Cats at Work
Lord of the Lamps
By Alison Netsel

His name was inspired by a British notable, but this Chumley is a working-class cat of the people. A gray-tabby shorthair with emerald-green eyes, Chumley is always happy to rub against an available leg or to make himself at home on a comfortable lap.

Although he began his career as a professional mouser in a warehouse, Chumley is now employed at Hyalyn Ltd., a lamp shop in Greensboro, North Carolina. Hyalyn, as in "Hiya, Lyn," is owned by Lynne Peoples, 37, who offers an extensive selection of lamps, lamp shades, finials -- decorative ornaments that fit on top of a lamp -- and decorative accessories. In addition to selling new lamps, Hyalyn can refurbish or repair old or broken lamps - or custom-build one from almost any object a customer desires. Among the more unusual entries in that category were lamps made of zebra feet, a fire extinguisher and a full-size mannequin.

"Our big question was where to put the on/off switch on the mannequin," laughs Peoples.

Chumley's career began in 1983 when Beth Warmuth, Peoples' mother, adopted him from a veterinarian in Hickory, North Carolina, 90 miles southwest of Greensboro. Warmuth and her husband, Robert, suspected they had mice in the lamp factory they owned in Hickory, so they wanted a cat to dispatch the rodents. Chumley, who was approximately 9 months old at the time, enchanted Beth Warmuth with his emerald eyes and sweet disposition. Besides, he was one of the few cats available at the time, so the choice was easy.

When the Warmuths sold their factory in 1991, the new owners did not want Chumley included with the inventory. Undaunted by their lack of appreciation, he packed up and moved to Greensboro, where he installed himself as the store cat at Hyalyn.

Lynne Peoples grew up working in her parent's lamp factory. After graduating from East Carolina University, she put in a few years as a manufacturing supervisor for Burlington Industries before returning to the home-accessories field. She and her 5-year-old son, Greg, have a black, longhair female cat named Charlie, who lives with them; but, Peoples explains, Charlie doesn't have the same confidence with strangers that Chumley exhibits, so Charlie remains at home.

Chumley, who lives in the store, has free run of its 5,000 square feet. "He picks a favorite spot and stays with it for a few months," says Peoples. Among Chumley's preferred spots for napping are the checkout counter, either on top or underneath, the front display windows and the laps of any willing customers. His penchant for naps on top of the checkout counter isn't what it used to be, however.

"For weeks Chumley slept in a basket on the counter," explains Peoples. "One day the basket fell off with Chumley in it. He wasn't happy about that." His Humpty-Dumpty imitation aside, Chumley seems quite content with his life at Hyalyn, rarely making any attempt to explore the world beyond its doors. Nor do Peoples or her 10 employees encourage Chumley to go outside. Thus, his journeys have all been of a few steps.

Most customers at Hyalyn are delighted by Chumley's presence in the shop, and some visit on a regular basis just to spend time with him. "I have never seen Chumley raise a paw against anyone," says Peoples, although if a customer is allergic to or afraid of cats, Chumley is relegated to the back office.

"Having Chumley at our store adds a feeling of warmth" and helps the store's employees to connect on a personal level with customers. "We talk about animals a lot, and we have heard stories about many wonderful pets."

Even the most wonderful pets have been known to break things from time to time, and a lamp store would seem to be filled with accidents waiting to happen. Yet Chumley exhibits all the grace and dexterity for which cats are known, and he has never broken anything at Hyalyn.

What's more, his soft touch extends to the hearts of the store's employees and customers. One of Chumley's sweetest moments occurred, says Peoples, when a wheelchair-bound customer came into the store. "Chumley made a beeline for her lap and remained there until forcibly ejected."

Because of the appeal of Chumley's baby-soft fur and affectionate nature, it is more likely that visitors to Hyalyn will have to be forcibly ejected in order to let him get some rest.