Curl Up with a Book and a Kitten at Pillow-Cat Books

Nestled in the heart of the East Village, Pillow-Cat Books rubs shoulders with neighborhood staples Veselka and the Angelika Theatre, embodying the best of an iconic area which is sadly becoming rapidly commercialized. New York’s “first animal-focused bookshop” takes pride in its whimsical contribution to an otherwise dwindling community of local artists.

Pillow-Cat Books is a family affair. Owner Cleo Le-Tan has always had an affinity for animals, growing up with them in France. She recently rescued a kitten, appropriately named Pillow, who takes her job as shop mascot very seriously, sunbathing on the window sill and cat-napping in the display case. Le-Tan’s sister, Olympia, is the head of visual merchandising, but you may know her as the designer of her eponymous line of velvet flats embroidered with cat faces and handbags fashioned after literary classics — one even features artwork from the original Cats Broadway Playbill.

Literary classics also line the avocado-green shelves at Pillow-Cat Books, from Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit tales to Charlotte’s Web to Aesop’s Fables. Make no mistake, this is not a children’s bookstore, at least not exclusively — the only shop rule is that an animal feature in a book. So you’ll also find more scientific, artistic, and avant-garde titles including a 101-year-old copy of Louis Wain’s illustrated Annuals of anthropomorphic cats, black-and-white photo tomes by Hungarian animal photography pioneer YLLA, Japanese manga magazines, adult short stories by myriad international authors, dog training manuals, and tongue-in-cheek offerings such as The Life & Death of Fritz the Cat — the main character of which is described as a “horny, hip-talking feline.”

The animal theme extends to the decor. Faux fur rugs shaped like tigers and panda bears (for sale), and zebra-printed chairs offer cozy spots to curl up on and flip through old favorites and new finds, perhaps alongside the likes of Sevingys and Skarsgards. Only one question remains: Can I bring my dog? Yes!