Dewey Readmore Books: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Became a Worldwide Celebrity Pet

On a freezing morning in January 1988, the staff of Spencer Public Library in Spencer, Iowa, discovered an unexpected package in the after-hours book drop.

It was not a returned novel or a stack of overdue books. It was a tiny ginger-and-white kitten, cold, frightened, and almost frozen to death.

That kitten would become Dewey Readmore Books, one of the most famous library cats in the world.

For nearly 19 years, Dewey greeted visitors, comforted lonely readers, entertained children, and helped put Spencer on the map. His story became a bestselling book, a documentary subject, and one of the most heartwarming examples of how an animal can change an entire community.

A kitten in the book drop

The kitten was found on January 18, 1988. He was only about eight weeks old, and the winter night had been dangerously cold. Accounts of his rescue describe a kitten suffering from frostbite and exposure.

Librarian Vicki Myron was among the people who found him. She took care of the kitten and helped nurse him back to health. Although he had been abandoned in a painful and frightening way, he soon began showing the friendly, curious personality that would make him famous.

The library staff wanted to keep him, but adopting a cat for a public building required official approval. The library board of trustees and the city council agreed, and the kitten became a permanent member of the Spencer Public Library family.

Next came the naming contest.

The winning name was a perfect library pun: Dewey Readmore Books. “Dewey” referred to Melvil Dewey, creator of the Dewey Decimal Classification system, while the rest of the name captured the kitten’s new home among the shelves.

Dewey was neutered, vaccinated, and officially added to the library staff.

More than a mascot

Dewey arrived at a difficult time for Spencer.

Like many farming communities in the American Midwest, the town had been hit hard by the farm crisis of the 1980s. Farms and businesses were under pressure, families were worried about the future, and the community was trying to recover from a deep financial and emotional blow.

The library was an important gathering place, and Dewey quickly became part of its daily life. He gave people something cheerful to talk about. His presence offered a small moment of comfort during a period when many people needed one.

For Vicki Myron, Dewey was also a deeply personal companion. Myron had experienced serious hardship herself, including the loss of her family farm and the end of her marriage. Her relationship with Dewey grew alongside her work at the library, where she eventually became director.

Together, they became closely connected with Spencer’s story.

Dewey was not simply a cat who happened to live in a library. He was part of the town’s identity. Staff members donated their pop-can proceeds to help pay for his food, and library patrons and friends from places as far away as New York sent money for his care.

Dewey’s daily routine

Dewey had strong opinions about how a library should be run.

He had his own chair and ottoman, where he could relax while keeping an eye on the room. He loved warm, comfortable places and often positioned himself where people could see him. The front window became one of his favorite stages. From there, he could watch the world outside and attract the attention of people passing by.

He was also known as the cat in the window.

Every morning, Dewey was expected to greet visitors. His official job description included sitting near the front door at 9 a.m., reducing stress for humans, attending staff meetings, inspecting boxes, climbing into book bags, and generating publicity for the library.

In practice, his work was even more varied.

He greeted regular patrons, approached children, sat with people who seemed lonely, and curled up beside visitors who needed a quiet companion. He climbed into briefcases and boxes whenever he had the opportunity. He also liked to sit on paperwork, usually at exactly the moment a staff member needed it.

His personality was friendly but not completely obedient. Dewey could be affectionate, funny, stubborn, and very particular about food. The library’s account of his rules describes a cat who expected access to every box, every meeting, and every comfortable lap.

He also had a talent for publicity. Dewey appeared in photographs, postcards, newspaper stories, and magazine features. He became the subject of a weekly column and sent holiday greetings to library supporters and readers. In these updates, Vicki Myron helped share Dewey’s adventures in his own warm, mischievous public voice.

The result was a sense that Dewey belonged not only to the staff, but to everyone who visited the library.

From Spencer to the world

At first, people from nearby towns came to meet the famous library cat. Then visitors began arriving from much farther away.

People drove hundreds of miles across the United States to see Dewey in person. Some wanted a photograph. Some wanted to sit in his chair. Others simply wanted to experience the unusual sight of a cat confidently running part of a public library.

Dewey’s fame eventually crossed the ocean. He appeared in the documentary Puss in Books, which explored library cats, and he was featured in a Japanese television documentary in 2004. His story developed a following in Japan, and visitors travelled from there to Spencer to meet him.

That kind of attention was remarkable for a small-town cat. Yet it was also a sign of what made Dewey special. He was not famous because he performed tricks or belonged to a celebrity. He was famous because he made an ordinary place feel welcoming.

Among the amazing animal facts about Dewey is that his greatest talent was simply knowing how to be present. He seemed to understand when someone needed attention, a distraction, or a quiet moment beside a warm animal.

Dewey’s final years

Dewey lived at Spencer Public Library from 1988 until 2006.

In his later years, he developed health problems, including hyperthyroid disease and a stomach tumor. He became frail and eventually stopped eating. On November 29, 2006, shortly after his 19th birthday, Dewey was euthanized in Spencer. He died in Vicki Myron’s arms.

News of his death travelled quickly. His obituary appeared in more than 270 newspapers around the world, and Japanese television also reported his passing.

For the people of Spencer, however, Dewey’s death was not a distant news story. They had watched him grow from a half-frozen kitten into a beloved community figure. The library had lost one of its most familiar faces.

Dewey’s memorials remain connected to the place where his life unfolded. A bronze sculpture of Dewey is displayed at the Spencer Public Library near the entrance, where he once greeted patrons. His ashes were buried outside the library, and a granite marker remembers him as a world-famous library cat.

The library has also honored his memory through Dewey-themed celebrations, including the annual Dewey Days tradition. These events keep bringing readers, families, and animal lovers back to the story of the little cat who made a library feel like home.

The book that touched the world

Dewey’s story reached an even larger audience in 2008, when Vicki Myron and Bret Witter published Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World.

The book tells the story of Dewey, Myron, the library, and Spencer’s struggle to recover from the farm crisis. It became a #1 New York Times bestseller and was translated into languages around the world.

The book also helped introduce Dewey to a new generation of readers. His story was adapted into children’s books, including Dewey: There’s a Cat in the Library! and Dewey’s Christmas at the Library. His life and legacy have been explored through documentaries, television features, photographs, and library displays.

You can learn more through the Spencer Public Library’s official Dewey page, read his humorous library job description, or explore the Dewey sculpture gallery.

Why Dewey is still remembered

There are many famous animals in history whose stories involve bravery, loyalty, or remarkable survival. Dewey’s story is different. His gift was not saving people from danger or travelling across oceans. His gift was making people feel welcome.

He showed that a small animal can have a huge influence on a community. He gave children a reason to visit the library, gave adults a reason to smile, and gave a struggling town a symbol of comfort and hope.

Dewey also helped change the way people thought about celebrity pets. He was not a movie star or a social media sensation. He was a library cat who did his job one day at a time: greeting visitors, sleeping in his chair, watching through the window, and reminding people that kindness can be found in unexpected places.

Dewey Readmore Books may be gone, but the feeling he created in Spencer has lasted. His statue, books, documentaries, memorials, and annual celebrations all tell the same simple story: sometimes the smallest rescue can lead to the biggest friendship.