I don’t know about you, but when a business also has a shop pet, I am instantly more in love with their store. It’s likely even a driving factor behind my visit, especially if they have a shop cat. I also really love it when their shop pets have a strong social media presence! And many of Indianapolis’ famous furry faces also captivate their store’s social media following.
I’ve been sitting on the idea of this post for a little while and with the help of some wonderful people in local Facebook groups, I was able to find even more shop cats than I knew existed here in the Circle City and surrounding areas. There are several bookstore cats, cats who live in distilleries, cat cafes and more. I present to you, the many personalities of the Indianapolis Shop Cats <3
Smitten Kitten Cat Cafe
Smitten Kitten, Hamilton County’s first cat cafe opened in early 2023. Adoptable cats are from the Hamilton County Humane Society and like other cat cafes, you need a reservation to visit with the cats. You can walk in and see them all from a viewing area inside the cafe, so stop in and grab a drink and enjoy some feline fun from afar and help a great cause.
Freddie Purrcury – Hotel Tango, Fountain Square
Freddie Purrcury is one elusive gal! I stopped in three different times to the Hotel Tango location at Fletcher Place in Fountain Square and never could catch her. I guess she had important cat things to do the days I tried to visit her. Freddie has the run of the place at the distillery, was found in a parking lot and rescued by the staff.
Sammy – Valkyrie’s Vault, Brownsburg
Valkyrie’s Vault is a woman owned game store in Brownsburg, IN. The store has a couple shop cats – maybe three? When I visited, none of them had decided they wanted to come to the store that day, but one of the owners said they tend to come to the shop more during the week and I was there on a weekend.
Sammy appears in a lot of their merchandise and very frequently on their social media, even serving as the store mascot on their logo. The other cats, Chase and Charlie make some appearances on their social media too!
Mac – Watt’s Blooming, Mass Ave.
The OG cat on Mass Ave., Mac is a dapper gentleman who loves to greet visitors to Watt’s Blooming flower shop. He hopped right up on the counter top, wearing his cute little bow tie and wanted some pets immediately. Mac has a couple doggie friends who frequent the shop too.
Sweet Potato – Tomorrow Bookstore, Mass Ave.
One of Indy’s newest bookstores, Tomorrow Bookstore, recently adopted their shop cat Sweet Potato. She’s a spunk little gal with the prettiest markings – my picture doesn’t do her justice! She was in a very playful mood the day I visited and was not interested in posting for pictures. Check Tomorrow’s social media to see when she’ll be working 🙂
Richard – Tim & Company’s Another Fine Mess
Richard hangs out at the architectural salvage store Tim & Company’s Another Fine Mess on Indianapolis’ east side. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to spot him – the store is packed with mostly pre-1960s stuff from homes and there are lots of places for a cat to hide! But he decided to reveal himself to me, posed for a picture and got a couple head scratches before he scurried off in between some old doors.
Scrapper & Beans – Pen & Pink Vintage
Double the cat love! Pen and Pink Vintage is the most adorable bookstore and curiosity shop in the Garfield Park area. Scrapper (the orange guy) was super friendly and even allowed me to scratch his belly. Beans is newer to the shop and was a little shy at first, especially since I visited during the Indy Bookcrawl weekend and the shop was very busy. He warmed to me though!
Nine Lives Cat Cafe – Fountain Square
Indy’s very first cat cafe, Nine Lives, opened in Fountain Square in 2017 and has adoptable cats from ARPO (Alliance for Responsible Pet Owners). There are different types of reservations you can make to visit with the cats or enjoy watching from the cafe and pick up a beverage or cat inspired gift while you are there.
So there you have it! As many of the shop cats in Indy that I could find. Are there any more out there I should add? Fountain Square Brewery has a couple, but I don’t believe they live in a public area of the business. I’ve also heard that Trader’s Point Creamery has cats on their property as does Habig’s Gardening Center, but there are two locations and I don’t know which one might have a shop cat.
Let me know in the comments if there are more places I should visit to meet their cats. And before we end the blog post, I wanted to add that this post is dedicated in Memory of Violet from Irvington Vinyl and Books.
Violet was a 20-something plus long haired beauty who spent her days at Irvington Vinyl and Books in the Irvington area. She was the inspiration behind writing this post, but unfortunately passed away before I was able to complete it. She was loved by the community and was absolutely adorable. Her gorgeous green eyes welcomed you into the bookstore and is so very missed by everyone who regularly visited the shop.
