Just got some sad news from Sarah and Devin at Frontier, in downtown Athens Georgia. Raffia the store cat has died. Raffia was a fixture in the store window on sunny days, and she will be dearly missed by Frontier's employees and customers. Here is a media notice from Frontier with more details on Raffia, as well as honoring the beloved cat with donations to Campus Cats.

"Athens, GA, April 4, 2011 - Raffia, the cat that lived at Frontier on 193 E. Clayton Street, was found dead in the store on Saturday. Storeowner, Devin Clower, recently reported her missing and received an overwhelming amount of support by members of the community in the search. Raffia was thought to be about 18 years old, having lived in the store since she was a kitten.

 

For anyone wishing to remember Raffia, shop Frontier in April and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Athens organization, Campus Cats. Donations will also be collected at Frontier.

 

Anyone who knows cats would understand the personality of the Tortoise Breed. Raffia, sometimes affectionate and other times independent, loved to explore. She often paraded in the store’s front windows, luring customers in with a meow and twitching of her tail. She also loved to curl up for long naps in the sunny store window. Often, customers would ask, “Is she real?”

 

Raffia was real indeed, famous among locals and visitors alike. She will be remembered for her confident attitude and unique story. In the end, she chose to climb among the crawl spaces of the store to die peacefully. Reflecting on her legacy, Clower says “she added so much character to the store and I’m just comforted in knowing that she died at home.” Clower plans to have Raffia cremated this week. "