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.
Archive for the ‘Cats in the Mews’ Category
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
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1911: The Day it Rained Cats on Putnam Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn
Posted: 8th November 2024 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Stories, Cats in the MewsTags: Brooklyn History, Bushwick History, Cats of Old New York, Jacob Suydam, Leffert Lefferts
Every so often, I find an animal story of Old New York that is so silly or absurd, I start laughing out loud. I hope this following tale of a neighbor dispute on Putnam Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn will also leave you laughing.
1918: The Stray Cat That Saved 9+ Lives in a Peck Slip Lodging House
Posted: 10th September 2024 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Stories, Cats in the MewsTags: Cats of Old New York, Govert Loockermans, John Sigel, Lifesaving Cats, Peck Slip, William Beekman
John Sigel and his wife may not have wanted to add any more family members to their household in January 1918. But when their three children carried a freezing, starving waif cat into their small apartment at 1 Peck Slip, they couldn’t resist.
A story of a lifesaving cat, the history of Peck Slip, and a brief history of fire escapes in Old New York from my latest book, The Bravest Pets of Gotham: Tales of Four-Legged Firefighters of Old New York.
1911: The 34 Cats Atop Jack’s Restaurant on Sixth Avenue and 43rd Street
Posted: 11th June 2024 by The Hatching Cat in Cats in the MewsTags: Cat Stories, Cats of Old New York, Jack Dunston, Jack's Restaurant, James L. Ward, John Jacob Astor, Medcef Eden
Mrs. James L. Ward, a widow and proverbial “crazy cat lady,” took a lease of the top floor above Jack’s Restaurant in July 1910. At that time, she had two cats, a pug dog, and a parrot. But then the cats had two cats, and they had two cats, and so on, and so on…
1939: Tommy Tucker, the Riverside Drive Cat Who (Almost) Inherited $5,000
Posted: 23rd March 2024 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Stories, Cats in the MewsTags: Castle Village, Cats of Old New York, Charles Paterno, Henry L. Hirscher, Julius Baier, Louise Baier, Riverside Drive, Victor Baier
When Tommy Tucker’s owner died in 1939, the former street cat who had been living in luxury in a beautiful old house on Riverside Drive almost inherited a fortune. (He made out pretty good in the end.)
A great cat story with some interesting history about the Paterno Castle in Washington Heights.
