The Hatching Cat of Gotham

I recently visited the Pounce Cat Cafe in Charleston, South Carolina. Their sign lured me in — who could resist live nude cats, pole-dancing felines, and kitty lap dances! As I’m now writing a new book about FDNY animal mascots, I thought I’d pay tribute to a few “pole-dancing” fire cats that I’ve featured in early posts, as well as give you a little tease with some snippets of fire-cat stories that will be in my upcoming book.

Peter was a pole-dancing cat of Engine 152 in Bushwick, Brooklyn in the early 1900s. I don’t have a picture of him sliding down the pole, but I did find an older newspaper photo of him climbing a ladder, which I posted in the original story.

Bouncer, the fire cat of New York’s Fire Patrol 3, also mastered sliding down the pole–only four months after joining the patrol house. When it came to the landing, he outdid every member, striking the rubber mat “as gently as an autumn leaf landing on the turf.” Bouncer will be featured in The FDNY Mascots of Gotham, and I’ll be adding a few more fun details about his life as a fire cat in the book.

Tootsy, the feline firefighter of Engine 27, not only slid down the fire pole (pole dancing was second nature to her), but she also enjoyed jumping on the apparatus and trying to hitch a ride to the fires! Tootsy was featured in my first book, The Cat Men of Gotham, and she’ll also be making a cameo in my new book (she was the quintessential fire cat).

One of the most famous pole-dancing fire cats of the FDNY was Barney of Engine 59, then located on West 137th Street. Barney’s claim to fame in the early 1900s was sliding down the brass fire pole, which he did “as gracefully as any member of the company.” He didn’t swoop down in a flash like the men did, but by wrapping his four paws around the brass rod, he was able to slide down rather quickly.

Another fire cat possessing pole-dancing skills during this era was Jerry of Ladder 25 on West Seventy-Seventh Street. Even though he was old and had lost most of his teeth by 1910, the coal black cat was “still as ardent in answering an alarm when he is upstairs in the dormitory as the newest recruit.” Whenever an alarm came in, Jerry would spring from his bed and go down the pole. Sometimes he’d slide down by clasping it with only his front paws, but as he got older, he preferred hitching a ride on the shoulders of one of the firemen.

Dick, a large tortoise-shell cat attached to Brooklyn’s Ladder 107, never used the stairs in the firehouse, always choosing the pole as his preferred method of descent. This cat also had an excellent attendance record at fires and was reportedly the happiest when perched on the driver’s seat responding to a call.

Like these other cats, Thomas of Brooklyn’s Engine 239 was a pro when it came to sliding down the pole. In fact, he liked to make a game of it. Whenever he saw one of his friends in uniform making for the pole, he would beat him to it and slide down first. Then he’d jump aboard the apparatus and give a haughty wave of the tail while the men were still donning their boots and gear.

I hope these stories have offered you a “good tease” for more, and you are getting your dollar bills ready for when I reveal these fire cats’ full stories in the FDNY Mascots of Gotham!