The story of Smoky, the library cat, begins at the Student Services Building (Redwood Campus), where Kathryn Brooks fed and cared for the kitten that showed up in 1993 one day when it was raining. They gave him a box to sleep in and fed him, but about eight months later, someone's allergies acted up and Smokey could no longer stay. Staff noticed that Smokey often visited the library next door during their later open hours. They asked if they might want Smokey as their library cat.
Bonnie Duarte (below), the desk clerk, became the go-to cat "Mom," feeding him in the mornings, cleaning his litter box, and letting him out at night. On the circulation desk, there was a donation jar for Smokey's kibbles. Also, a local veterinarian gave him free health services.
From left to right, Katie Morgan (acquisitions), Marian McCollum (circulation coordinator), Mary Pierce (head reference librarian), Smokey, and Bonnie Duarte (front desk clerk and cat mom).
Smokey, a Russian blue, became very popular with the students who, upon entering the library, always veered over to the chair he was sleeping on to pet him. He would wake up to welcome them before immediately going back to sleep . (If it was your favorite spot to sit, too bad!) In 2006, when Bonnie retired, Xandria Fowler took over Bonnie's job as well as the cat mom role. Smokey discovered that Xandria's sweater was the perfect substrate for his day-long naps. When he wanted out on a sunny day, he sat in front of the door and stared at it until a staff member or a student opened it for him.
Xandria Fowler with Smokey.
"I've had more compliments about Smokey than almost anything that's been added to the library, except maybe the internet," said Fran Cardoza, Library Director at the time. Fran was thus vindicated for persistently arguing, at the beginning, for Smokey's right to be a library cat as so many of his kin all over the country have been. (Smokey took on Fran's last name because she was the one responsible for vet visits.)
Over the years, Smokey was featured in articles, including RCC and Byline newsletters and even in Cat Fancy magazine (February 2010, pg 20).
In 2013, living with Bonnie in retirement, Smokey passed away, a twenty-year old cat with a good, happy life.