When we left Part I of this curious cat tale of Old New York, young Margaret Owen was just about to dunk her two Angora cats, Lilly and Otto, into a basin of blue dye. The blue cats would look great parading on the boardwalk at Atlantic City.
Archive for the ‘Cat Stories’ Category
1922: The Curious Case of Lilly and Otto, the Dyed-Blue Cats of Margaret Owen, Part II
Posted: 8th October 2016 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Stories, Crazy Cat Ladies, Featured FelinesTags: Angora cats, Henry K. Miller, Margaret Owen, Miller-Clark Animal Hospital, New York History, Old New York, Peter A. Hatting, Radio City Music Hall
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1922: The Curious Case of Lilly and Otto, the Dyed-Blue Cats of Margaret Owen, Part I
Posted: 6th October 2016 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Stories, Crazy Cat Ladies, Featured FelinesTags: Angora cats, Hopper Farm, Margaret Owen, New York History, Old New York, The Blue Kitten
Every once and a while I come across an old animal story that goes into my special folder called “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up.” The following cat tale is somewhat funny, very bizarre, and a bit tragic.
1913: Duffy MacNab, the Scottish Long-Distance Jumping Cat of New York’s Pier 64
Posted: 7th September 2016 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Mascots, Cat StoriesTags: Duffy MacNab, Famous ship cats, Francis Henry Wadsworth, New York History, Pier 64, TSS Caledonia
On March 25, 1905, Caledonia made her maiden voyage from Glasgow, Scotland, to New York and back. In addition to the passengers and crew, on board was a young black cat that the crew named Duffy MacNab — or The MacNab, for short.
1888: Union Square Jim, the Mascot Cat of New York’s Union Square Theatre, II
Posted: 21st August 2016 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Mascots, Cat StoriesTags: B.F. Keith, Cat Stories, James M. Hill, Michael Sweeney, Morton House, New York History, Old New York, Union Square Theatre
Union Square Jim was a large, blue-eyed, orange tabby mascot of the old Union Square Theatre in New York City. Jim was born in the theater sometime around 1886, a year after James Hill took over as manager of the theater.
1888: Union Square Jim, the Mascot Cat of New York’s Union Square Theatre, I
Posted: 13th August 2016 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Mascots, Cat Men, Cat StoriesTags: Cat Stories, Morton House Hotel, New York History, Old New York, Sheridan Shook, Union Place Hotel, Union Square Theatre
Like most cats that became the popular mascots of New York City police stations, fire stations, hotels, and theaters in the 1800s and 1900s, Jim began his life as a vagrant cat without friends or influence. It didn’t take him long, however, to win the hearts of the managers, actors, and patrons of the old Union Square Theatre.
