Popular Springfield bookshop Bookmarx went to X, Facebook, and Instagram on Jan 10, 2025 to post about the passing of their cat, Googey. The orange tabby received an outpouring of condolences from not just the local community, but from many who had only visited the shop once or twice.  

Googey first showed up as a sick kitten at an early Bookmarx book club. Ever since then, him and his brother, Squash, have drastically helped the environment of the shop and the lives of his owners. 

Harvey Day-Arnett and Joshua Arnett are the parents of Googey, with Joshua being the full owner of the bookshop.  

Googey achieved many high honors in his time at Bookmarx. In 2023, Googey got to lead the annual Springfield Christmas parade from the transparent bubble backpack of Arnett.  

Slightly before Christmas that year, Googey was named the first non-human “Captain Springfield,” voted in with more than 70% of the vote with over 8,000 votes cast. The title designates the Captain (or the humans taking care of the Captain) to “highlight causes that make Springfield a better place to live,” said Harvey Day-Arnett in an interview by KY3 News. Googey, Harvey, and Joshua fittingly decided to focus on local literary and animal-focused nonprofits.  

A Captain Springfield cape had to be custom made for Googey’s body. The cape was light blue, emulating the flag of Springfield and prominently displayed the letters “SGF” with the G larger and more prominent as a special nod to Googey’s name.  

The cape was a display centerpiece at Googey’s public funeral, which took place on January 17. The funeral display also included framed pictures, an orange tabby plush, flowers, an empty casket, books, and shoelaces, which were frequently attacked by Googey and Squash.  

Furthermore, GoogeyQuaterly, a zine that highlighted local artists, got a welcomed finale. The title of the edition present at the funeral read: GoogeyEternal: Heavenly bonus issue: Heaven is for Real: A Little Cat’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Earth and Back. 

Joshua Arnett spoke about Googey during the funeral, saying “He was once verbally attacked by a local radio host, he was once threatened by an unhinged twitter user, his name was tagged on a downtown wall by unsanctioned, enthusiastic fans. He’s been tattooed on numerous bodies, including mine.” 

In a social media post, Arnett wrote: “Everything important and good in my life—my family, the bookstore, my sobriety—would have not existed without Googey.”