Every bookstore should have cats! Kona Stories adopted 2 cats from the humane society in Kailua-Kona in 2006. Their names were Barnes and Noble! When they moved to Keauhou Shopping Center in 2010 Barnes found a new home where he could go outside and hunt and Noble came to the new store. Along with Noble came Shadow, a feral cat who became part of the Kona Stories family at Mango Ct. in 2007.
Noble lived from 2006 - 2019
Shadow's story began like this:
One day Brenda was working on her computer on the shop's lanai and heard a strange little sound...the sound only new born baby kittens make. Shadow had given birth to 3 darling babies and since she is a smart mother she brought them to the bookstore for some TLC. Since Shadow was still very feral and frightened of Joy and me we had to be very careful that we didn't scare her away. We quarantined the lanai so no one could bother the new little family and after the appropriate 6 weeks the babies went to carefully selected homes. Shadow went off to the vet to be spayed and vaccinated. When she returned we weren't sure if she would choose to stay at the bookshop or return to her wild ways...but again Shadow is a smart cat and decided she was destined for a better life...one of fat leisure. She has been working on her waist line ever since.
Shadow passed away from respitory problems on July 2, 2016. To read more about her amazing life click here.
After Shadow’s death Noble mourned the most. She walked around crying for her lost sister. She would look for her in the courtyard and was very sad at night when we closed up the shop and went home. We were very hesitant to bring in a new kitty friend because Noble is also very territorial and doesn’t accept other animals that come into the store for a visit. But after weeks of pathetic behavior we started talking about a new kitty.
On a trip into Petco, Brenda spotted an adult female cat from the humane society’s adoption program there. She talked with the employee about her but really felt that a kitten would be a better choice. As the week went on she couldn’t get the kitty out of her head and suggested to Joy that they should go down together and take a look again. That was all it took, on August 6, 2016 Chloe came to her new home here at Kona Stories.
It took several days for us to find the right name for Chloe. She tried out Fionia and Orlando plus several others before Chloe stuck. She adapted right away to the plush lifestyle at the bookstore and loves all the attention from the customers during the day. She even tolerates the pestering from the children pretty well. Her paperwork says she is 4 years old but she is a kitten at heart and loves to play. She takes long naps on the wooden train set in the front of the store where she keeps a close eye on what is happening in the courtyard.
Noble and Chloe did not get along at first but they became buddies and Noble put to rest her mourning for Shadow.
Noble had very loyal fans who visited her regularly as well as tourists who would return to the bookstore just to see her. Brenda tells a story about a Japanese tourist who came into the shop to show her a photo of Noble that she had taken on her last trip to the Island and told her how she came back to check on the cat several years later. One other time after an expensive vet visit when owner went to pay the bill she was told that the vet bill was pre-paid by a loyal fan of Noble’s.
During her life Noble had other cat companions who she would scold and try to train. Noble would accept these other feline buddies only after they learned the rules and behaved as she determined. Her newest sister, Chloe, was especially hard to train and liked to use the out door potty to do her business. Noble would nip at her and chase her inside to use the litter box all the while scolding her. At night when it was time for the shop to close and the cats to be inside, Noble would pace and meow until Chloe would return home.
Not only did she micromanage her furry friends but she would sometimes follow co-owner Joy Vogelgesang to the rest room or walk with her to KTA. “She really did keep an eye on things around here, she didn’t miss a thing” says Joy.
She was very good natured and loved attention. Noble passed away peacefully in her favorite box on June 17, 2019 from old age and declining health. She was well cared for her whole life by Brenda and Joy and her vet Dr. Head.
Loki and Kinsey joins the Kona Stories family on September 17, 2019 and here are their stories:
After three months of sadness following Noble’s passing Brenda wondered into a KARES (Kohala Animal Relocation & Educations Service) adoption and spotted a darling litter of kittens. Joy had been out of town during Noble’s passing and was again off island but had left instructions to NOT get a new kitty until she returned. Thus two kittens came to the bookstore that day.
A naming contest seemed appropriate and over 100 suggestions were submitted. There were: Page and Turner, Simon and Schuster, Daryl and Daryl, Jack and Jill, Mauka and Makai, Lilo and Stitch and Kailua and Kona…..and on and on. After a month of deliberation two names began to stick. Trouble maker Brother was named Loki after the Norse mythology shape-shifter trickster while little sister the great detective was named Kinsey after the private investigator from the Sue Grafton “alphabet mysteries”. One year later they continue to live up to their names.
Like all bookstore cats these two are particularly spoiled and adored. People stop in all day just to say hello to the budding youngsters. Their cute photos soon consumed the bookstore’s Instagram account until it became necessary for them to have their own account so people could actually see book related posts.
Getting litter mates was a wonderful idea even with twice the work, hair and expense. You will find Loki and Kinsey together most of the day. They explore the outside courtyard together, eat, sleep and play together all day. The first few months they were impossible to tell apart but at one year now they look much different. Kinsey is short haired with rich undertones of brown while Loki sports long, fluffy hair and has the most impossible cute face. Both are very good natured and enjoy all the attention and love from the adoring customers. Mostly they are patient with children and indulge the pestering.
Kona Stories will always support our local nonprofit organizations who find good homes for all the fur-friends needing homes here on Hawaii Island. Donate to us or directly to AdvoCATS Hawaii or KARES Hawaii .
To see what all Kona Stories Cats - past, present and future are up to visit them at here.