There's nothing quite like spending time in a neighborhood bookstore. Walk the aisles, often comfortingly creaky from the footsteps of so many curious wanderers who have come before you, and your eyes are drawn across thousands of titles, inviting you to enter countless worlds, lives, experiences. And it doesn't hurt if a cat is lounging about. When they aren't trashing the occasional pricey manuscript with their teeth and claws, cats - in all their blissful sloth - serve as wonderfully calming (if sometimes haughty) hosts: Have a seat, take it easy, get lost in a book. A bookstore cat is a shop's mascot and keeper, equally adept at charming customers and, when the lights go out, chasing away rodents. And so let us celebrate these furry souls - hopefully not an endangered species! - as more and more readers get their books delivered in shrink-wrapped packages from out-of-state corporate behemoths, or transmitted, in blips, to hand-held devices no cat would ever want to cuddle up to. The profiles below were submitted by Northern California bookstores.

Name of cat Ash Bookie Calvin Ginger Parit and Sabrina Sam and Trouble Bookstore Borderlands Books, San Francisco Crossroads Books, Watsonville Discount Books, Oroville Orinda Books, Orinda Pegasus Downtown, Berkeley The Other Change of Hobbit, Berkeley Years in store 2 13 12 3 3, 2 2 Favorite food Freeze-dried chicken / whatever you're eating Fancy Feast - but only if it has gravy Atta Cat Cat Food. He never liked moist food. Fancy Feast Greenies; Parit's food Anything Favorite place to sleep The storeroom couch or in a box of used books awaiting review Bed on children's sales counter Under a table, in front of the counter Everywhere, but especially in a large planter by the front door In a box, neck deep in packing paper; hidden away in back room Anywhere; will change from week to week, as they own the whole place Estimated length of time, per day, spent not sleeping About eight hours Usually awake from opening (10 a.m.) until about 1 p.m. Five hours Three hours - tops One to two hours We enforce nap time from 3-5 p.m., but they are up and about most of the rest of the day. Attitude toward customers Random and capricious (i.e. "You're interesting! Will you pet me? Can I eat you? Oh, look, dust!") Loves to be petted but not picked up. Extremely friendly and passive. His name is well known all over town. People go away for years, then come back asking about him. Demands attention. Indifferent; petting machines Sam: "Is that my shoulder to wrap around?" Trouble: "What-evah!" Most egregious offense Left tooth marks in the corners of an entire window display's worth of books! Catching mice outside and releasing them in the store. But that was in his younger days. He doesn't hunt anymore. He used to chew the corners of the most expensive hardcover books when he was a kitten. He is getting wiser. Climbed Christmas tree in storefront window and sent it crashing. Beating up a customer's dog; nothing - she's an angel. Sam jumping on customer's shoulders without warning or invitation. Memorable moment Ash is a hairless cat (a Sphynx). At an author event with best-seller China Miéville, she snuck up behind him, stood on his shoulder and snuggled her bald self against his shaved head! Luckily Mr. Miéville was a good sport and seemed to find it charming. He visited the sports store at the end of the building. Curled up on a 49er sweatshirt, went to sleep and got locked in for the evening. One time Calvin surprised a woman wearing a skirt when she was trying to reach the upper shelf for a book. Calvin went under her skirt. The woman did not know that we had a cat. She was so shocked and afraid to the degree that she started yelling frantically. Whenever one of our regular customers, who uses a walker, comes into the store, Ginger dashes to meet her at the front door, hops onto the shelf/seat and rides around the store until the customer is finished shopping. Once spent the day sleeping on the top shelf of fiction (about 8 feet up); every morning, when she looks out the front door waiting for breakfast. In the car during our move in April, Sam was cowering at the back of the cage while his sister was up and around wondering "Where are we going?" Once we had their cage in place at the new storefront, Trouble was out the door, sniffing boxes and old familiar shelves, while her brother slunk along behind her, waiting for her to OK each item and location. Most Popular These are the San Francisco restaurants that closed permanently in September 'Cross your fingers for us': Napa Valley wineries report property damages amid Glass Fire Cal Fires releases new perimeter map of Glass Fire California wildfire evacuees return home to find devastation Love N Haight Deli will shutter after 21 years As Kim wooed Trump with 'love letters,' he kept building his nuclear capability, intelligence shows Chef Todd Shoberg killed in head-on collision in West Marin