When one pictures a cat, common visions include a lounging Ragdoll fluffed out in a sunbeam or a black shorthair sunken into a couch cushion. In other words, y’all think cats are lazy. Yet here in Austin, we’re plum full of felines who punch the clock every day at all sorts of shops around town. These are no kitty-come-latelys; here gathered through extensive research are exemplary feline employees, many of whom never even leave their workplace. While their jobs weren’t found on LinkedIn – and some might even describe them as purr-sonality hires – these meow-ffice workers provide customer service even the surliest consumer couldn’t hiss at. Well, as long as their managers pay a fair wage in treats, pets, and soft beds. No one should work for nothing, after all.
The Lit-purr-ary Laborers
Names: Salem, Stormy, and Washer
Aliases: Janet or Parkour for Salem; Story for Stormy; Washer’s just Washer
Ages: Baby Salem’s around 5 months, Stormy’s 2 years old, and eldest Washer is 5
Employer: Reverie Books
Despite being textbook nepo-baby hires – Washer was already owner Thais Perkins’ housecat, and Stormy and Salem belonged to her kiddos – these three feline family members earn their keep. Well, two of them do; little Salem is still too young for hard labor. As a baby, Salem was bought off Instagram and then gifted by Perkins’ younger son to his older sister, all without his mom’s knowledge. Long story short, “There comes a point in every human-child parent’s life where you realize you have no control,” says Perkins. The wee Salem spent much of his early employment in a sling around Perkins’ neck snoozing on the job. Now, as a “raging adolescent,” Perkins doesn’t call Salem into work often as “he does knock everything over.”
The elder two siblings do frequently get drafted for shop cat duty, however, with their differing approaches to the title’s responsibilities indicative of their purr-sonalities. For middle child Stormy, work starts with a snack and “mouse game,” as Perkins puts it, where she hurls a toy mouse around the store for Stormy to chase. After this thrilling start, Stormy’s shift as resident romantasy section guard begins, where she snoozes on the shelf before moving to her lofted sky-bed above the register. On the other hand, eldest bro Washer starts his work day on patrol, running all over Reverie’s square footage to “make sure everything is as it should be,” Perkins says. He then parks himself on the register counter for the rest of the day, where the owner says he behaves as “a mob boss just checking everyone out.”
Having cats in a bookstore has been romanticized many times over, and Perkins says it definitely brings customers in. But Stormy especially has gotten attention from publishers, whose customer representatives will mail cat-centric lit to her by name. “We’ll get a letter in the mail and everything,” Perkins says. “And the appeal is definitely directly to the cat to choose this book to have available.” Don’t have a published feline-folio to offer as tribute? Perkins says the kitties are very partial to “the little gravy thing,” aka cat Go-Gurts like Churus, which they don’t often get at home.
The Thrifty Kitty
Name: Bug
Alias: Buggie, Buglas, Buggie Bugs, and Bugsy McGee if she’s being feisty
Age: 3
Employer: Austin Pets Alive! Thrift at 51st and Airport
When a young, pregnant Bug was left in a pet carrier on Austin Pets Alive! Thrift’s doorstep, store manager Libby Swanner spied her potential. Bug, along with her babies, became official APA! pets and relocated to the thrift on Burnet Road. Yet as time went on and Bug’s litter left to find their own homes, the empty nester settled back in at her “store-of-entry, where she seemed happiest with all the square footage and friendly visitors a cat could ever want,” says Swanner.
As the 51st location’s top cat correspondent, Bug’s daily duties include testing out all incoming toy donations, keeping the workplace energy up through morning zoomies, and napping on the store’s fine china display table. This writer has also observed Bug taking a deserved siesta beneath clothing racks, on the couch between customer dressing rooms, and in for-sale cat beds – testing out the merchandise as any dedicated employee should.
Her temperament recalls her earlier maternal life, with a patience that can be tried if one doesn’t do what she asks. “[She’s] known to chase customers around with a plaintive meow” in search of pets, Swanner remarks, adding that her love for everyone does not extend to the store’s canine customers. To many, though, this thrifty kitty is the main reason they come around, including former Austinites who make APA! Thrift on 51st a must-see for Bug alone. “Bug is our sweetest, happiest reminder that animal welfare is crucial to our Austin community,” Swanner says, “and that there are so many perfect pets waiting to be fostered and adopted at this very moment!”
The Pedal Purr-fessional
Name: Mixte
Alias: Kitty girl, Sweetheart
Age: 6 years old this summer
Employer: Eastside Pedal Pushers
Any biker worth their wheels has spotted sweet Mixte on the Eastside Pedal Pushers counter – at least if they’ve arrived at the cycle repair shop between 2019 and now. That was when owner Lee Gresham recalls discovering her as a kitten among five other young strays. While most went their own way, Mixte remained alongside a brother who later parted from us due to a car accident.
Even if Gresham says she’s not much for being a biker cat – “I just didn’t train her to sit in a basket on a bike” – Mixte still puts in valuable work around the shop by hunting lizards and grasshoppers in the grass area between Pedal Pushers, OMG Squee, and the grocery. Her daily tasks are pretty lean otherwise, but this cat is no mooch. Gresham describes his youngest employee as “pretty individualistic … tolerant of humans, for sure, very photogenic, but not terribly dependent on humans for cuddles.” As independent as Mixte is, she still knows when to expect breakfast and dinner, which Gresham serves her whether the shop’s open or not.
“I’m her human for sure,” he says, “but I let her come and go.”
Yet Mixte is an integral part of the Pedal Pushers staff, holding a special place in her co-workers’ hearts as well as the title of store mascot. Gresham describes her as a “general friendly fuzzy-faced presence” that customers from throughout the little stretch of Bolm Road come to see. “Many people know her from just being in our little patio yard,” he adds. “Lots of customers from our neighbors [at OMG Squee] come to look for her. Even some of the folks who live in the neighborhood kind of view our little side yard as a cut-through to get to the convenience store, which is next door, and they’re always asking about Mixte.”
Customers hoping to get on Miss Independent’s good side are advised by Gresham that she will accept treats – though maybe skip getting her a taiyaki sundae from OMG as she’s not a big ice cream fan. Word to the wise: Chicken is more Mixte-coded. Gresham also says Mixte merch is in the works, so fans of this on-the-go feline can wear her visage sock-style.
The Mew-sic Aficionado
Name: Louis
Alias: Lou, Big Boi, Chonky, and Handsome
Age: 10, now considered by his vet to be “officially a senior citizen”
Employer: Wild About Music
Named for his scratchy meow reminiscent of namesake Louis Armstrong, the black-and-white Austin Pets Alive! adoptee is the third cat to make Wild About Music his home. Before Louis was Jeffery, who departed our realm in 2019, and before Jeffery was Quincy, who left us in 2014. WAM CEO Teghan Hahn, also head of Toy Joy and Austin Rocks, describes her furry employee as “aloof and unbothered” – he rarely gives a second thought to dogs inside his store.
“But once you start giving chin scratches and belly rubs,” Hahn says, “his loud purr steals your heart. He is an expert lounger and loves to find a good cuddly spot and stay there for quite some time.”
Work for Louis starts early. He races his opening shift co-workers to the kitchen, where he yaps their ears off until he gets his morning meal. As any smart employee does, this kitty shits on company time before doing his inspections on Wild About Music’s plethora of shirts, pillows, and stuffed animals, then takes a lunchtime lounge by the register. “If he’s feeling super helpful,” Hahn adds, “he will lay right on top of the credit card reader or computer mouse.” What a proactive scamp! Once closing time comes, Louis has dinner, a few parting cuddles – Hahn says Louis likes to “maybe even get held like a baby and lick your face” – before he hunkers down for his night shift as guard cat.
“Louis, and all of our shop cats, [has] become a beacon of joy for our business,” says the store CEO. Since WAM sits on South Congress in an area this writer personally calls “Tourist Town,” many shoppers are far from their usual stomping grounds – which makes seeing Louis a real treat. “The amount of people who nearly come to tears because they’re traveling and miss their kitties and are so happy to give and receive a little love is immeasurable,” Hahn says. “We have people return just to say hi.” Yet his true power is in being a team player: a kitty his co-workers can cuddle with, pet, and even sneak a little table scrap or two during the holidays.
“The service industry is very stressful,” Hahn says, “and to have someone ready to hug and show affection really calms the nervous system. We are so grateful to all of our kitties.”
The Playhouse Pusses
Names: Elmir and Smokey
AliasES: Tartuffe, Tuffy, or Elly for Elmir; Queen, Chunkster, and Chunky for Smokey
Ages: Elmir is about 10 and Smokey is about 8
Employer: The VORTEX Theatre and Butterfly Bar
“Wait!” You might be saying. “Aren’t there three cats who rule the theatrical roost of the VORTEX on Manor?” Alas, dear Reader, it is my sad duty to report the loss of Radius, the 17-years-young gray kitty king. His loss, as the VORTEX’s Melissa Vogt describes, “was a very hard time,” but his life was celebrated this month at their yearly Garden Party. In his memory, the two black cat beauties Smokey and Elmir continue to keep business running smoothly.
Each stray cat who comes under the VORTEX’s purview earns their title from whatever production’s treading the boards at the time, with Elmir holding the distinction of having two names from the same play. “She came during [our summer youth theatre program] when we were doing Tartuffe, and initially we didn’t know if she was a boy or girl,” Vogt recalls, “so they called her Tartuffe or Tuffy for short. But then we discovered, oh, it’s a lady cat. So we changed her name to Elmir, which is another character in Tartuffe.” Despite her title as a lady, Elmir leans more toward her feral roots – something many fellow purr-sonality hires can relate to. “Elm is definitely the wild child,” Vogt says. “She likes to sneak into the theatre and sleep in the theatre seats.” While there is a dedicated spot for her on the Butterfly Bar counter just beneath the cocktail specials menu, you won’t often see Elmir in it. Instead, Vogt says, her work schedule has Elmir wandering outside before returning by nightfall.
“She perches on the railing,” Vogt explains, “and when she’s up there, that’s kind of like when she’s accepting pets.”
On the other hand, Smokey’s routine is more managerial in nature. Her duties are “to be the queen bee, to rule over everything, and get affection and accolades from her people, which is everyone,” says Vogt. Little intimidates this cat, who is known to sprawl out on any table right next to folks enjoying their Patrizi’s pasta dinner in her customary spot at the center of everything. Due to her formidable stature, Smokey also keeps all incoming canines in line. “She lets them know who’s boss,” the Vortex managing director says. “Considering that she is the size of a small dog, she does it pretty well.”
In the wake of Radius’ recent passing, Vogt speculates on a new feline in the VORTEX’s future. “I look forward to seeing what new family member comes and finds us,” she says. “Because, you know, [with] the cat distribution system, there cannot be an empty space.”
The Purr-sery Protector
Name: Chicago
Alias: Bubba, Shy, or Bubs
Age: 19 or 20
Employer: Shoal Creek Nursery
An elderly member of the fur-kforce – look, not every cat pun is going to be a winner – Chicago only recently has come into his own following the passing of his former shop cat cohort Doyle. “I used to call her garg-Doyle,” says Shoal Creek Nursery’s Zahia Tawil, “because she was kind of a gargoyle.” Her toughness got her into an ill-advised scrap with a dog, the injuries of which led to her untimely demise. Since then, Chicago has become the singular green paw of the nursery, roaming away from his usual domain of the annuals section to the perennials, the soil, and the registers, where folks can pet him. But the annuals remain a favorite since they, as Tawil astutely points out, are where the fresh catnip is.
“He’s not a ratter,” she says, “but you can see he’s the king of the nursery.”
While the staff aren’t sure of his exact history before Shoal Creek – they suspect he’s a former pet given that he’s housebroken – his name’s got a clear origin point. “One of the previous employees named him Chicago because of his white paws,” Tawil recalls, “so it’s like the White Sox.” How sporty! Fitting for an active older gentleman, who has plenty to do around the nursery. His titles, as Tawil puts them, are “official catnip tester, customer relations expert, and head of security.” That security bit kicks in after hours, when Chicago stays at Shoal Creek overnight to keep out the riff-raff.
Tawil describes Chicago’s vibe as nonchalant with adults but very sweet with the kiddos, who love his crunchy meow and snaggletooth. “You can tell he knows that they’re kids,” she says. “He’ll close his eyes and let them pet him, very docile.” His easygoing nature invites many families to visit the nursery together, where parents feel comfortable introducing their younger members to this “cute little cat,” Tawil adds. “Even many adults and many of the older folks that shop here love Chicago and will bring him treats, food, or Christmas presents,” she says.
“I feel like he’s like a community staple.”
This article appears in March 28 • 2025.
