Episode Details

In the summer of 1909, G. Herman Gottlieb set out through New York City carrying two baskets filled with fresh catnip. His plan was simple: sell the herb to wealthy cat owners along Fifth Avenue.

What he didn't account for was the city's stray cats.

In this episode of History Shorts, we tell the bizarre true story of how a few dropped leaves of catnip attracted dozens of feline followers, turning Gottlieb into an unwilling Pied Piper of East Harlem. As the parade of increasingly enthusiastic cats grew larger, curious onlookers gathered, traffic slowed, and police were called to intervene. Soon, a New York police precinct found itself debating a question for the ages: can a crowd of cats legally be considered a crowd?

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