The Cat Men of Gotham: Tales of Feline Friendships in Old New York
Winner of the 2019 Certificate of Excellence and MUSE Medallion from the Cat Writers Association

The nineteenth century was a rough time to be a stray cat in New York City. The city’s human residents dealt with feline overpopulation by gassing unwanted cats or tossing them in rivers. But a few lucky strays were found by a diverse array of men—including firemen, cops, athletes, and politicians—who rescued them from the streets and welcomed them into their homes and hearts.
 
This book tells the stories of these heroic cat men of Gotham and their beloved feline companions. Not only does it introduce us to some remarkable men, but we get to meet many extraordinary cats as well, from Chinese stowaways prowling the Chelsea Piers to the sole feline survivor of the USS Maine explosion. Among the forty-two profiles, we find many feline Cinderella stories, as humble alley cats achieved renown as sports team mascots, artists’ muses, and even presidential pets.
 
Sure to appeal to cat fanciers and history fans alike, The Cat Men of Gotham will give you a new appreciation for Old New York and the people and animals who made it their home. As it takes you on a journey through the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn, it will amuse and astound you with tales of powerful men and their pussycats.
1129563681
The Cat Men of Gotham: Tales of Feline Friendships in Old New York
Winner of the 2019 Certificate of Excellence and MUSE Medallion from the Cat Writers Association

The nineteenth century was a rough time to be a stray cat in New York City. The city’s human residents dealt with feline overpopulation by gassing unwanted cats or tossing them in rivers. But a few lucky strays were found by a diverse array of men—including firemen, cops, athletes, and politicians—who rescued them from the streets and welcomed them into their homes and hearts.
 
This book tells the stories of these heroic cat men of Gotham and their beloved feline companions. Not only does it introduce us to some remarkable men, but we get to meet many extraordinary cats as well, from Chinese stowaways prowling the Chelsea Piers to the sole feline survivor of the USS Maine explosion. Among the forty-two profiles, we find many feline Cinderella stories, as humble alley cats achieved renown as sports team mascots, artists’ muses, and even presidential pets.
 
Sure to appeal to cat fanciers and history fans alike, The Cat Men of Gotham will give you a new appreciation for Old New York and the people and animals who made it their home. As it takes you on a journey through the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn, it will amuse and astound you with tales of powerful men and their pussycats.
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The Cat Men of Gotham: Tales of Feline Friendships in Old New York

The Cat Men of Gotham: Tales of Feline Friendships in Old New York

by Peggy Gavan
The Cat Men of Gotham: Tales of Feline Friendships in Old New York

The Cat Men of Gotham: Tales of Feline Friendships in Old New York

by Peggy Gavan

Hardcover(None)

$22.95 
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Overview

Winner of the 2019 Certificate of Excellence and MUSE Medallion from the Cat Writers Association

The nineteenth century was a rough time to be a stray cat in New York City. The city’s human residents dealt with feline overpopulation by gassing unwanted cats or tossing them in rivers. But a few lucky strays were found by a diverse array of men—including firemen, cops, athletes, and politicians—who rescued them from the streets and welcomed them into their homes and hearts.
 
This book tells the stories of these heroic cat men of Gotham and their beloved feline companions. Not only does it introduce us to some remarkable men, but we get to meet many extraordinary cats as well, from Chinese stowaways prowling the Chelsea Piers to the sole feline survivor of the USS Maine explosion. Among the forty-two profiles, we find many feline Cinderella stories, as humble alley cats achieved renown as sports team mascots, artists’ muses, and even presidential pets.
 
Sure to appeal to cat fanciers and history fans alike, The Cat Men of Gotham will give you a new appreciation for Old New York and the people and animals who made it their home. As it takes you on a journey through the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn, it will amuse and astound you with tales of powerful men and their pussycats.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781978800229
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Publication date: 05/03/2019
Edition description: None
Pages: 254
Product dimensions: 5.60(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range: 16 - 18 Years

About the Author

PEGGY GAVAN is a journalist and senior editor who lives in Warwick, New York. She is the author of several children’s books and the blog The Hatching Cat: True and Unusual Animal Tales of Old New York, which has been profiled in Newsweek and the New York Times.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 Seafaring Cats 5

1893: The Brave and Brawny Cats of the Brooklyn: Navy Yard 7

1898: Tom, the Old Navy Cat Who Survived the USS Maine Explosion 12

1917-1922; Woo-Ki, Tai-Wan, and the Refugee Pirate Cats of Chelsea Piers 16

1929: Olaf, the Viking Cat Rescued at Sea En Route to Brooklyn 19

1933: Tommy Mulligan, the Norton's Point Lighthouse Cat of Coney Island 22

2 Police Cats 28

1893: The Tombs' Feline Warden That Befriended Prisoners on Murderers' Row 30

1904-1911: Pete and Bill, the Bronx Mousers on the Job in Morrisania 36

1909: Claude, the Police Cat of East Harlem Who Did Justice to a Red Fox 41

1911: Buster and Topsy, the Rival Feline Mascots of the Lower East Side 44

1915: Sir Tom, the Rural Police Cat of Washington Heights 50

1934: Arson and Homicide, the Fiat-Footed Felines of Police Headquarters 57

3 Fire Cats 62

1886: The Ten Lives of Hero, the Fire Cat of Engine Company No. 1 in Chelsea 64

1894: Ginger, the Shipbuilders' Fire Cat of the Lower East Side 71

1895: Tootsy, the Feline Firefighter of Engine Company No. 27 74

1896: Peter and Chops, the Ebony and Ivory Fire Cats of the Flatiron District 77

1913: Peter, the Pole-Sliding Fire Cat of Bushwick, Brooklyn 81

1924: Smoke, the Famous Lafayette Street Firehouse Cat Who Went on Strike 84

4 Artist and Editorial Cats 90

1884: Mutilator and the Legendary Newspaper Office Cats of the New York Sun 92

1891: Princess, Josephine, and the 101 Feline Models of the Cat Artist J. H. Dolph 97

1895: Taffy, the Laird, and the Clowder of Town Topics Office Cats 102

1905: Bambino, the City Cat Who Stole Away from Mark Twain 106

5 Hospitality Cats 113

1920: Minnie, the Female Mouser of a Manhattan Men-Only Speakeasy 115

1928: Abe, the Times Square Tiger Cat Who Refused to Scat from the Hotel Lincoln 120

1936: Rusty, the Famous Feline Host of the Algonquin Hotel 124

6 Theatrical and Show Cats 129

1877-1881: The Felines of the Cat Congress on Bowery and Broadway 130

1888: Union Square Jim, the Mascot Cat of the Union Square Theatre 135

1895: Nicodemus, the Prize-Winning Alley Cat of the Prankster Brian G. Hughes 142

1932: Tommy Casanova, the Lady-Killer Cat Mascot of The Lambs 147

7 Civil Servant Cats 152

1891: Old Tom, the Brazen, Pampered Pet of New York City Hall 154

1904: The Feline Police Squad of New York's General Post Office 160

1904: Jerry Fox, the Spectacled Cat of Brooklyn Who Saved Borough Hall 165

1930: Tammany, the Democratic Boss Cat of New York City Hall 171

1939: Snooky, the Sophisticated, Salmon-Loving Cat of New York City Hall 175

8 Good-Luck Cats 178

1905: Bright Eyes, the Good-Luck Kitten of the Battery-Joralemon Street Tunnel 180

1910: Trent, the Airship Mascot Cat Who Wowed the Crowd at Gimbels 185

1927: Ranger I and Ranger III, the Mascot Cats of the New York Rangers 190

1927: Victory, the Feline Good-Luck Charm of the Brooklyn Robins 197

9 Lucky Cats 201

1899: Olympia, the Dewey Arch Cat, and Her Lucky Christmas Kittens 202

1904 and 1908: Holey and Gittel, the Cats with Ten Lives on the Lower East Side 206

1906: The East Harlem Cats Bequeathed to President Theodore Roosevelt 212

1912: Kaiser, the Feline Survivor of the Great Equitable Life Building Fire 217

1925: Blackie, the Mother Mouser Who Stopped Traffic on Lafayette Street 226

Suggestions for Further Reading 231

Notes 233

Index 269

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