1895: Mike, The Williamsburg Post Office Cat Almost Mailed Overseas
Picture this: It’s 1895 in Brooklyn, long before the internet, but a story is about to unfold that would have absolutely gone viral.
Cats About Town Tours
NYC Cat Stories
Old newspaper stories, court records, photos, and forgotten city oddities, researched by Peggy Gavan of The Hatching Cat.
1895: Nicodemus, the Prize-Winning Alley Cat of New York Prankster Brian Hughes
New York City has seen its share of characters, but have you ever heard of the prize-winning alley cat who had his own personal nurse and daily deliveries of ice cream? Yes, you read that right.
1894: Dan, the Miraculous Shrinking Cat of FDNY Engine Company 40
New York City has seen its share of unbelievable stories, but have you ever heard the one about the cat who miraculously shrank from 48 pounds down to just eight? Yes, you read that right.
1894: The International Alley Cats of Poverty Hollow at Pitt Street and Broome Street
Imagine strolling through the Lower East Side at night in the 1890s. The usual clamor of the city has faded, and as you approach the corner of Broome and Pitt Streets, you see them. Dozens of them. A silent, expectant army of cats. “American cats.
1894: The Hobo Horse and Morgan Phillips, the Old Circus Man of Cherry Street
Imagine pitching a tent in Lower Manhattan today, just a stone's throw from the Brooklyn Bridge. Now, imagine sharing that tent with your family, a couple of dogs, and a full-sized horse. Sounds impossible, right?
1893: The Tombs’ Black Cat That Befriended Prisoners on Murderers’ Row
Next time you’re walking near City Hall, picture this: it’s the 1890s, and just a block away stands a terrifying, gothic-style prison nicknamed “The Tombs.” It’s a place of misery and despair, home to the city’s most dangerous criminals.
1891: Old Tom Cat, the Brazen Pampered Pet of New York City Hall
Ever walk past New York’s magnificent City Hall and wonder about the secrets hidden within its walls? Forget politicians and power deals for a moment.
1890: The Crazy Cat Ladies and The Murderous Midnight Band of Mercy, Part I
Picture this: It’s 1890s New York. Horse-drawn carriages clatter down cobblestone streets, gas lamps flicker to life at dusk, and a group of prim Victorian ladies are about to start a cat shelter. Sounds wholesome, right?
1888: Cozey Bell, the Skye Terrier Almost Buried at Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx
Ever loved a pet so much you wanted them to have a better funeral than most people? In 1888, one New York City woman did just that, sparking a city-wide scandal that went all the way to the prestigious Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.
1886: General Muff, the Sophisticated Literary Cat of New York’s Upper East Side
General Muff, a handsome Maltese cat, poses in one of his many fancy collars—this one reportedly crafted in the Azores. Picture the Upper East Side in the 1880s.
1884: Mutilator and the Legendary Newspaper Office Cats of The Sun
Meet Mutilator, a descendant of The Sun newspaper’s very first office cat, who allegedly had an insatiable appetite for the news. Photo from 1900. Ever heard a cat described as a "sharp-toothed censor of copy"? Probably not.
1883: Ned, the First Cat to Cross Over the New Brooklyn Bridge
When you walk across the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, who do you imagine was the first to make that historic trip? President Chester A. Arthur? The legendary engineer Emily Warren Roebling? Maybe even P.T. Barnum’s famous elephants?