On September 16, 1910, The New York Times ran a small article about a want-ad soliciting 300 cats for performances at the Manhattan Opera House on 34th Street.
According to the article, the stage director would accept all cats–with or without stage experience–to take part in the production of “Hans, the Flute Player.” The comedic opera was going to be the opening act for Oscar Hammerstein’s opera house.
Archive for the ‘Cat Stories’ Category
1910: The 300 Cats Wanted to Act at the Manhattan Opera House
Posted: 17th September 2020 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Stories, Cats in the MewsTags: Cats in the Mews, Cats of Old New York, Manhattan Opera House, New York City History, Oscar Hammerstein
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1903: The Pet Cat That Edwin Gould Reportedly Abandoned on Fifth Avenue
Posted: 9th September 2020 by The Hatching Cat in Cat StoriesTags: 720 Fifth Avenue, Cats of Old New York, Edwin Gould, New York City History, Sheltering Arms
On September 8, 1903, the New York Evening World reported that a gray and white cat had been living on the steps of the Edwin Gould house at 7 West Fifty-Sixth Street for more than a week. Based on a few facts, I believe the reporter told a few white lies to get this story published…
1897: The Shower of Cats That Invaded the Brush Block in Huntington, Long Island
Posted: 19th August 2020 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Stories, Cats in the MewsTags: Bank of Huntington, Brush Block, Cats of Old New York, Huntington, James Madison Brush, New York History
On August 19, 1897, it rained cats in front of the Brush Block building on Main Street and New York Avenue in Huntington, Long Island. Customers of the human kind could do nothing but walk cautiously along the sidewalk as the business owners used brooms to sweep cats out and hold others at bay.
1904: The 80-180 Felines of Caroline Ewen, the Wealthy Cat Lady of East Harlem
Posted: 6th August 2020 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Stories, Crazy Cat LadiesTags: 105 East 101st Street, Brigadier General John Ewen, Caroline G. Ewen, Cats of Old New York, Ewen Park, New York City History
In August 1904, two of Caroline G. Ewen’s neighbors on East 101st Street petitioned the Board of Health regarding the nightly concerts of 80 or more fat and sassy cats sheltered in the woman’s three-stone brownstone at 105 East 101st Street. “It is not that we object to Miss Ewan’s humane impulses in caring for all the stray and homeless felines of the neighborhood, but the noise of her pets is something wonderful,” the petitioners said. “It is enough to drive a strong man with a newly-signed pledge in the pocket to drink.”
1939: Colonel, the Tiger Who Escaped From the Circus in Woodside, Queens
Posted: 24th July 2020 by The Hatching Cat in Cat StoriesTags: Madison Square Garden Bowl, Queens history, Ringling Brothers, Tex Rickard, Tiger escapes, Woodside
On May 8, 1939, a 400-pound tiger escaped from his wooden crate near the Madison Square Garden Bowl on Northern Boulevard in Woodside, Queens. According to several newspapers, it took more than 60 men to corral and capture the tiger in the back yard of a private residence.
