According to the Seamen’s Church Institute of New York (one of the city’s oldest maritime establishments), cats and dogs were the most popular mascots on ships in the good old days. Seamen were especially fond of cats, as they brought good luck to a maiden voyage. The Institute also seemed to favor cats, and in fact had numerous feline mascots at its New York City headquarters on South Street during the 1900s.
Archive for the ‘Cat Mascots’ Category
1940s: Bosun and the Missionary Cats of the Seamen’s Church Institute of NYC
Posted: 18th March 2021 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Mascots, Cat MenTags: 50 Broadway, Cats of Old New York, Christine A. Hartmann, Floating Church, Seafaring cats, Seamen's Church Institute, Ship cats
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1894: Dan, the Miraculous Shrinking Cat of FDNY Engine Company 40
Posted: 7th February 2021 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Mascots, Cat Men, FDNY Horses/MascotsTags: Cats of Old New York, Engine Company No. 40, FDNY history, FDNY mascots, Fort Washington Engine Company, Francis Casey, New York City History
“This is a tale of a cat. Of a cat with a tail fourteen inches long. It is a true tale. It is vouched for by a fireman, a policeman and the appearance of the cat. A woman, a basket, a hole in a ceiling, a doctor and some medicine also figure into the tale.”—The New York World, January 5, 1894
1895: Tootsy, the Feline Firefighter of Engine Company 27
Posted: 29th January 2021 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Mascots, Cat Men, FDNY Horses/MascotsTags: 173 Franklin Street, Cat Men of Gotham, Cats of Old New York, Engine Company No. 27, FDNY history, New York City History
Tootsy was the beloved feline firefighter of Engine Company 27 on Franklin Street in Lower Manhattan. Born on the Fourth of July in 1895, Tootsy reportedly loved the smell of smoke as much as she treasured a fresh-caught mouse.
1884-1897: Sam, Dobbins, and Captain, the Mascot Cats of the New York Yacht Club
Posted: 27th October 2020 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Mascots, Cat MenTags: 37 West 44th Street, 67 Madison Avenue, American Jockey Club, Cats of Old New York, J.P. Morgan, New York City History, New York Yacht Club
In Old New York, canine mascots were forbidden in all the social clubs. Cats were not. Thus, clubs like The Lambs Club, the Lotus Club, and the New York Yacht Club had one or more feline mascots.
The following tale is about three of the many cat mascots of the New York Yacht Club.
