Spike the Cat
On Friday, independent bookstore Left Bank Books, located in the Central West End, announced that Spike, the shop's much-beloved bookstore cat, passed away. Spike, 13, had been diagnosed with cancer.
As a kitten, Spike was rescued from a Dumpster in an alley near Left Bank. The store had two cats before him, Captain Nemo (1980–1992) and Jamaica (1992–2005). In a release, Left Bank described Spike's "duties" as such: "On the busiest of days he could often be found greeting customers at the door, lounging underfoot in heavy traffic, or planted squarely on the only open spot on the front counter. He attended and occasionally disrupted author events. He never forgot a face. He was not fond of dogs and merely tolerated small children, two groups who were often his most enthusiastic fans."
If you'd like to remember Spike, you can make a donation to The Animal House, a no-kill cat rescue shelter, or post memories to Left Bank's social media accounts: Instagram at @spike_at_leftbankbooks, and on Facebook at facebook.com/leftbankbooks.stl. Store co-owner Jarek Steele also posted a sweet tribute here.
In 2017, St. Louis Magazine featured Spike in our annual pet guide. We revealed that his favorite books were The Little Grumpy Cat That Wouldn’t (a Little Golden Book), How to Talk to Your Cat About Gun Safety, and Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar. “The books I’m sitting on are the best ones," Spike told us.
Among other accolades including a calendar appearance and winning the 2012 Book Expo American Bookstore Cat of the Year, Spike was briefly mentioned in the Emily Giffin book Where We Belong.
