It’s been said that Bill McSorley was gruff with his customers, but he displayed plenty of kindness toward his cats. He owned as many as 18 feline barflies at once, and they reportedly had the run of the saloon.
Archive for the ‘Cat Stories’ Category
1854: The Cats of McSorley’s Old Ale House
Posted: 17th December 2020 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Men, Cat StoriesTags: Bill McSorley, Bouwerie #1, Cats of Old New York, John McSorley, New York City History, Nicholas William Stuyvesant
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1926: The Cat and Rabbits That Were Mailed to the Brooklyn General Post Office
Posted: 5th December 2020 by The Hatching Cat in Animal Stories, Cat StoriesTags: Albert B.W. Firmin, Brooklyn History, Brooklyn Post Office, Cats of Old New York, Joel C. Bunce, Morrisville, Ontario and Western Railway
In December 1926, a live cat was shipped from Morrisville, NY, to the Brooklyn General Post Office via the New York, Ontario, and Western Railway. Four wild rabbits also arrived at the post office on the same day, albeit, they were not as fortunate as the cat.
1922: Bill, the Champion Mouser of the Flatbush Post Office
Posted: 26th November 2020 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Men, Cat StoriesTags: Colonel James C. Church, Flatbush History, Flatbush Post Office, John F. McCarthy, Michael Schoonmaker, Richard A. Flannery, William Kuek
On August 1, 1922, employees of the Flatbush post office sent out a BOLO (be on the lookout) alarm for their chief mouser, Bill. Described as a big, fluffy Maltese cat, Bill was responsible for keeping all the mice and rats in check at the post office. Bill was not only a valued employee; he was also the beloved pet of the more than 100 employees on the postal staff.
1902: The Great Bronx Zoological Park Panther Hunt
Posted: 18th November 2020 by The Hatching Cat in Animal Stories, Cat StoriesTags: Bronx Zoological Park, John Spears, New York City History, panther escapes, Raymond Lee Ditmars, William Temple Hornaday
On July 28, 1902, The New York Times reported that a seven-month-old, 45-pound, grey-brown panther had gnawed his way out of a large pine shipping box near the park’s Puma and Lynx House. It was the first time the captive cat–which had just been shipped via a Ward Line steamship from Mr. Charles Sheldon of the Mexican Zoological Society in Chihuahua to Director William Temple Hornaday of the New York Zoological Society–had ever experienced a taste of freedom.
1904: Hafiz, the Literary Cat Who Lived in Manhattan’s First Apartment Building
Posted: 11th November 2020 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Men, Cat StoriesTags: Hafiz, Oliver Herford, Rutherford Stuyvesant, Stuyvesant Apartments
One of the most notable literary cats of the early 20th century was Hafiz, the pet cat of American humorist, author, and illustrator Oliver Herford.
Hafix, who lived in Manhattan’s very first apartment house, was described as “a smoky Persian of remarkable size and beauty.” His unique coloring was “brightly lionesque”–a mix of tawny orange striped with gray and black. His deep eyes were amber by day and emerald by night.
