If you ever wanted to adopt a cute little kitty-cat, your first thought would probably be to go to an animal shelter. However, have you thought of going to… a bookstore?
Otis & Clementine’s Books and Coffee is a bookstore just outside of Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada, that took an innovative approach to convince people to rescue kittens. When you come in to browse for a good read or have a cup of Joe, you’ll spot something unusual. Unusually adorable, that is.
Kittens! And lots of them! Playing around and napping among the books. And probably reading Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat when no one’s looking. The best part is, you can adopt any of the cats in the bookstore and give them the forever home they deserve. Cats, coffee, and books. Can it get any better than that?
Welcome to Otis & Clementine’s Books and Cofee where you can play with kittens and even adopt them!
The bookstore owner Ellen Helmke told Narcity that there are several kittens and “usually a mama cat as well” in the shop at any time. But the bookstore kittens aren’t just passersby taken in from the cold. They’re provided by the South Paw Conservation Nova Scotia rescue group.
The kittens are provided by the South Paw Conservation Nova Scotia rescue group
If you happen to be in Upper Tantallon and visit Otis & Clementine’s and see a feline friend whom you absolutely adore, then you’d better act fast. “All the kittens are in and out fairly quickly, as they are adopted,” Helmke explained.
However, adopting these cattos isn’t as easy as picking them up and going out the door. South Paw Conservation manages everything and it costs 255 Canadian dollars (or 194 US dollars) to adopt a kitten. The adoption fee covers everything, including any medical expenses. What’s more, future pet owners also need to provide references before bringing their gamboling tabby home.
Over 30 cats have been adopted from the bookstore so far
Helmke started the kitten adoption program last year when she realized that there’s plenty of space in her shop for cute cattos. So far, over 30 cats from the bookstore were adopted. And we’re sure that this number will rise.
“People come here specifically to see the cats, and then some people just wander in to look at books and discover there are kittens,” she told Global News. “Either way, the response has been really great—I mean, who doesn’t love kittens, right?”
She added: “We have a hundred percent adoption rate, which is fantastic.”
“I’m so happy to make my customers happy when they come in and they’re just thrilled to see a kitten they weren’t expecting… It’s amazing and makes me happy to come to work.”
The book shop has a 100% adoption rate!
We reached out to South Paw Conservation Nova Scotia to hear about their friendship with the bookstore, as well as to learn more about what they do. This month alone, the rescue group rescued 3 kittens, 4 cats, 6 puppies and 2 dogs.
“Otis & Clementine’s Books and Coffee is one of many loving foster homes that provide an enriching environment for our kittens and cats. It’s amazing to have this unique platform to help home our kitties,” a representative of South Paw Conservation told us.
“South Paw Conservation rescued 30 puppies in 2019 from the Bahamas and Antigua and well over 50 kittens and cats locally. Really hoping the platform of attention we receive from Otis & Clementine’s will help us to find loving homes, provide proper medical care, food and litter through donations and spay/neuter even more kitties within the province in 2020.”
According to the rescue group’s rep, all of their cats and kittens are “vet checked, vaccinated, feline leukemia tested, treated with revolution, and dewormed within the first few days of arrival or when healthy/old enough.”
“We have a spay and neuter program set up with local vets (Hammonds Plains Veterinary Hospital/Tantallon Veterinary Hospital) to keep the cost down for the potential family. Homing kittens or cats is not first come first serve. We try to home our babies with the best possible fit. Some require a more quiet space free from other animals, but still maybe enjoy the snuggles at night and some are more playful and outgoing.”
They continued: “Some of our kittens require to be bottle-fed or even just be in a space where they can be monitored 24 hours a day. We have an amazing foster network that helps us to meet all their needs. All of this is made possible through donations and adoption fees.”
The people working with South Paw Conservation help animals and people outside of Nova Scotia as well.
“We just did a conservation trip to Antigua earlier this month. We took 5 people. We spent time in a psychiatric hospital doing crafts with residents, worked in a soup kitchen, rescued 7 puppies and dogs which we will provide shelter and medical care for until they are able to return to Canada with us. We took 5 bags of humanitarian supplies and brought 3 puppies home with us.”
“We are headed back to Antigua on March 4th to bring home 6 of the puppies we rescued and one 10-month-old we have had in foster since August. We are fundraising like crazy to pay all the medical and travel costs.
