NYC Cat History Stories, Page 6 | Cats About Town Tours

1879: Spitz and the Coin-Laden Cats and Dogs on East Broadway in the Lower East Side

Picture this: It’s 1879 on the Lower East Side. In a small attic room, a gang of cats and dogs are strutting around, their collars glittering not with bells, but with old Chinese coins, English sixpennies, and Mexican silver.

Vintage Archive

1871: Rosalie Goodman, the Crazy Cat Lady of New York’s Lower East Side

1871

Well, let me tell you about one of the neighborhood's most unforgettable characters—a woman who ran a feline empire from a tiny, crumbling house right where the park stands today.