Sometimes I find a ridiculously absurd story that isn’t specifically about a cat or dog or other animal, but I can’t resist sharing it. This crazy “cat tale” of New York City’s Gilded Age involves a two-family home on Hart Street in Bushwick, Brooklyn, a large hole in the ceiling, an even larger sabre, a bit of indecent exposure (for those days), a court hearing, a street chase, and a few cameo appearances by an unnamed cat.
Archive for the ‘Cat Stories’ Category
1893: A Crazy Cat Tale From Hart Street, Bushwick
Posted: 10th October 2025 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Stories, Cats in the MewsTags: Adolph H. Goetting, Bushwick, Cats of Old New York, Hart Street, Theodore Loeffler
1
1912: Don Dai, the Quakeress, and the Feline Wedding at the Plaza Hotel
Posted: 9th July 2025 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Stories, Crazy Cat LadiesTags: Cats of Old New York, Fred Sterry, George B. Brayton, New York City History, Plaza Hotel
In December 1912, a wealthy and well-known cat fancier from Brighton, Massachusetts decided that the Plaza Hotel in New York City was the perfect setting for a feline wedding for her two show cats.
CAT Walking Tours for NYC Cat Lovers Are Back: 2025 Bookings
Posted: 27th April 2025 by The Hatching Cat in Cat StoriesTags: Bowery walking tours, Cats About Town Walking Tours, Cats of Old New York, New York City walking tours, Walking tours for cat lovers
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.
1895: The Comical Court Case of Tommy, the Stolen Cat of East 41st Street
Posted: 25th April 2025 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Stories, Cats in the MewsTags: Anna Staubstaudt, Cats of Old New York, James Quackinbush, Murray Hill, New York City History, Robert Murray
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.
1948: Kilroy, the Last Cat Mascot of the Oak Street Police Station
Posted: 14th April 2025 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Mascots, Cat StoriesTags: Alfred E. Smith Houses, Cats of Old New York, Colored School No. 4, New York City History, NYPD history, Robert O. Webb
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.
