Ngaio, the “original Raven cat and tiny wonder,” has died, according to the Raven Book Store.
Ngaio (pronounced NY-oh) retired from the store in November 2021 to thrive in a quiet life as the only pet in a bookseller’s home. She was 13 years old at the time and had spent a decade greeting and accompanying customers at the store.
Ngaio “has passed on after a long and happy life,” Raven staff members wrote in social media posts Monday.
“Before retiring from the store, her favorite thing was to trap people on the couch by refusing to get off their lap. We’re going to miss you, small one,” the post stated.
Dashiell, Ngaio’s brother, served the Raven from the time the two were adopted from the Lawrence Humane Society in spring 2011. Dashiell followed Ngaio into retirement in June. Their names pay tribute to the famous mystery writers Dashiell Hammett and Ngaio Marsh.
Raven co-owner Danny Caine said at the time of her retirement that Ngaio was known to be snuggly with shoppers, especially during colder months. Though some cats are known to become less friendly with age, he said, Ngaio became nicer and more curious about people and the world around her.
Ngaio had become a wanderer in the year leading up to her retirement, sometimes sneaking out of the store to explore and turning up at neighboring businesses. That was part of what ultimately made Ngaio’s retirement a good idea as it became less safe for her to wander around busier parts of downtown after the store moved to Massachusetts Street, Caine said, but it also made for some funny moments.
Ngaio’s retirement would consist of mostly tranquil activities — “Hopefully a lot of naps in the sun,” Caine said at the time, “and hopefully lots of peace and quiet.”
Loving tributes to Ngaio were pouring out on the Raven’s social media pages Monday evening. See the Facebook post at this link and Instagram post at this link.
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Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
