minor inconvenience.

That said, the OP even admits that the guy had a point. He gave up on the attempt, in the face of opposition. I personally would not try to oust a cat from anywhere, but have to wonder where the line exists on inflicting personal choices on others, in a publicly funded building. Smoking is a no brainer. Not sure about cats.

But crowing about being able to force your choices on others seems a bit assholey, doesn't it?

I can't stay in there more than a few minutes, being allergic. An inconvenience for me, nothing more.

I can't say as I'd be very happy being less welcome in a public building than a cat, though.

Some of us overcome our allergies with wuv.

Bodegas (Grocery Stores)
Libraries
Coffee Shops
Bookstores
Hospitals & Rehab Centers
Hospices
Old-Age Homes
Etc.

If cats could form organized groups for the greater good of felines everywhere, there's no doubt their first order of business would be to form some kind of union for bodega/library/coffee shop cats' rights.

(Sigh!) I wish.

He was a great artist and illustrator--I had his poster of The Gashlycrumb Tinies in my bedroom growing up. I bought the cat/books t-shirt for my mother-in-law as a present for Mother's Day one year:

[IMG][/IMG]

This is a picture of him:

[IMG]

More info on him; he was a huge animal advocate: http://www.edwardgoreyhouse.org/about-gorey-house

...Penny is thirteen! That's old for a cat. So it's kinda late to object. Kitty probably won't be around for much longer. After she passes, the library can clean up, make most of the library cat and dannder free, then maybe have one special reading room occupied by a cat for visitors who want to hang with kitty.

Win-win for both.