A librarian recently asked me what makes an old news story worthy of further research and posting on my website. I told her that not only does it need to be a great animal tale, but it must also be a good people story or have ties to interesting historical buildings or events. The following story about a deaf New York Post Office cat and the deaf postal worker who loved him meets all my criteria for a fabulous animal story of Old New York. Sit back and enjoy.
Archive for the ‘Cat Stories’ Category
1901: Tom, the Deaf Cat of New York’s Post Office Feline Police Force
Posted: 30th October 2021 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Men, Cat Stories, Cats in the MewsTags: Cats of Old New York, Gustave Fersenheim, New York City History, New York General Post Office, post office cats, Thomas Gallaudet
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1908: The Brooklyn Cat of Sunset Park Who Sounded the Alarm For Fire
Posted: 22nd October 2021 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Stories, Cats in the MewsTags: Aaron Platt, Brooklyn History, Cats of Old New York, John Duffy, Martenus Bergen, Sunset Park
An unnamed, heroic stray cat and a mischievous mouse played a prominent role in a fire that forced a dozen families from the double brick apartment at 561 49th Street (present-day Sunset Park neighborhood) on December 4, 1908.
1921: The Cat That Screamed Bloody Murder in Jamaica Village, Queens
Posted: 1st August 2021 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Stories, Cats in the MewsTags: Cats of Old New York, Charles Herriman, Herriman Avenue, James Herriman, Queens history, Village of Jamaica
Hurry up! There is murder at Herriman Avenue, Jamaica. The telephone receiver is off the hook and I can hear terrible screams and groans. Send the police department down quick.”
That was the breathless message that Lieutenant Louis Keppel of the Jamaica police precinct received shortly after midnight exactly one hundred years ago, on July 31, 1921. The voice was coming from a frantic telephone operator.
1860: The Cherry-Colored Cat That “Sucker-Punched” P.T. Barnum
Posted: 13th July 2021 by The Hatching Cat in Animal Attractions, Cat StoriesTags: American Museum, Cats in New York History, Circus history, P.T. Barnum
“There is a sucker born every minute.” Although there is no evidence that the great showman and circus legend actually said this famous quote, P.T. Barnum has always been closely associated with it. There are many stories behind the quote, but my favorite story is that the quote was inspired by a cherry-colored cat.
1928: Minnie and Miss Frothingham, the Real Cats of the Winter Garden Theatre
Posted: 24th June 2021 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Mascots, Cat StoriesTags: American Horse Exchange, cats in history, Cats of Old New York, Longacre Square, New York City History, Winter Garden Theatre
The Winter Garden Theatre was home to the original Broadway production of Cats from 1982 until the production closed in 2000. But about 50 years before the creepy human cats appeared on stage, the theater was famous for its real cats. Cat mascots, that is.
