The American Museum of the House Cat is opening near Dillsboro, North Carolina on April 1st, 2017.
I started collecting items related to the house cat long before I opened the Catman2 shelter. My mission now is to display my collection in a museum where these items can be shared and enjoyed by all cat lovers, and provide a place where everyone can learn more about the house cat. My collection of more than 30 years contains fine art, art glass, antique cat toys (some going back to the 1890s), cat advertising (used to attract people to purchase all kinds of things), and so, so much more.
The museum will be an educational institution where one can learn the history of the house cat, its place of origin and migration all over the world, and how the cat has interacted with humankind throughout the ages. The museum will be enjoyable to visit as well.
The museum is located at the “Old-School House Antique Mall”, a local landmark for more than 20 years, found on highway 441 just south of Dillsboro. The museum will occupy two large rooms attached to the antique sales area and accessed through one of two entrances. The museum could be self-guided, but I hope to find volunteers who will be able to spend time there to point out items and explain and answer questions about them.
There will be a small admission fee, and visitors might be asked to make an additional small donation, as any income, after cost, would be given to the Catman2 Shelter, www.catman2.org, which I built and have been involved with for the past 20 years. Income from the museum could become a major source of income for the shelter, and interest in the museum will attract people to visit the Shelter itself, as well as other attractions throughout western NC.
The house cat is now said to be America’s most popular pet, and any cat lover who learns about the American Museum of the House Cat will want to visit it.
There are many house cat museums throughout the world, but only one other House Cat Museum currently open in America, in northern Ohio. Catman2’s museum will put Sylva, Dillsboro, and Jackson County on the map and will create another reason for people to travel to North Carolina.
For more information please contact me directly:
E-mail: hsims@catman2.org
Write me at: Harold Sims PO Box 2344 Cullowhee NC 28723
Call me at: 828 293 7754 most evenings.
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Harold Sims
D.Ed. Retired Biology Professor.
PO Box 2344
Cullowhee, NC 28723 828 293 0892
