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Ashville Free Library Starts Fundraiser For Beloved Cat

A fundraiser has been set up for Libby the Library Cat, who has resided at Ashville Free Library since 2009. Libby is about 19 years old and has been a favorite among patrons who visit the library.

ASHVILLE — Libby the Library Cat has been one of Ashville Free Library’s “best sellers” for more than a decade. The library is now looking to return the favor to the beloved cat with a fundraiser to help defray veterinary costs.

Libby has been a resident of the library since 2009. She is about 19 years old and came to the library to help with a former mouse problem. She was found by the sister of the previous director, Tabetha Butler, when Libby showed up at Butler’s sister’s house and walked right in.

After the mouse problem had been taken care of, Libby became the library’s defacto mascot and a familiar face for children and patrons.

“She’s been a mascot for so long,” the current director, Kristina Benson, said. “She even helps rambunctious children calm down. She likes to sleep in the H’s in the fiction section and, when the children come in if they are too loud, she will run away to hide. Then we can say, ‘Oh, the cat ran away; if we are quieter she might come back out.’ Then the children settle down and she will come back out.”

Benson said Libby will also come out and do her rounds during the day, greeting visitors to the library and allowing them to pet her. When she was younger, Libby would also run around at night and sometimes knock books off of the shelf. Benson said there used to be a joke that this was the cause of the library ghost.

A fundraiser has been set up for Libby the Library Cat, who has resided at Ashville Free Library since 2009. Libby is about 19 years old and has been a favorite among patrons who visit the library.

In her old age, Libby has had to visit the vet more often. So far this year, she has had an ear infection at the beginning of the year, along with blood work because she was losing weight. Following this, she was given antibiotics and had her food switched due to not having a lot of teeth anymore as she ages.

Benson said a week or two ago she began sneezing and losing weight again. Libby has been given treatment for her ears and a special paste and is now doing better. Benson said the first visit cost the library $400 and the second was larger than that. With the library’s small budget, a GoFundMe (https://gofund.me/7ee30c71) was started.

“We are a small library with a small budget,” Benson said. “We even stopped having our garbage picked up and had patrons begin to bring it home with them to save money. That took $500 off of our budget, but having another $900 expense already this year has been distressing.”

People have already begun to donate to the library’s fundraiser, to which Benson is very grateful.

“I think people should reach out and think about their libraries in general,” Benson said. “Think about what we do for them — not just the Ashville Library. I know there are a few others that have library cats. Libby is such an important fixture at the library and I am gratified to know people think she is important.”

A fundraiser has been set up for Libby the Library Cat, who has resided at Ashville Free Library since 2009. Libby is about 19 years old and has been a favorite among patrons who visit the library.

Benson said at the library they call Libby “the director” because she spends so much time with the kids and elderly patrons, all of whom enjoy her company. Sometimes they will have people come in specifically to see Libby. The goal of the library is to give Libby the best life they can for the rest of her life.

“I don’t like to say we need money, but we do need help,” Benson said. “We want to give Libby the best care we can to keep her here and healthy and happy for the rest of her life.”

The library is also accepting donations in the form of cat litter, toys, or even soft food. Benson added that people can even just donate their time, to come in and see Libby or visit the library in general.

The Ashville Free Library is located at 2200 N. Maple Ave. in Ashville. They are open from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday; and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. Hours depend on volunteer coverage. They can be reached at 716-763-9906 or found on Facebook or their website ashvillelibrary.com.

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