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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.
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.
254 pages, Hardcover
First published May 3, 2019
8 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 13, 2019
I learned about this book several months ago. It fascinated me! I couldn't wait to get a copy of it. What a unique subject to research! If you love old New York, history and cats-you will adore this book. I learned so much New York (even though I am a native New Yorker), and the pictures were an entertaining added bonus. This may turn out to be my favorite non-fiction book of 2019!
May 2, 2019
A must read for cat people.
It's well written, well researched and engaging.
Some stories were moving, all of them interesting.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
It's well written, well researched and engaging.
Some stories were moving, all of them interesting.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
June 25, 2019
I enjoyed this, but to be honest I only really read it for the bits about the cats and could care less about the cat men or the buildings or whatever else she rambles about.
February 1, 2021
This book is not necessarily bad, but I cannot for the life of me figure out who the intended audience is. The cover and title might lead one to assume that this is a heartwarming collection of stories about interesting cats and their bonds with humans. In actuality this book is about 70% trivia about various buildings and plots of land (and for the most part, not very interesting trivia -- long stretches of this book feel like a real estate ledger), 20% horrific cat deaths (including an introduction almost entirely about kitty massacres), with the remaining 10% being the fun cat stories one might expect. It is unquestionably a very thorough and well-researched book, but I can't recommend it unless your idea of a good time is pages and pages on who owned various bits of land in New York followed by detailed accounts of all the ways in which kitties can be killed.
July 5, 2021
I was very disappointed. If one is reading it for stories about cats, there are nowhere near enough. It seems as though the author had a good idea, but not enough material. So we get lots of information about the offices or other buildings that cats lived in — and their stories, at least as much as is known. The author is an excellent researcher so there is lots of information about fire houses, police stations, hotels, and other buildings where stories about cats occur. Cats appear primarily as mousers, and in a number of these stories there often are too many cats so authorities pick up a number to destroy. And more often than not the stories of the cats just fade away since it’s not clear what happened to them and the author sometimes conjectures the latter part of their lives.
October 26, 2020
In a paraphrase from Hamlet: More cat, less etcetera.
With a title of The Cat Men of Gotham, one would anticipate a book chock full of cat tales. Instead there are mere snippets of cat vignettes, with much (too much) filler about people and buildings found within Old New York’s history.
The cat stories are truly interesting, the rest? Not so much. Judicious scanning was required to finish the book.
Perhaps a children’s book with only the cat stories might have been a better plan, with an adult book about Old New York as a separate release.
With a title of The Cat Men of Gotham, one would anticipate a book chock full of cat tales. Instead there are mere snippets of cat vignettes, with much (too much) filler about people and buildings found within Old New York’s history.
The cat stories are truly interesting, the rest? Not so much. Judicious scanning was required to finish the book.
Perhaps a children’s book with only the cat stories might have been a better plan, with an adult book about Old New York as a separate release.
June 9, 2019
This book is well written, the author clearly did her research. I would have given it 5 stars , but there was a lot of sadness in it which made me feel bad. Too many cats had tragic endings and I did not enjoy reading about that. Keeping that in mind, it is very interesting. Cats are all over the internet now and everyone seems to love them, but this book shows cats have always been loved in NYC.
July 28, 2019
Entertaining, detailed, educational fun read.
What a beautiful book about the important historical significance of cats. It covers primarily later dates, and that's what's so fascinating. Cats with police, firefighters, artists, hotel's, hospitality, and the pictures are heartwarming. The writing style is easy to read and I can tell she put her heart and soul into researching the accuracy of these amazing felines.
I couldn't put the book down, delightful read.
What a beautiful book about the important historical significance of cats. It covers primarily later dates, and that's what's so fascinating. Cats with police, firefighters, artists, hotel's, hospitality, and the pictures are heartwarming. The writing style is easy to read and I can tell she put her heart and soul into researching the accuracy of these amazing felines.
I couldn't put the book down, delightful read.
August 10, 2019
The perfect read for anyone who loves cats and is also interested in NYC history. There's actually more in this book about Old New York, than there is about the cats who inhabited it at the time, which made it boring at times. But, I guess the book would only have been a pamphlet if the author hadn't done that.
September 10, 2019
A very interesting read with great history on the cats NYC.
September 19, 2019
Very well-researched, lots of details about New York City history and its (sometimes beloved) cats. Nice to know there have been crazy cat-lovers throughout history.
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October 7, 2019More so a history of NYC was hoping focus would be more on the cats
October 21, 2019
Mostly history of NYC, its buildings and personages, very little mention of cats or there interactions within the city.
January 16, 2020
This is full with so much history of NY plus with Cats.
May 5, 2020
Entertaining history of not just cats in NYC but also NYC itself.
November 26, 2022
I really enjoyed this book, the tales were lovely. Hope there is a book about Cat Women.
February 22, 2023
2.5/ 3 stars for the small info about the actual cats found in this book. 1-2 stars for the tidbits that pad out the rest that doesn't have anything to do with cats.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews