'No One Else Is Doing This!' Inside the Most Unique Walking Tour in New York City (Exclusive)

Everyone in New York City has a history ... even the cats!

Peggy Gavan knowns the moments in which cats played a pivotal role in New York City better than most. Gavan was already an animal historian when she started her blog, Hatching Cat of Gotham. After getting some recognition from the hundreds of stories on the site, Rutgers University Press approached her about writing books on the subject. In the process, she became known in the industry as an expert on cats in New York City history.

It was in 2023 when Gavan agreed to be part of CheddarTV's documentary about cats of Old New York that she met Dan Rimada, founder of Bodega Cats of New York.

"About a week or so after the documentary came out, I got an email from Dan saying, 'Hey, I'd really love to do a walking tour with cats. It's not really my wheelhouse, you're more the expert.' I got right back to him. I said, 'Dan, I can't believe it. I got my tour guide license literally a month before COVID lockdown. I've never gotten to use it.'"

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Related: Minnesota Man Starts Cat Tour in His Historic Neighborhood as a Joke. Now, Hundreds Show Up Every Year (Exclusive)

Gavan had previously considered cat-themed tours herself and quickly found Rimada to be a perfect match in bringing the vision to life.

"It just came together so perfectly because Dan is a whiz at designing websites and knows he can handle all the logistics, the scheduling. He knew how to do all of that and on the content expert. So within a week, we had a name and had the website up and running. We had a press release out. I just couldn't believe how it all came together so smoothly."

The pair worked together virtually to bring the Cats About Town (CAT) Walking Tours to New York City and have found a lot of fun and success in the process.

"We really clicked. We work well together. We started doing tours in August, and they've been selling out. We've gotten a lot of publicity. No one else is doing this. We're the only ones. When we're on the tours, I have my sign and my cat ear outfit and I get so many people taking pictures. Everybody laughs and they share how they think this is such a great idea," she says. "It's been way more successful than I think Dan and I could have ever dreamed of. We're looking to hire a couple more tour guides and have more tours lined up, so it's going really well."

There are currently two different tour options, with a third to be added this year.

"Right now, we have two different tours. The Brooklyn Heights Tour lasts about two hours, depending on the size and pace of the group. It's about two miles of walking and we basically make a rectangle in Brooklyn Heights. We start at Royal Whitman Park and wind our way around to Brooklyn Borough Hall. It's a very pretty route in a beautiful neighborhood," she shares.

"Once we got to the promenade, you've got the river and the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge. There's also an option for people to visit the Brooklyn Cat Cafe. They're separate from our tour, but we do offer that if you want an encounter with real cats, we can help make a reservation with the Brooklyn Cat Cafe."

Of the original tour, Gavan says, "It's probably my favorite. I enjoy that tour a lot."

"We're also doing a tour in Manhattan, in the Financial District. That one starts down by Trinity Church and Zuccotti Park, and it goes in a straight line almost up to City Hall Park and a little beyond that. We're also going to be adding a Lower East Side tour and we'll do the same as we do for Brooklyn Cat Cafe for the Meow Parlor on the Lower East Side"

While Gavan does encourage tour participants to keep their eyes peeled for local cats making an appearance, she notes, "I've only had two cat sightings! I offer a free ticket for an upcoming tour if you spot one, but there's not a lot of cats you can see in the Financial District. For the people of Brooklyn Heights, if you have a cat, make sure your shades are open so that we can see them!"

Gavan is proud of the response to the tours, where she puts her emphasis on "trying to make the history fun."

"I don't overwhelm or bore people with too many dates or statistics, but people find the information interesting. It's a unique way to learn history. And no other tour is going to tell you that a cat saved Brooklyn Borough Hall from burning down. It's a unique tour," she says.

"I ask people about their cats and we hear names and see photos, that kind of thing. I think the common interest makes it special. You've got a group of like-minded people, which you don't always have on a traditional tour. It works out really nicely," she adds. "Everyone enjoys talking about their cats and sharing cat stories, so it's a lot of fun."

While tours are finished for the season, they'll be back in action as soon as weather permits.

"We haven't shared our new year dates just yet. We're keeping an eye on the weather, so we'll probably start up in March or April, depending on that. If people want to buy gift certificates for any special occasions coming up, you can use them on a future tour as those dates open up."

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