The Cat Museum of New York City

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The Cat Museum of New York City A proposed NYC art museum to support the local community of cats and the humans who care for them.

The Cat Museum of New York City is a proposed institution for arts-based public education about cats, our relationships with them, their role in culture today and throughout history, and the environments they inhabit (especially urban ecosystems like NYC). Programming will include art and photography exhibitions, books, gift shop merchandise, and educational workshops on how to care for and better understand cats and encourage getting involved in cat rescue, TNR, adoption/fostering, and more. Our art exhibitions, special event programming, and online resources (through social media and our website) will connect people with information about:

-How best to care for cats as pets throughout their lives, including health and veterinary care, behavior, and enrichment
-Rescue, adoption, and other efforts to improve the lives of felines and lessen the suffering of cats, birds, and other species
-Interesting pop culture about cats

We will also amplify the efforts of rescuers, shelters, artists, and others whose work supports these initiatives. It’s clear that solutions to issues affecting cats will be more effective if they are systemic. We apply a lens not just of animal welfare and art, but also compassion for the humans who want to lessen the suffering of animals and make art that celebrates cats. These individuals include BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and low-income communities; women; those afflicted by mental illness; and others who have historically been discriminated against, ignored/erased, or stigmatized by the general public, traditional animal welfare organizations, and art institutions. For our work in cat-related art, we believe in supporting artists’ rights, the public’s access to art and information, and promoting ethical practices. Our gift shop purchasing and production will prioritize products that support original artists/designers, mom-and-pop businesses and ethical independent vendors, the local economy, sustainability, environmental justice, and social justice.

Cat lovers turned Amsterdam Ave into a runway at our October 17 market event. We loved seeing the cute feline accents fo...
10/18/2026

Cat lovers turned Amsterdam Ave into a runway at our October 17 market event. We loved seeing the cute feline accents folks sported while waiting for a pet portrait or shopping for merch (thanks for braving the cold!). And we had some generally fashionable guests, volunteers, and artists to boot! Photographer Jen O’Brien, NYC captured it all. Thanks to Kate Cascone for the table and generous welcome to the Upper West Side.

🐆 😎 Here, our ameowzing volunteer pet sketch artist Brandi ☆ Custom Art ☆ Live Painter wears leopard print while drawing one of your feline muses.



Director Jenny Pierson in a Louis Wain hat from Meow Parlour and the always colorful and fun fashion-forward Gemma Smith of Catbaret! (check her out before Meowloween and get tickets to the Catbaret show—use discount MEOWJENNY for $10 off!).

Photo by Jen O’Brien, NYC.

Closeup and T-shirt reveal: Director Jenny Pierson wearing her sweatshirt featuring our meowscot Churro and Gemma Smith of Catbaret! wearing her Lion-O shirt (check her out before Meowloween and get tickets to the Catbaret show—use discount MEOWJENNY for $10 off!). Both women and their cats (Gemma has another named Luna!) have been featured on Girls and Their Cats.

Photo by Jen O’Brien, NYC.

Closeup: Director Jenny Pierson in her sweatshirt of our meowscot Churro.

Photo by Jen O’Brien, NYC.

Volunteer Tony dressed to the nines!
Photo by Jen O’Brien, NYC.

Our fantastic volunteer pet sketch artist Maxwell drew Lunita Pomsky (who dressed as a cat for the occasion!) and her mom, who donned cat ears.

Photo by Jen O’Brien, NYC.


Cat earrings on a guest.

Photo by Jen O’Brien, NYC.



Leopard print and purple cat fleece from our guests.

Photo by Jen O’Brien, NYC.



Closeup of the purple cat fleece and a fun decorated Strand Book Store, NYC tote bag.

Photo by Jen O’Brien, NYC.

A fabulous necklace on a guest.

Photo by Jen O’Brien, NYC.


Some federal fashion while choosing an ornament from local artist Sketchy Pets by Emma, who donated some merchandise for museum fundraising.

Photo by Jen O’Brien, NYC.

🐾 Meet your pet’s portrait artists! This weekend at the Amsterdam Open Streets Pop-Up Market, two incredible sketch arti...
10/16/2026

🐾 Meet your pet’s portrait artists! This weekend at the Amsterdam Open Streets Pop-Up Market, two incredible sketch artists are bringing your fur babies to life—one donation at a time.

🎨 Maxwell Eakle (Maxwell) is at the booth 12–3pm, pen in hand, ready to capture your pet’s personality in bold ink strokes.

🎨 Brandi Monard (Brandi ☆ Custom Art ☆ Live Painter) takes over 3–5pm with her expressive, keepsake-worthy illustration style.

Get a free pet sketch with any $10+ donation to the Cat Museum of New York City—helping them build a permanent home for cat lovers, cat art, and community. 🐱🏛️

📍 Amsterdam Open Streets Pop-Up Market (Kate Cascone)
🗓️ Saturday, October 17
🕐 Sketches: 12–5pm

Link in bio to learn more about markets & tabling events. Every donation counts! 🐾



Please leave your cats at home—the artists will work from a photo.

🐾 NYC illustrator Maxwell Eakle (Maxwell) is sketching your pets live at the Amsterdam Open Streets Pop-Up Market Saturday, October 17, 12–3pm—and all it takes is a $10+ donation to the Cat Museum of NYC to take home a one-of-a-kind portrait. 🐱✏️

Maxwell’s bold, graphic pen-and-ink style turns pets into instant works of art. Don’t miss your window—he’s only there until 3pm!

📍 Amsterdam Open Streets Pop-Up Market | Saturday, October 17 | 12–3pm 💛 Free sketch with $10+ donation to The Cat Museum of New York City

PetArt

Please leave your cats at home—the artists will work from a photo.

🐾 Brandi Monard (Brandi ☆ Custom Art ☆ Live Painter) is at the Amsterdam Open Streets Pop-Up Market Saturday, October 17, 3–5pm, sketching your pets live in her stunning illustrative style. ✨

With a background creating art for Disney, Cartoon Network, and Marvel, Brandi brings real magic to every portrait—and yours is free with a $10+ donation to the Cat Museum of New York City. 🐱🏛️

📍 Amsterdam Open Streets Pop-Up Market | Saturday, October 17 | 3–5pm 💛 Free sketch with $10+ donation to The Cat Museum of New York City

PetArt SketchArtist

Please leave your cats at home—the artists will work from a photo.

Out: blessing of the animals. In: animals blessing us. Ratty is the beloved shop cat at Caseys Rubber Stamps, and she bl...
10/13/2026

Out: blessing of the animals. In: animals blessing us. Ratty is the beloved shop cat at Caseys Rubber Stamps, and she blessed our stamp ahead of us using it for pet sketch packaging at our October 17 event at Amsterdam and 106th Street (12-5pm). Stop by, donate $10 per pet, and get a pet sketch from a photo by Maxwell (12-3pm) or Brandi ☆ Custom Art ☆ Live Painter (3-5pm) festooned with this Ratty-blessed stamp of our current logo. Ratty also blessed a business card, an exclusive item that you can pick up there.

10/13/2026

🎃🐱 Spooky season meets cozy-up-with-your-cat season on the Upper West Side this Saturday!
Join us at Amsterdam Ave Open Streets—October 17, noon–5pm at W 106th St & Amsterdam Ave. (Please leave your cats at home!)
🎨 FREE pet portrait sketch from a photo with every $10 donation to the museum (1–5pm)� 🛍️ Cat-loving artist market—prints, notepads, sticky notes, ornaments & more� 🎟️ Raffle with every $10+ donation
That gorgeous Halloween art was created by our very own sketch artist Maxwell 🌙 Come meet him—and Brandi ☆ Custom Art ☆ Live Painter—at the table! Thanks to Kate Cascone for the collab 🧡 ✨
Free & open to all 🐾 See you Saturday!
📍 W 106th St & Amsterdam Ave · Upper West Side� 🕛 12–5pm (sketches 1pm–5pm)

Mark your calendar! 📅 The Cat Museum of NYC is tabling at Amsterdam Open Streets / On Air Markets on Saturday, October 1...
10/13/2026

Mark your calendar! 📅 The Cat Museum of NYC is tabling at Amsterdam Open Streets / On Air Markets on Saturday, October 17. 🐱 Come find us, get a pet sketch (from a photo), say hello, shop our merch, and learn about our mission to bring a real cat museum to New York City.

Attend the Heidi Wrangles Cats Doc screening and q&a with us. The film stars full-time rescuer Heidi Systo (Heidi Wrangl...
10/11/2026

Attend the Heidi Wrangles Cats Doc screening and q&a with us. The film stars full-time rescuer Heidi Systo (Heidi Wrangles Cats) and is a tight, one-hour glimpse into the life of a cat rescuer. The Q&A after, featuring Allie Taylor (Feldman) of the Mayor's Office of Animal Welfare, featured an insightful discussion of what obstacles NYC rescuers face and what legislation (such as Intro 1029) can do to mitigate them.

Filmmaker Douglas Murray talks about how he decided to film Heidi Wrangles Cats for Heidi Wrangles Cats Doc through his own backyard TNR experience.

The Q&A after the film, featuring Allie Taylor (Feldman) of the Mayor's Office of Animal Welfare and rescuer Heidi Wrangles Cats, featured an insightful discussion of what obstacles NYC rescuers face and what legislation (such as Intro 1029) can do to mitigate them.

The Q&A after the film, featuring Allie Taylor (Feldman) of the Mayor's Office of Animal Welfare and rescuer Heidi Wrangles Cats, featured an insightful discussion of what obstacles NYC rescuers face and what legislation (such as Intro 1029) can do to mitigate them.

The Q&A after the film, featuring Allie Taylor (Feldman) of the Mayor's Office of Animal Welfare and rescuer Heidi Wrangles Cats, featured an insightful discussion of what obstacles NYC rescuers face and what legislation (such as Intro 1029) can do to mitigate them.

The Q&A after the film, featuring Allie Taylor (Feldman) of the Mayor's Office of Animal Welfare and rescuer Heidi Wrangles Cats, featured an insightful discussion of what obstacles NYC rescuers face and what legislation (such as Intro 1029) can do to mitigate them.

The Q&A after the film, featuring Allie Taylor (Feldman) of the Mayor's Office of Animal Welfare and rescuer Heidi Wrangles Cats, featured an insightful discussion of what obstacles NYC rescuers face and what legislation (such as Intro 1029) can do to mitigate them.

The Q&A after the film, featuring Allie Taylor (Feldman) of the Mayor's Office of Animal Welfare and rescuer Heidi Wrangles Cats, featured an insightful discussion of what obstacles NYC rescuers face and what legislation (such as Intro 1029) can do to mitigate them.

The Q&A after the film, featuring Allie Taylor (Feldman) of the Mayor's Office o

October 8 is national ! 🐾✨Did you know you might have a "hidden" stash of funds ready to help us secure a space for the...
10/08/2026

October 8 is national ! 🐾✨

Did you know you might have a "hidden" stash of funds ready to help us secure a space for the Cat Museum of New York City? If you use a Donor-Advised Fund (like Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, or Vanguard Charitable), this is the ultimate day to put those pre-committed charitable dollars to work!
You’ve already set the money aside for good—now you just have to choose where it goes.

How to send a gift from your fund today:
1️⃣ Log into your DAF online portal (like Fidelity or Schwab).
2️⃣ Search for our official name: The Cat Museum of New York City 🗽
3️⃣ Choose your gift amount and submit!

(Note: Please check the box to share your name and address with us when you submit, so we can properly thank you and send you a receipt! 🐾)

🔗 No DAF? No problem! Every single dollar helps us keep doing what we do. Head to the donate page link in our bio to find our DAF details or make a standard donation via GiveButter!
❤️

10/06/2026

We love you, Ratty 😻 of Caseys Rubber Stamps, which is making something special for our upcoming 10/17 market at Amsterdam and 106th with Kate Cascone. Ratty loves being a shop cat. Wait for the blessing of the licks, stay for the establishment of boundaries 😾

We just made our first acquisition of a historical work—and we couldn't be more excited to share it.This pencil and wate...
10/01/2026

We just made our first acquisition of a historical work—and we couldn't be more excited to share it.

This pencil and watercolor by Henriette Ronner-Knip (1821–1909)—one of the Victorian era's most celebrated painters of cats—came to us by way of one of the most extraordinary cat art collections ever assembled: the Sandy Lerner Collection, auctioned this week at Bonhams. Before that, it passed through the Count Alarico Palmieri Collection and Christie's London.

Ronner-Knip kept a special glass cabinet in her studio so cats and kittens could play and rest while she observed and painted them from life. That care shows in every piece she made.

The Cat Museum of NYC doesn't have a permanent home yet; but we're building toward one, and this is what we'll put on the walls when we get there. 🐾

Going once... Going twice... Hunting mice... attend the auction of the Sandy Lerner collection of cat art at Bonhams wit...
09/30/2026

Going once... Going twice... Hunting mice... attend the auction of the Sandy Lerner collection of cat art at Bonhams with us. We hope whoever wins considers loaning their pieces with us to democratize cat art and make it accessible to the public, once we open our brick-and-mortar space! Artists featured here include Matisse, Foujita, Botero, Steinlen, Warhol, and Picasso.

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New York, NY
10003

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+19175125357

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