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A screen shot of a historical issue of the Bisbee Reveiw
Before all you cat lovers start sending in letters and emails, condemning me and the title above, please be advised that this is not a commentary piece. It is a story of an actual person that believed in getting rid of the cats so much, he started a movement to kill all cats. One newspaper even called Rockwell Sayre “the world’s most assiduous cat hater.”
Although I do not profess to be a cat lover, I do not hate them. I even allowed two cats to live in my home. I would say I owned two cats but no one really ever owns a cat. The cats choose to stay with you as long as you fulfill their needs and they can tolerate their human companions. Having lived with cats, I can understand why a black cat crossing your path is considered bad luck and why cats are associated with witches.
Rockwell Sayre was a millionaire investment broker, real estate seller and banker in Chicago, Illinois.
He was also a cat hater.
In 1921, he attempted to revise a movement to rid the world of cats by 1925. Articles in newspapers soon appeared about Sayre and his hatred of cats and a war of words he was having with Mrs. George Kessler, National Secretary of the American Cat Association based in Chicago.
Rockwell Sayre wrote a commentary piece which showed up in newspapers around the country. On Nov. 27, 1921 it appeared in the Bisbee Review. Part of the commentary follows:
Abolition of cats, as a sanitary and health protecting measure is now imperative. Cats have no more place in this world than cockroaches, mosquitoes or flies.
The present movement to be done with cats is gaining popularity all over the world. Cats are now being exterminated every where rapidly. Why?
No other animal has as many diseases as the cat.
A cat will push its nose far down into the throat of an infant and suck its breath until the baby dies.
A cat will jump upon a corpse and tear the face of the dead!
Mrs. George Kessler countered by disputing the claims of Sayres. She called cats the most gentle of creatures. “They are embellishments to a household and the most model of pets,” she said.
“They are comforts to the spinster. They are untiring friends to those who love and care for them. There is something about a cat that arouses instincts of gentleness and kindness in those who are fond of them. The person who dislikes cats has something harsh in his nature. For cats are the essence of refinement. Instead of killing cats, let us bring laws into being that will make responsible persons care for them.”
Soon, Sayre was being attacked by humane societies and animal protection associations. Animal lovers especially cat owners began writing letters to newspapers denouncing Sayre. One woman wrote that Sayre was teaching our children to be cruel to animals by rewarding them to do cruel things to cats.
Sayre also received letters of support.
Sayre’s campaign to rid the world of the feline species began in the late 1890s. He sent out printed flyers calling for the elimination of cats. In 1907 some newspapers reported that he had offered bounties for dead cats. He would pay 10 cents per cat for the first 100 killed. He also offered a five dollar bonus for the hunter killing the most. A one dollar bonus was also paid to the top three hunters. He also offered $3 to any woman willing to give up her cat or cats and have her house fumigated. It doesn’t sound like much but in the 1920s the average daily wage was around $1.50. During the depression there was also many unemployed. Each Christmas he would pay out the awards.
Newspapers reported that “contestants” (hunters) first began delivering and mailing in the heads of cats to Sayre. It was such an untidy practice that Sayre asked them to stop, and said they could send him sworn affidavits as evidence of the cat killings.
In 1924 Sayre’s admitted to the newspapers that his time estimate for meeting the goal of ridding the world of cats would not be met. He announced that he would “spend more money to make the world catless.” He set another goal to rid the world of cats within ten years. He said that many “cat killing clubs” had been formed around the country. He praised one hunter, a Mr. Thorne K. Sheal of Kingston New York for having killed 22 cats in one week. Sayre claimed that his campaign had rid the world of seven million cats. The newspapers reported that the world’s cat population was estimated at 900 million.
The practice of rewarding the hunters continued until Sayre’s death in 1930 at the hands of his “shell shocked” son, Sidney. Sidney was a veteran of World War I. He had been an officer, a fighter pilot who had his plane shot down twice during the war. He shot his father twice and admitted to the murder. Sidney believed that his 86 year old father was having an affair with the nurse caring for his mother who was an invalid. He planned on killing the nurse but was caught right after shooting his father. Sidney was found guilty of murder but ruled insane and was sent to an asylum.
Even in death Sayre continued his hate campaign against cats. He left a will ranting about war, the death penalty and expressing his hatred for cats in crude poetry. He left $1,000 to purchase boxes of candy to send to 109 people he identified as cat haters as a token of his esteem. Included on the list was the former First Lady Mrs. Calvin Coolidge, who Sayre said once ordered all White House felines executed to protect the song birds. Queen Marie of Rumania, a county judge the University of Chicago and the Anti-Cigarette League were also on the gift list. Sayre’s called those on the list “fellow warriors in the world war against cats.”
I wonder if upon the hearing of Sayre’s death, that cat lovers rejoiced. Did cats show up at his grave site and scratch the earth to use for their litter box. Maybe they showed up at night to howl and keep Sayre from resting in peace. I doubt it, cats don’t hate, this is a human trait. At least the war was over! Long live the cats!
John Hernandez lives in Oracle. He is retired and enjoys writing and traveling. He is active in the Oracle Historical Society. He covers numerous public events, researches historical features and writes business/artist profiles.
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