Johnny was a fancy-schmancy feline. So it’s no surprise that the pampered pet lived in one of the fanciest apartment buildings in Brooklyn Heights, at 62 Montague Street. Johnny was a black Persian cat owned by Mrs. Gordon Gray (nee Jane Donaldson Myers). Jane Gray was a childless widow and a proud Daughter of the […]
Posts Tagged ‘Cats of Old New York’
1930s: Johnny and Snooky, the Aristocratic Cats of Montague Street
Posted: 20th August 2026 by The Hatching Cat in Cat StoriesTags: 62 Montague Street, Anna Juliette Osborn, Cats of Old New York, Jane Donaldson Myers, Lady Mary wortley Montagu
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Hatching Cat Talks Grimalkins on the Gilded Gentleman
Posted: 22nd May 2026 by The Hatching Cat in Cat StoriesTags: Cat Stories, Cats of Old New York, New York City History
A few months ago, I had the pleasure of being the guest of Carl Raymond on his popular podcast, The Gilded Gentleman. Carl started his podcast in 2021, and it is now at an impressive #21 on Apple’s top history podcasts. During the hour-long program, I share many of my favorite cat stories of Old […]
1905: Malta, the Wandering Cat of NYC Financier Russell Sage
Posted: 20th February 2026 by The Hatching Cat in Cat StoriesTags: Cats of Old New York, Columbia University, Elgin Botanic Garden, Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage, New York City History, Russell Sage
New York City financier Russell Sage, aka Uncle Russell, had a reputation on Wall Street as being a spendthrift, a workaholic, and a ruthless money lender without emotion. So when he failed to show up at work after offering a $10 reward for the return of his missing cat, his financial cronies thought he’d gone mad.
1884: Peter, the Feline Muse of Famous Cat Artist Louis Wain
Posted: 15th November 2025 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Men, Cat StoriesTags: Cat artist, Cats of Old New York, Emily Marie Richardson, Famous cat painters, Louis Wain
Cat artist Louis William Wain was not a New Yorker but he did live in New York for a few years, so there is a New York City connection to his amazing life story. In this post. I share some of Wain’s reflections on Peter, his pet cat, and on New York City cats in general. (I even found out exactly where he lived when he was in New York City.)
1893: A Crazy Cat Tale From Hart Street, Bushwick
Posted: 10th October 2025 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Stories, Cats in the MewsTags: Adolph H. Goetting, Bushwick, Cats of Old New York, Hart Street, Theodore Loeffler
Sometimes I find a ridiculously absurd story that isn’t specifically about a cat or dog or other animal, but I can’t resist sharing it. This crazy “cat tale” of New York City’s Gilded Age involves a two-family home on Hart Street in Bushwick, Brooklyn, a large hole in the ceiling, an even larger sabre, a bit of indecent exposure (for those days), a court hearing, a street chase, and a few cameo appearances by an unnamed cat.
