Archive for the ‘Cat Stories’ Category

As I often explain, not all of the cat stories of Old New York that I share with my readers have fairy-tale endings. Of course I prefer to tell happy stories. But I also believe that the kitties that met tragic ends also deserve some attention. This story of Nellie, the classroom mouser of the […]

Although the first National Cat Show at Madison Square Garden II in May 1895 is often cited as the first cat show in America, there were actually quite a few cat shows in New York City and other American cities before this “official cat show” took place at the Garden. During the late 1800s, New York […]

“We don’t mind a stray cat, or a dog either. If a stray dog finds a friend in the temple, we’ve brought the kingdom of God just so much nearer.” — Presbyterian Labor Temple, 1912 The above notice appeared in the weekly calendar of the Presbyterian Labor Temple, located on the corner of Second Avenue […]

As many of my readers know, I am currently working on a compilation of cat stories for my upcoming book, The Cat Men of Gotham: Tales of Feline Friendships in Old New York. The book features 42 stories in nine cat-lives chapters. In addition to some favorite stories from my Hatching Cat blog, there are […]

More than a century before the World Trade Center was attacked on September 11, 2001, and about 25 years before the site became known as Radio Row (a small business district specializing in the sale and repair of radios), Cortlandt Street was home to numerous factories and loft buildings. And lots of stray cats. For one sassy little bull terrier who resided […]