This New Book Tells The Incredible Feline Friendship Tales in Old New York

"The Cat Men of Gotham" is a pawsome new book written by Peggy Gavan and provides a historical glimpse into the lives of stray cats living in harsh New York City at the turn of the century. 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 group of cat men including firemen, cops, athletes, and politicians, who rescued them from the streets and welcomed them into their homes and hearts.

The book is divided into nine sections: seafaring cats, police cats, fire cats, artist/editorial cats, hospitality cats, theatrical cats, civil servant cats, good-luck cats, and lucky cats. Each section provides a collection of short stories, each from different time periods. Gavan artistically balances both factual evidence and heart-warming details to create a book full of engrossing tales of feline-human relations.

Here are some of the heartwarming photos and stories from this new book.

01

via HatchingCatNYC
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02
Two weeks before Christmas 1899, a large grey cat gave birth to kittens inside a large hole in the Dewey Arch sculpture on Fifth Avenue. Many men came to her rescue, providing food and bedding for the mama cat and her litter.

via Library of congress
03
Paris-London was the kitty co-pilot of pioneer aviator John Moissant. In 1910, the dynamic cat-man duo won a race flying around the Statue of Liberty.

via Library of congress
04
16 days after the great Equitable Life Building fire in 1912, a crew of workmen rescued Kaiser, the building’s chief mouser, who survived in the basement while the building burned.

via Library of congress
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05
Melvin Vaniman and his good-luck cat, Trent, about the steamship Trent in October 1910.

via Library of congress
06
Crewmen of the USS Olympia on deck with their two ship cats in 1898. Note the one sailor playing with a cat using a mirror and sunlight.

via Photograph by George Grantham, courtesy of the Naval History & Heritage Command.
07
Many photographers took photos of Olaf the Nordic cat upon his ship’s arrival in Brooklyn in 1929. Here he is with one of his rescuers, Fourth Mate Hjalmar Larson.

via Library of congress
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08
The Algonquin Hotel has had a cat in residence since 1921, starting with Billy and then Rusty.

via Photo courtesy of Algonquin Hotel.

Hamlet, the newest cat (above), arrived at the hotel in 2017.
09
The French Renaissance firehouse at 87 Lafayette Street had many mascot cats in the late 1800’s, including Smoke, a cat who could catch balls and slide down the pole on demand.

via LibrRY OF CONGRESS

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This New Book Tells The Incredible Feline Friendship Tales in Old New York

Two weeks before Christmas 1899, a large grey cat gave birth to kittens inside a large hole in the Dewey Arch sculpture on Fifth Avenue. Many men came to her rescue, providing food and bedding for the mama cat and her litter.

Paris-London was the kitty co-pilot of pioneer aviator John Moissant. In 1910, the dynamic cat-man duo won a race flying around the Statue of Liberty.

16 days after the great Equitable Life Building fire in 1912, a crew of workmen rescued Kaiser, the building’s chief mouser, who survived in the basement while the building burned.

Melvin Vaniman and his good-luck cat, Trent, about the steamship Trent in October 1910.

Crewmen of the USS Olympia on deck with their two ship cats in 1898. Note the one sailor playing with a cat using a mirror and sunlight.

Many photographers took photos of Olaf the Nordic cat upon his ship’s arrival in Brooklyn in 1929. Here he is with one of his rescuers, Fourth Mate Hjalmar Larson.

The Algonquin Hotel has had a cat in residence since 1921, starting with Billy and then Rusty.

The French Renaissance firehouse at 87 Lafayette Street had many mascot cats in the late 1800’s, including Smoke, a cat who could catch balls and slide down the pole on demand.

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