Pets on the Payroll

Jennifer Polanz

Meet Nehemiah—meeter, greeter and not-so-much mouse eater—from Mattole Valley Nursery & Farm Supply in Petrolia, California.

“We started our small retail business when we moved to rural Petrolia, California, in 2016. Nehemiah made the move with us and quickly adjusted to his role as store cat,” wrote in Liz Webb. “He loves to meet and greet ALL customers, regardless if the person likes cats or not. He expects to be pet and will wait on the edge of the counter directly in front of the customer until they comply or until I move him (from those who are obviously not ‘cat people’).

“Some regular customers will ask where ‘the cat is’ (his name is difficult for most people) if he’s not around. If he’s not doing his meet-and-greet job, then he’s either napping outside in the sun or hunting the grounds. And every once in a while, he’ll proudly bring his catch inside the store for me and customers to see. Fortunately, his soft mouth often allows for a lot of catch-and-release for those cute critters I like.” GP