Tess
Pasadena, California

Tess is a wonderful, lovey kitty who lives in the House of Fiction in Pasadena. She was born probably in 1993. After his first shopcat of 14 years had passed away, the owner went to the SPCA to find a new one. Each week he went, he just couldn't seem to find the right cat. Finally, he tried a different SPCA, and Tess jumped right on him. She was about a year old then, and has been managing the shop ever since. One time, she crossed the busy street on which the store is located and got hit by a car. She was in the hospital 7 weeks with a broken pelvis. Eventually, they also had to remove her tail. This doesn't seem to bother Tess, though. She is back in good health now, even though she can't jump as high and she runs a little funny. She spends her days now greeting the customers, inspecting boxes of books, or sleeping in a chair. She was chosen as one of the best shopcats in Los Angeles for 1998 by the Los Angeles Weekly.