Posts Tagged ‘Andrew Carnegie’

Mrs. Elizabeth W. Berhm, a kindly widow of about 61 years old, had always devoted herself to animals. She was known in her Carnegie Hill neighborhood as the “cat woman” because her home was always open to stray cats. In her small, two-room apartment at the rear of 172 East 85th Street, milk and kindness were always waiting for any cat that needed it.

No doubt, then, the neighbors must have been shocked to learn that Elizabeth had almost taken the life of her own pet cat, Dunder, while she committed suicide.

The Chevalier rescued cats from the streets of Carnegie Hill, fed them, bathed them, sang arias to them, and named them after heroes and heroines from famous operas. Part 2 of a Cat Man of Old New York tale.