Laguna Beach : Shop Owners Come and Go but Gabby Stays On

A small black cat named Gabby started throwing her weight around 10 years ago in a jewelry shop in Laguna Beach’s Forest Avenue Mall.

She took up residence in the mall in 1975 as a friendly, talkative stray.

“I fed her for four years, and when my husband, Bill, and I decided to sell the jewelry shop in 1979, we did it only with the understanding that the new owners liked cats,” said Mary Farrar.

Fortunately they did, and Gabby’s future in the 17-shop mall--where store owners find themselves saying “good morning” to her every day--was secured, although now she spends most of her time and gets most of her food at a shoe store owned by Luke Solis, just a few doors from the jewelry shop.

No one knows for sure how old she is, but she was mature enough about nine years ago to produce one kitten. After that, the Farrars had her neutered.

Gabby sleeps a lot these days, often curled up on costly lingerie in the display window of a shop next to the shoe store. But she still makes the rounds, sometimes jumping into the laps of women customers at a nearby manicurist’s.

Solis said she goes out when he closes up shop about 5 p.m., spending the night on the mall roof in nice weather, or near a basement water heater when it’s cold or rainy.

And she’s always waiting at the door of his shop in the mornings.

How secure is the life of such a stray?

“Well, about two years ago, a new merchant was arranging to move in to one of the shops,” Solis said. “He suggested that Gabby be gotten rid of. A couple of us reminded him that Gabby was here first. The new owner moved in and Gabby’s still here.”