RIP Fup. Store Cat.

October 30, 2007 9:01 AM

RIP Fup. Store cat. The longtime Powell’s Bookstore resident died peacefully surrounded by her co-workers on October 25th. She was 19. Photo album. Those not familiar with Fup can catch up with more than 150 newsletter entries.
posted by peep (50 comments total)

Aw, Fup. You will be missed.
posted by Caduceus at 9:06 AM on October 30, 2007

>.<

(those are whiskers)

Powell's Technical Books, just down the road from the totally awesome main Powells store, is in itself pretty damn awesome.
posted by Artw at 9:10 AM on October 30, 2007

Feline bibliophiles are the best. Looks like Fup lived well and bit even better.

On a closely-related note, let's not forget about the wonderful and sneezy world of library cats.
posted by dakotadusk at 9:13 AM on October 30, 2007 [1 favorite]

IIRC Powells was the first online bookstore as well, making their first sale in 1994 (a year before Amazon) and cementing the link between cats, books and the internet.
posted by Artw at 9:15 AM on October 30, 2007

.


I had a chance to meet fup on a few occasions while I was in Portland. I was never bit.

Every bookstore should have a cat. It adds some literary street cred.
posted by mrzarquon at 9:19 AM on October 30, 2007

Every building should have a cat. It adds some awesome.
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 9:28 AM on October 30, 2007 [10 favorites]

I have rare occasions to go to Powell's Technical Books, but when I worked a couple of blocks away, I made a point of visiting Fup on my lunch break at least once a month. A charming fellow if there ever was one.

.
posted by joseph_elmhurst at 9:29 AM on October 30, 2007

.

Fup never bit me, either. A solid cat, with an excellent name, was Fup.
posted by mumkin at 9:34 AM on October 30, 2007

Never heard of the fellow, but the loss of any cat, much less a book store cat, is always a tragedy.

.
posted by brundlefly at 9:37 AM on October 30, 2007

Aw. Kitty. Awww.

.
posted by tepidmonkey at 9:39 AM on October 30, 2007

I worked at Powell's Tech for two years in my early twenties. Fup was an aloof snob of a cat, but with occasional bursts of affection that were rare and brief like sunshowers.

My favorite Fup story is the Sunday afternoon Joe Pince brought his ferret in and it and Fup stalked each other through the store. On several occasions some helpful staff member "aided" Fup in getting up atop the shelves, where she could wander around and look down on everyone literally instead of just figuratively...

Anyway. RIP Fup.
posted by hob at 9:50 AM on October 30, 2007 [3 favorites]

While my sympathies go out to Fup and her extended family, duty constrains me to point out that these individuals inhabit one of those Portland "Powells" that, large as they may grow, will never be quite enormous enough to become the real thing.
posted by washburn at 9:52 AM on October 30, 2007

.
posted by Skorgu at 9:54 AM on October 30, 2007

For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry.
For he is the servant of the Living God duly and daily serving him.
For at the first glance of the glory of God in the East he worships in his
way.
For this is done by wreathing his body seven times round with elegant
quickness.
For then he leaps up to catch the musk, which is the blessing of God upon
his prayer.
For he rolls upon prank to work it in.
For having done duty and received blessing he begins to consider himself.
For this he performs in ten degrees.
For first he looks upon his forepaws to see if they are clean.
For secondly he kicks up behind to clear away there.
For thirdly he works it upon stretch with the forepaws extended.
For fourthly he sharpens his paws by wood.
For fifthly he washes himself.
For sixthly he rolls upon wash.
For seventhly he fleas himself, that he may not be interrupted upon the
beat.
For eighthly he rubs himself against a post.
For ninthly he looks up for his instructions.
For tenthly he goes in quest of food.
For having consider'd God and himself he will consider his neighbour.
For if he meets another cat he will kiss her in kindness.
[etc..]
- Christopher Smart, 1760 (written while in an insane asylum)

posted by nasreddin at 10:01 AM on October 30, 2007 [12 favorites]

A store that sells books is nothing but a store that sells books. When a cat moves in, only then does it become a bookstore.

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posted by Faint of Butt at 10:03 AM on October 30, 2007 [3 favorites]

Crud. I always read Fup's little story at the bottom of the Powell's newsletter before anything else. RIP.
posted by tommasz at 10:33 AM on October 30, 2007

hob, thanks for posting that. I saw her several times - I went to the technical bookstore every year or so to buy my brother his birthday or Christmas present. I'm a cat person from way back, and cats love me! But I could never get within 20 feet of Fup. Aloof indeed.
posted by peep at 10:34 AM on October 30, 2007

[this is sad]
posted by everichon at 10:36 AM on October 30, 2007

nasreddin - awesome crazy cat person poem.
posted by Artw at 10:36 AM on October 30, 2007

.

I've never done this in a thread before, but I love bookstore cats and I always liked fup. Aloof, but hey, its a technical bookstore.
posted by afflatus at 10:43 AM on October 30, 2007

And here I thought that all cats were anti-literacy, because my two seem to like to prevent reading at all costs.
posted by desjardins at 10:43 AM on October 30, 2007

.

I'll miss you Fup, god speed
posted by Dr. Twist at 10:51 AM on October 30, 2007

And here I thought that all cats were anti-literacy, because my two seem to like to prevent reading at all costs.

Most likely they have terrible spelling and grammar as well.
posted by Artw at 10:57 AM on October 30, 2007

No cheeseburger for you.

RIP.

.
posted by mazola at 11:08 AM on October 30, 2007

Ahh, Fup. This makes me almost as sad as when Cayenne had to be put down at the Love Garden in Lawrence.
posted by sleepy pete at 11:09 AM on October 30, 2007

Curious. I've never really thought about this before, but it's actually pretty common to see cats in bookstores, isn't it?

While this is awesome, I wonder if it serves a specific purpose? I know that there is a bird-store in my area that has three cats. I thought this was a bit ironic (they don't sell birds, just supplies) and the owner explained that the cats keep mice out of the bird seed.

I wonder if this is their purpose in book stores as well, to keep paper chewing pests at bay.
posted by quin at 11:11 AM on October 30, 2007

quin, I thought it was just that smart people like cats.
posted by desjardins at 11:23 AM on October 30, 2007

And here I thought that all cats were anti-literacy, because my two seem to like to prevent reading at all costs.

My theory is that cats some how see sitting on paper as better than sitting on anything else. If any of my cats have a choice between laying on a piece of paper on the couch, or just laying on the couch, they'll always choose the paper.

quin, which bird-store?

As for bookstores having cats, I really wish ours did.
posted by drezdn at 11:35 AM on October 30, 2007

Went to Powell's once, never knew about Fup. Regret not having known about her. Looks (and from the description of her personality sounds) like she was a Maine coon, which is what my cat Joseph is.
posted by blucevalo at 11:38 AM on October 30, 2007

Aw. That cat was only two months younger than me. Is there such a thing as "cat years," and if so, how old was Fup in said years?
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 11:42 AM on October 30, 2007

.

A cat bonds with a house, and becomes its visible soul. Probably true of bookstores.

IIRC Powells was the first online bookstore as well, making their first sale in 1994 (a year before Amazon) and cementing the link between cats, books and the internet.

I read their note regarding their anniversery as an online bookseller. Somehow, their inventory list was on an open FTP server. Someone found it, looked for an item he was looking for, and ordered the book. This was 1993--the web had barely left Tim's NeXT server.

Aw. That cat was only two months younger than me. Is there such a thing as "cat years," and if so, how old was Fup in said years?

I believe that makes her almost 100, in human years. Certainly in her nineties. Kinda depressing--my older cat is around 15.
posted by MrGuilt at 11:52 AM on October 30, 2007

drezdn: Wild Birds Unlimited.
posted by quin at 12:01 PM on October 30, 2007

I got to meet her a few times, and she was a very nice ol' cat.

.
posted by Casuistry at 12:09 PM on October 30, 2007

I was petting this cat once. She seemed to enjoy it. Then I made the mistake of getting close - eye level - to give her a little kiss, as I kiss my cat. I was promptly bitten right on the nose.

I gave her space after that.
posted by luriete at 12:23 PM on October 30, 2007 [2 favorites]

They made a t-shirt every year to celebrate Fup's birthday. If you wear one, you have to spend a lot of time explaining that the giant FUP on your back is not something dirty, but is just a cool store cat. Then you get to explain what a store cat is.

RIP, Fup. I hope you had a good time here.
posted by stefanie at 12:30 PM on October 30, 2007

And here I thought that all cats were anti-literacy, because my two seem to like to prevent reading at all costs.

Well just because they don't want you to read the books, doesn't mean they're against books -- they seem to enjoy sitting on them.

It sounds like Fup lived long and well. We could all aspire to that.

.
posted by Kadin2048 at 1:00 PM on October 30, 2007

Marina Czapszys says:
October 29th, 2007 at 6:04 pm

Haiku for Fup:

Quintessential cat
You guarded all the tech books,
And our hearts, from rats.

I'm not even a cat person, and that one made me smile.
posted by supercres at 1:17 PM on October 30, 2007

Powell's Tech Books is one of the greatest stores I've ever been in.

.
posted by jquinby at 1:20 PM on October 30, 2007

Cat years...

My vet gave me a simple formula he uses. 21 for the first year, 4 for each additional year. That would make Fup 89. My oldest made it to 17 (85)

Fup.. May your heaven be full of mice and cat-nip...
posted by jgaiser at 1:36 PM on October 30, 2007 [1 favorite]

Doh.. Missed a year. Fup was 93..
posted by jgaiser at 1:38 PM on October 30, 2007

"Over the years Fup acquired a well-earned reputation for biting employees who intruded on her time for more than about 30 seconds"

*blink*

I am supposed to offer up a dot for a cat that bites patrons at a bookstore you have got to be kidding me no way this cat gets no punctuation from me
posted by ZachsMind at 2:02 PM on October 30, 2007

ok not patrons employees still same thing ouch dang
posted by ZachsMind at 2:07 PM on October 30, 2007

Aww kitty.

.
posted by divabat at 4:04 PM on October 30, 2007

Fup via flickr. Fup's business card. Rest in peace.
posted by eccnineten at 4:06 PM on October 30, 2007 [1 favorite]

>.<
posted by Joey Michaels at 4:20 PM on October 30, 2007

>.<

Sounds like Fup lived a long and happy life. I hope wherever she is in the afterlife includes lots of tuna, catnip, and books.

My older kitty is 18, and I hope she makes it to at least 19.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 5:26 PM on October 30, 2007

.

Sad to hear this earlier. Went to visit the store at lunch to offer my condolences.

And since this is my favorite bookstore, of course I had to buy a book.
posted by billder at 10:31 PM on October 30, 2007

is it true it was called fup (fuck u pussy) .
posted by baker dave at 4:28 AM on October 31, 2007

I am supposed to offer up a dot for a cat that bites patrons at a bookstore you have got to be kidding me no way this cat gets no punctuation from me

Let us never forget that there exists a world outside the perspective of human beings.
posted by JHarris at 7:23 AM on October 31, 2007 [2 favorites]

>.<
posted by you're a kitty! at 4:12 PM on October 31, 2007