Hello, this is Carl Raymond, host of the Gilded Gentleman History podcast,

where every two weeks we journey into worlds light and dark

of history's most glittering eras.

In March of 1883, when Alva Vanderbilt threw her famous costume ball, guests were asked to come as historical, literary, or mythical characters.

Some, however, pushed their imaginations and their expectations of that gilded society, and they came as whatever or whomever they liked.

Alice Vanderbilt, as we know, showed up representing electric light.

One guest came dressed as a hornet.

And one young woman, Miss Kate Strong, about whom history has left us very little, came as, well, a cat.

Cats were indeed part of Gilded Age society and certainly everyday life, but perhaps not as we might think.

As domestic pets, they were uncommon, and you may be surprised to find out that a number of cats actually

worked for the city. This episode takes a look at our feline friends during New York's

Guilded Age at the end of the 19th century. You'll be introduced to some very special cats,

some very famous cats, and some very important caretakers.

Joining me today is unofficial cat historian and author Peggy Gavin to share her research

and work to document the world of cats in Gilded Age, New York.

Peggy is the author of the Cat Men of Gotham and The Bravest Pets of Gotham, published by Rutgers

University Press.

She is also a licensed New York City tour guide and co-founder of Cats About Town Walking Tours,

the first ever New York City walking tour company for cat lovers.

Her website, The Hatching Cat of Gotham, which has been featured in Newsweek magazine and

The New York Times, contains more than 400 true and amazing animal tales of Old New York. Oh gosh, Peggy. I'm so glad you're here,

and I'm so excited that you're here. We've been talking about this show for a while, and all my

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