September 21, 2026

The Cat Bookstore

Jason Haring on Cupboard Maker Books, its resident cats, and more than 300 fosters who found homes between the shelves.

Every morning, Cupboard Maker Books opens up, and so does the kitten room. The cats rush out and explore the bookstore that’s packed with over 125,000 books. They greet visitors and sniff around for any chicken-flavored treats. Some chase each other through the aisles, while others find a comfortable spot on a perch or catwalk. And if you happen to roll in with a stroller, make sure to check underneath it before you leave. Odin and Kona love to crawl in there and fall asleep.

Cupboard Maker Books has been in Enola, Pennsylvania, since 1998, selling new and used books. The cats came a little later. What started as a simple way to deal with a mouse problem turned into a fun addition: now there are resident bookstore cats, foster cats looking for homes, and a community of people who travel from around the world to meet them. Since 2011, more than 315 foster cats have found homes through the bookstore.

We spoke with owner Jason Haring about the cats who have made Cupboard Maker Books their home, what an ordinary day looks like with cats roaming among 125,000 books, and how the place became what Jason simply calls “The Cat Bookstore.”

Editor's note: The conversation below has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

How the cats got here

We didn't have cats in our current location from 2003 - 2010, and used to catch mice like crazy. Take a 100-year-old building and over 100,000 books, and the mice just wanted to come visit. A rescue suggested we try fostering cats and kittens for them, and the rest is history. We have now adopted over 315 fosters out of Cupboard Maker Books since 2011.

” We have now adopted over 315 fosters out of Cupboard Maker Books since 2011.

Meet the bookstore cats

Creamsicle was our first bookstore cat. He was a greeter who was also called the shoulder cat. He absolutely loved crawling up on people's shoulders.

Squeekie was next. He was both a greeter and our kitten whisperer. He had a calming effect on every foster who came to stay at the bookstore.

Queen Annika is our store supervisor. She has always been in charge of the entire operation.

Mouse the Bookstore Cabin Cat. Mouse was born in the bookstore on April 29, 2020, during the shutdown. He and his siblings were the only kittens ever raised in the bookstore from the day they were born. Mouse decided to stay with us and his brothers and sister were adopted out. Mouse was our first adventurer. He would visit other businesses, parks and local attractions.

Zak was the cutest little baby boy who never did anything wrong in his entire life. We called him Count Zakula because his teefers were sticking out in the first picture we ever took of him.

The Mighty Odin came next. The beautiful fluffy little boy is definitely a greeter, an entertainer, a shopping assistant, and a bathroom attendant. People often find him at the sink in the bathroom waiting for someone to turn his water on.

The Dread Pirate Nash landed ashore after Odin. Our little pirate loves to steal treats from all of the other cats. When he's not up to mischief, you can find him up above lording over the bookstore on his catwalks.

Princess Buttercup arrived last year. She picked our store manager, Olivia, to be her mom. When she's not playing with the other cats, she's often curled up on Olivia's lap or on a blanket next to her.

Princess Kona arrived at the bookstore last spring. This sweet little girl can be found all around the bookstore. She's a greeter, a supervisor, a personal shopper, and also a professional cat napper.

Bizzy is our newest bookstore cat (as of last week). She's just a giant black kitten with a little white spot on her chest. She has made the bookstore her home since she got here last month. Bizzy loves all of the hoomans and all of the other cats as well. When spending time down below or exploring the bookstore, she's often up high running around or lounging on the catwalks.

An ordinary day at The Cat Bookstore

If you see our videos on our Cupboard Maker Cats Facebook page with Muppets music, you'll notice most of the bookstore cats running out of their kitten room and into the bookstore during the first hour of the day. We have people stand off to the side, and the cats all coming running out into the bookstore to say hi and see where we may have left any chicken-flavored Temptations for them.

Whenever someone comes in with a stroller, we ask them to check the bottom before they leave. Both Odin and Kona have a habit of crawling into the bottom and sometimes falling asleep. We just have to make sure they stay in the bookstore at all times. We're located next to a busy highway across from the Enola Train Yard.

We have put cat pictures and cat videos on our socials every morning for the past 15 years. While we're a wonderful new and used bookstore, the reason people come from around the country and around the world to visit us is because we're The Cat Bookstore.

Queen Annika is now 16 years old. Whenever anyone wants to find her, they just walk up to the counter and look behind us to the wall. We built a perch back there for her a few years ago. She spends most of the day sleeping on that perch.

Princess Kona, Dread Pirate Nash, The Mighty Odin, and Princess Buttercup all spend parts of their days chasing each other through the bookstore. Kona is 1, Buttercup is 2, Nash turns 3 this fall, and Odin will be 4 just before Christmas. They're all still young enough to run around and behave like big kittens.

Finding homes between the books

We foster cats for Loving Care Cat Rescue. When a cat or kitten arrives, we begin posting their pics and videos on our socials within an hour or two of their arrival. They normally stay inside one of our kitten habitats for a day or two until they get used to all of the smells, noises, cats, and people in the bookstore. Then, they get out and start making themselves at home.

We often encourage potential adopters to get pre-approved. That way, when they're smitten with the kitten, they can fall in love and take their new family member home sooner.

Bellatrix's Brood

Mouse the Bookstore Cabin Cat is part of Bellatrix's Brood. Bellatrix had Mouse, Lyra, Cinna, Severus and Sekani in the bookstore during the shutdown. We put their pics and videos on our socials every morning and every night while we were closed. Hundreds of fans commented that those twice-daily kitten pics and videos helped them get through the isolation that many experienced during the shutdown.

” Hundreds of fans commented that those twice-daily kitten pics and videos helped them get through the isolation that many experienced during the shutdown.

Two visitors from Sweden

Last spring, I asked our employees if they saw the lady who came from Sweden to get her pic taken with Queen Annika under the book arch. They asked me if I had seen the other lady who came from Sweden that day to have her picture taken with The Mighty Odin. Yes. We are an amazing new-and-used bookstore. But the reason people come from around the country and around the world to visit us is truly because we are The Cat Bookstore.

” We are an amazing new-and-used bookstore. But the reason people come from around the country and around the world to visit us is truly because we are The Cat Bookstore.

We want to thank Jason for taking the time to share Cupboard Maker's story with us. You can visit their website and follow them on Instagram and TikTok.

Animals with jobs

More stories