Libraries sometimes struggle to attract new readers, and one library in Pennsylvania came up with a perfect way to solve this problem. They’re trying to put their name on the map by sharing adorable photos of Cat Horatio, posing as our favorite book characters.
The Centre County Library & Historical Museum is a public library based in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. Their Instagram page experienced a boom after a social worker and Horatio’s owner Lisa Shaffer came up with the idea of “Caturday”.
“The idea behind the ‘Caturday’ posts was to highlight the library by combining two things people love: cats and books… Horatio was always the cat who most enjoyed sitting for photos and later, I added props and hats to embellish the photos,” Shaffer told Bored Panda.
When she initially came up with this concept in 2014, she simply shared photos of cats sitting next to books, but things evolved later on. She added wigs, costumes, and backdrops to the mix, often dressing Horatio as a famous fictional character.
To make the whole thing even more impressive, most of Horatio’s costumes are hand-crafted. It can take up to an hour for Shaffer to put together each outfit, using everything from actual pet costumes to toddler-sized shirts.
