Archive for the ‘Cat Stories’ Category

Cats About Town Walking Tours for NYC cat lovers are back! We have just posted available tours for May through August, which include a few early-evening and Friday afternoon tours, plus a brand-new tour of the Lower East Side/Bowery.

Tommy was a cat of remarkable beauty, but he also had strong lungs and fighting qualities. Mrs. Hall acquired the cat in 1887, and though he often wandered the neighborhood looking to stir things up, he never strayed far from home. That is, until the summer of 1895.

In March 1934, the newly-formed New York City Housing Authority kicked off its citywide slum clearance campaign. Buildings on Cherry, Madison, Roosevelt, Oak Street, and other old streets in the Two Bridges neighborhood were razed over the years to make way for large public housing developments.

The men and cat of the old police station at 9 Oak Street were the last ones to leave the neighborhood.

I tell my latest animal story backwards in order to encourage readers to appreciate the history behind every building, park, and street in New York City. This cat tale of Old New York will start with a look at the Art Wall on the northwest corner of Bowery and Houston Street, where 100 years earlier a cat named Blackie made friends with a future president.

Introducing C.A.T. Chats
This winter, I will be doing some in-person presentations about cats of Old New York as part of my Cats About Town Waling Tours. My first presentation about the myth of the crazy cat lady will take place on Sunday, February 2, at a coffee shop in Hell’s Kitchen.