02/12/2026
It was a sad start to January for us at David Mason Books as our beloved cat, Henry, crossed the rainbow bridge in mid-January. He became very ill very quickly and while it is always a very difficult decision, it was apparent that the kindest thing that we could do was to put him to sleep. Like all our other shop cats, Henry was a rescue, who joined us in 2010 (though we had Sadleir, and I swore we would break the 2 cats at a time cycle). But one day, on my way to lunch I looked in the window of a local vet, and there he was -- a tabby who was just adorable. He had been dumped outside by people who moved house, and was surrendered to the vet by neighbours who saw him outside. He was about a year old. While I didn't get lunch that day, I bring back the an incredibly charming tabby, who we named Henry.
We had the great pleasure of sharing our shop and work lives with Henry until January. After he lost his pal Sadleir a few years ago, Henry took over the role of ‘official greeter.' Terminally charming, he meowed and ran to greet all who entered-- always getting out of his favourite roosting spot-- a file box on Norm's desk. He won a myriad of fans, many who would come and visit ‘just to see Henry.' He was described by all as ‘the nicest and most friendly cat in the world.'
Henry had a great 16 years, most of them spent with us at David Mason Books. His loss has left a massive hole in all our hearts. He will be especially missed by Norm, who shared both his desk and his lunch with Henry for the past 15 ½ years. While it is always so difficult to lose a furry family member, we are so grateful for the many years we had with Henry, who was adorable, lovable, and a bit of a goof— he was one of a kind.
