Dewey the library cat is back on the shelves

SPENCER, Iowa — Driving into this county seat of 11,000 people, the first thing a visitor sees is the white water tower that dominates the landscape. The town's name is up there. So are two huge paws.

The tiger paws are for the mascot of Spencer High School's athletic teams. They could also be for a cat named Dewey, a local legend.

Abandoned as a kitten in the Spencer Public Library's book-return box one January night in 1988, Dewey was adopted by librarians and named by the town in a write-in contest. He lived happily ever after at the library, sleeping in the stacks (he liked Westerns), riding the book cart, leaping from fluorescent light fixtures and sitting on patrons' laps.

His remains are now buried to the right of the library's front door, marked with a plaque that reads "In Loving Memory of Dewey Readmore Books: World Famous Library Cat." When he died in 2006, his obituary appeared in hundreds of newspapers.

 

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