Willamina, Oregon – A library cat that is 14 years has been evicted after years of faithful duty at the Willamina Public Library. The city council voted 4-0 that only service animals would be allowed to enter public buildings. 
In short, the 14-year-old library cat was being evicted.
This wasn’t the first time Willamina, Oregon’s city council tried to evict the library cat. In 2005, the city council reached the same decision but town outrage and support for the library cat caused the city council to change their mind. This time however, the cat will just be given a retirement party which is probably a better decision considering the cat is already 14 years old. In human years, the library cat would be 98! Who wouldn’t want to retire by that age?
Apparently, the Oregon library cat aka Agatha Christie or Aggie for short was involved in a “scratching†incident on September 28. Even though Aggie was declawed years earlier, a child claims Aggie scratched her. The child’s grandparents took this complaint to city hall and then the cat got evicted.
Don’t feel too bad for ol’ Aggie though. Her new home will be with Cindy and Mike Lessick in a rural part of Willamina where there will no longer be strange adults or children trying to pet or bother her. Aggie’s retirement party is set for Saturday, November 20 at the Willamina Public Library. It will last for an hour and begin at 1 p.m.
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© Evalynn Saeyang – Gather Inc. 2010
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Comments: 10
Library cats bring people together, and they promote both the library and books.
I'm more concerned for library patrons with pet allergies, though, and also for that poor cat-- having to put up with strangers and strange children day in and day out, even at her age. A library probably isn't the best place for a cat.
But... if I had a private library... it would have plenty of cats.... and cozy chairs... so my friends and family could curl up with a good book and a purring ball of affection and love.
That's what I'm thinking, too. I'll admit, I'm not much of a cat person, but I think there are some good arguments for restricting animal access to public buildings. Including library cats.
My younger son's teacher brings her dog to school every Tuesday afternoon. No complaints so far, just a lot of very happy kids and a lot of shared experience and bonding. (The dog is a certified therapy pet that also visits nursing homes.)
(Also, how about people wearing enough perfume to trigger an asthma attack? Can we send them home to shower and change?)
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That sounds pretty cool, and I can see where restrictions on animals could interfere, but hopefully any Powers That Be can make distinctions between that kind of occasional thing and a resident animal. And also acknowledge the difference between the teacher doing it once a week, and every kid in class bringing their pet(s) to school every day.
"Also, how about people wearing enough perfume to trigger an asthma attack? Can we send them home to shower and change?"
A very tempting idea. This is an issue that we're dealing with (in a very minimal, and mostly inadequate way) at our library. We've got one woman who has severe sensitivities to perfumes and other chemical fragrances, and we're trying to help her, but so far we're just providing her with access to areas where she can work alone. But so far, we haven't moved towards a scent-free policy or anything like that.
I know some places have implemented such policies for employees, but they seem to be mostly or completely voluntary, and from what I've seen, most people aren't willing to raise the issue with an employee or co-worker who might be causing problems with their fragrances. My wife has had a number of occasions where she's had such difficulties with fragrances in the workplace that she's had to leave and come home.