Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Photos: Cats Get Glammed Up For The 2018 Algonquin Cat Fashion Show
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 3, 2018
Modified Aug 6, 2018
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
David "Dee" Delgado / Gothamist
View all 24
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 3, 2018
Modified Aug 6, 2018
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
For most cat owners, the idea of successfully getting a cat into a costume remains a mere pipe dream (I only got as far as a hat). That's what makes the Annual Algonquin Cat Fashion Show so special; it is maybe the only place to see felines dressed to a specific theme—this time, the "Purring 20's," a reference to the Algonquin Hotel's literary history.
On Thursday night, cat fanciers coughed up $75 each to get into the show, with proceeds going toward the Mayor's Alliance for NYC Animals. The event featured numerous cats begrudgingly wearing elaborate outfits that reflected the designs of the time, like flapper headbands and drop waists. The mother of two models, Sake and Merlin, told WWD that her cats "absolutely love" the show. And those cats have done some real mental jujitsu on her, "I don’t teach them to be calm, they teach me that they are calm. They’ve shown me in their personalities that they are relaxed, and I listen to that. If you don’t listen to your cats’ personalities, then they’re just objects to you."
This was also the public debut of the Algonquin's new hotel cat, Hamlet the VIII, who is a young ginger American Shorthair. He used to be a street cat but now has his own private treehouse at the hotel and greets hotel guests when he feels like it.
Tagged
algonquin cat fashion show
cat fashion show
cats
cats in clothes
hamlet the cat
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Why LCD Soundsystem's 'New York, I Love You' is still the city's most honest anthem
The song continues to resonate 20 years after its release, even showing up in movies and TV to convey people’s mixed feelings toward the city.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 30, 2026
Would you live on a Halloween block? These Hackensackers live for it.
A guillotine, killer clowns, clownfish: They've got it all on Clinton Place.
By
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Would you live on a Halloween block? These Hackensackers live for it.
A guillotine, killer clowns, clownfish: They've got it all on Clinton Place.
By
James Ramsay
Owl pellets and period equity: What's happening at NYC's public libraries this November
By
Alec Hamilton
How the Village Halloween Parade keeps its soul
By
Hannah Frishberg
'You Can See Everything' … as long as you go to Staten Island
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .