– Page and Whisker thriving downtown

It’s safe to say that a lot of people love cats and a lot of people love books.

Combining the two has been a winning formula for the Page and Whisker, Medicine Hat’s downtown bookstore.

Since opening in January, the store has adopted out 18 cats for the Alberta Pound and Rescue Centre, a great pace says store manager Dana Kerr.

“We’ve been open for four full months and we’ve had nearly 20 adoptions,” she said. “We’re averaging around one every week, and that’s really nice to see.”

Kerr says the business is pleasantly surprised by the amount of adoptions the store has seen so far.

“The city has really embraced our cats,” she said. “I was optimistic about adoptions, but this is exceeding expectations.

“We provide a unique experience to people and we have a really low-key, calm environment here.”

The store was forced to close due to COVID-19 earlier this year, but was able to open back up in late May. It has been running a delivery service throughout the pandemic as well.

“We opened after Phase 1,” said Kerr. “Now that we’re in Phase 2, people are actually allowed to open up the kennels and pet the cats.

“We have regulars who come in every day just to see the cats. It’s so great to see.”

Kerr says it is a perfect time to adopt a cat.

“If you’ve been thinking about adopting a cat, it’s the perfect time,” she said. “If you’re stuck at home for any reason, now is the perfect time because you can help them acclimatize to their new environment.

“The cats offer comfort to people feeling isolated during the pandemic.”

The store is open Monday through Saturday 10:30 a.m. through 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

People are welcome to go to the store to play with the cats, or to check out the selection of books.

The books for sale can be found on the Page and Whisker’s website. Cats up for adoption can be found using PetFinder.