Our favorite independent bookstore in Tacoma is holding a contest that will surely appeal to cat lovers.

“We adopted a new cat!” wrote King’s Books staff in a recent e-mail to customers. For a long time, the bookstore had two cats: Atticus and Miko, who was a regular fixture at the bookstore for more than a decade but passed away last year. “Atticus needed a friend and — while they’re not quite friends yet (being cats) — we hope they will be soon. So, in the great tradition of how Atticus got his name, we would like to announce our Name That Cat Contest!”

Locals are encouraged to visit King’s Books, located at 218 St. Helens Ave., in Tacoma by Sun., Nov. 15, to suggest a name for the cat (pictured below). You can enter as many times as you like, and names with a literary reference are greatly encouraged. Entries can be made in-store only. The winning entry will be chosen by King’s Books staff, and the winning contestant will receive a $50 gift certificate to the bookstore.

More information is available online at kingsbookstore.com/namethatcat.

UPDATE | FRI., NOV. 20 @ 2:20 P.M. — King’s Bookstore e-mailed customers with the following message:

We had a crazy, competitive Name That Cat Contest with over 210 entries! In the end, we decided to name our new cat Herbert, in honor of local literary hero Frank Herbert! Congratulations Katy Evans! There were many, many great entries, the most popular being Mr. Darcy, Mr. Wuffles, Poirot, names from To Kill a Mockingbird, Poe-based names, and many other creative suggestions. We had a VERY difficult time choosing and will no doubt be hearing from those of you who feel we chose incorrectly. Don’t worry! Herbert will still love you, no matter what you call him. Thanks for playing! It was so much fun!