Nietzsche worked in a bookstore for almost 13 years!

Nietzsche was the long-haired ginger cat who “worked” at The Book Man in downtown Chilliwack.

He welcomed people into The Book Man for more than 12 years!

“He was always so patient and generous of spirit with others… friendly, curious. A very interactive cat who could handle the pressures of the job.” said Amber, co-owner of The Book Man.

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Nietzsche was found roaming the streets and rescued in 2005. Over the course of nine months, he was in and out of the local animal shelter three times.

He was adopted by an elderly woman and lived with her for three years but then she became ill and had to give him up, so Nietzsche became an orphan again and went back to the shelter again.

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That same year, he was introduced to the folks at The Book Man bookstore where Nietzsche finally found his forever home – the entire place was his!

As customers searched for books in the aisles, Nietzsche could be seen sashaying about the store. The rows of books were his catwalk. The burgundy-coloured armchair was his bed.

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Nietzsche became quite popular after becoming the official bookstore cat.

He was a true community cat. For people who couldn’t own a cat, Nietzsche was theirs. For those who recently lost their own cat, Nietzsche was there for them.

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“He belonged to everybody and he knew that,” Amber said. Nietzsche could “bring anyone to their knees” to get affection from them”, she added

But Nietzsche’s health started deteriorating and it was time for him to go. There were a lot of tears at The Book Man as everyone said their goodbyes to the “elderly gentleman”.

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He was about 18 years old when he crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

Over his almost 13 years at The Book Man, Nietzsche helped raised more than $25,000 for shelter cats through calendar fundraisers, merchandise sales and donations; he changed thousands of cats’ lives with those funds.

Images by Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress