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American Museum of the Housecat
Written By: Emily Crowell | Issue: 2018/09 - September
An Egyptian cat that was killed and mummified to be a vessel for transporting a person’s spirit to the afterlife.
A petrified feline that, in medieval times, perhaps unwisely hid in a chimney to escape death by fire as part of Pope Gregory IX’s persecution of cats.
A large collection of wind-up cats dating back to the 1890’s, for the less-morbid among us.
These are a few of the wonders you’ll find at the American Museum of the Housecat located on Highway 441 a few miles south of Dillsboro in Jackson County – a must-visit for any cat lover or history buff venturing off the plateau.
As its name suggests, the museum celebrates the common housecat (as if there’s such a thing) and is the work of retired biology professor Harold Sims, who has dedicated his retirement to the safe and compassionate rescue and adoption of cats. Dr. Sims spent over 30 years collecting cat memorabilia, including folk art, vintage advertisements, art glass, antique cat toys, carousel cats, and the petrified and mummified cats – he even had the mummy x-rayed to be sure it wasn’t a fake. The museum opened last April and had 6,000 visitors during its first season – and it’s on track to surpass that number this year.
One of the main draws of the museum is Dr. Sims himself, who has an encyclopedic knowledge of the origins and history of the items in the museum and can often be found giving museum tours.
The American Museum of the Housecat is located inside the Old School Antique Mall at 4704 U.S. Highway 441 South in Sylva, about three miles south of Dillsboro – you can’t miss the delightfully colorful cat art that decorates the outside of the building. It’s open seasonally from April 1 to December 31 from 10:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M., Tuesday through Saturday; and noon to 4:30 P.M. Sundays. Tickets are $7.50 and proceeds fund the museum and the Catman2 Shelter, which is a no-kill cage-free cat shelter currently located in Cullowhee, with origins on Dr. Sims property in Glenville.
