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Say what you want but... retro cat pictures have definitely carved out their own niche within the broader spectrum of vintage photography, evoking a sense of nostalgia and charm that resonates with many people worldwide. These pictures capture a diverse array of cats from decades past, often shot in black and white or with a distinctive sepia tint, portraying felines lounging on vintage furniture, strutting across old cobblestone streets, or even napping in the warmth of a bygone-era kitchen.
So Pandas, scroll down below and see the best pictures we had gathered for yourself, and of course, don't forget to upvote your favorite ones!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
My Grandmother And Her Cat. Late 1930 Or Early 1940, In Minnesota
Lora Pugliese-Deltufo 2 years ago
I love this picture. What a pretty grandma and a pretty cat too!!
MongoMarcia 2 years ago
I would enlarge it (like really big) and hang it prominently in my home.
RELATED:
#2
A French Soldier Feeding His Kitten, Indochina 1956
#3
Cat Eating An Ice Cream In 1940
Lucky2BAlive 2 years ago
In the heatwave we all are experiencing … this is oddly satisfying. Caption: meanwhile a few hours later after an innocent fart jetted her across the room, it was discovered that fluffy was lactose intolerant
Given the chance, Bored Panda reached out to Brazilian journalist Paula Leite Moreira who is in charge of the "All Vintage Cats" project on Instagram (see a post about it by clicking here).
"Curating and sharing these vintage cat photos has become a way for me to connect with history, and also with people who love cats as much as I do. Each image is a journey into the past, and there's something really special about that," Paula shared, when asked about the emotional impact of her project.
#4
My Great Grandfather In The 1950s, Who Like Me Loved Cats
#5
Waiting For Dinner
#6
Original Advertisement For An Optician On Boulevard St. Germain, 1925
When asked about any comments she had received on her page, the journalist was quick to share.
"About memorable interactions, there was one follower who told me how a photo I shared, one of a soldier with a cat during the World War II, reminded her of her grandfather's stories. That was really touching. It made me realize that, in a way, I was helping to keep these personal histories alive."
#7
The Ship's Cats Having A Hammock To Themselves
Shark Lady 2 years ago
They need a comfy place to sleep after working hard catching rats and mice.
#8
This Photo Was Taken In Cleveland, Ohio, Circa Early 1900. A Cute Kid, Dog, And A Cat Who Knows He's The Boss
#9
Dan Flynn And His Cats, Labre Park, 1967
martymcmatrix 2 years ago
Didn't you mean »The two cats from Labre Park with their Dan Flynn«?
When asked about the evolving role of cats in society, Paula had some rather interesting insights to offer. "In the past, cats were often associated with superstitions and myths. Today, they are beloved pets and companions. But I also see in the photos a timeless bond between humans and cats. We have always turned to them for comfort and companionship."
#10
My Mom Milking One Of The Cows, Directly Feeding The Cats In The Early 1960s
karl briggs 2 years ago
Reminds me of another famous picture of the same content. Pandas do my bidding!
#11
Casting Call For Black Cats To Star In Roger Corman Movie In Los Angeles, California, 1961
#12
The Payro Family Cat Directs A Portrait Of The Payro Children. Wakefield, Massachusetts, 1909
As for advice to those looking to create original content on social media, Paula laughed lightly before saying, "Find something you are passionate about, and don't be afraid to share it. It might seem niche, like vintage cat photos, but there are people out there who will appreciate it. I would say, let your passion guide you."
#13
Kittens Crawling On The Bucks County, Pennsylvania Representative Peter Kostmayer In His Congressional Office In 1991
#14
Salty And Her Two Kittens Aboard A Coast Guard Plane Piloted By Spar Kay Martin As They Flew To Rescue A Downed Navy Pilot
#15
"Salty" Mascot Of The San Diego Coast Guard Air Station, Introduced Her Kittens To The Dramatic Side Of The Sea-Serve Life Early
The journalist also shared some news on expanding her project, and seemed excited. "Actually, I've been thinking about starting a blog where I could share more details about the photos (not just an Instagram page), like the historical context. And who knows? Maybe a YouTube channel could be next. The journey of All Vintage Cats is just beginning."
#16
Surprising Friendship. Minnie Cat And Mike White Mouse In A Tender Attitude
#17
Kittens
#18
My Grandfather With His Cat In The 1970s, Toronto
Apple Jakes 2 years ago (edited)
This is a terrific photo, but what's going on around his head?
#19
World War II – Iwo Jima
#20
"Show Off" Cat. April 1955
#21
A Cat Called Aircrew. The Mascot Of A Royal Australian Air Force
#22
Three Kittens Wearing Pajamas
#23
Film Artist Jeannette Mac Donald With Her Cat Pussums In A Film
#24
The British Shorthair S.H. III, Who Was Featured In Advertisements For "Fancy Feast" Cat Food, Lounges On A Director's Chair
#25
Jacques Lehmann Painting His Cat
Manda Hart 2 years ago
Although Milo was flattered, he'd have preferred to be painted as his inner jaguar.
#26
Miss C. Bateman With Her Little Family Of Siamese Cats, At The Cat Show, Crystal Palace
#27
Mrs. Marcelle Adam, President Of The Cat Club De France And Blue Persian In 1926
#28
Walt Disney With His Cat And Mickey Mouse Drawing
#29
The Kitten Named Midnight Fills The Hands Of Coast Guardsman Elmer T. Barnes, Seaman First Class
Most Coast Guard fighting ships have a dog holding down the important duty of mascot, but there is one Destroyer Escort playing European combat waters which has a small, frisky, black kitten ruling the foc's'le.
#30
Siamese Cats In An Exhibition In England
Karen Krause 2 years ago
Hate to have been the person in charge of putting them in those socks.
#31
Australia's Most Remarkable Cat, 1940
#32
Cat On Shoe Shine Stand On The Sidewalk
#33
Coast Guardsman Henry Richmond Jr. Holding "Camouflage" The Cat Mascot Of His Coast Guard-Manned Landing Ship
#34
A Patron Of "Sammy's Bowery Follies," A Downtown Bar, Sleeping At His Table While The Resident Cat Laps At His Beer
#35
Dancer Elizabeth Duncan With A Cat
#36
Portrait Of Sam Donahue And Hep, New York, 1946
#37
Melvin Vaniman And Kiddo, The Cat That Would Survive An Airship Crash. 1910
#38
Cat Fancier Phil Morini And His Cats
Kathryn Baylis 2 years ago
Heaven is looking like someone dumped a bucket of animals on your lap. I would stay put forever.
#39
Cat Looking Into A Radio Speaker, 1926
#40
John B. Moissant's Cat
#41
My Awesome Childhood Cat With My Childhood Computer In The Mid-1990s
#42
My Mother And Her Two Sisters After Pulling A Cat Out Of The Potomac River In The Early Seventies
#43
Kitten With Arched Back
#44
Ballet Dancer Seija Silfverberg And Riku The Cat In 1982
Manda Hart 2 years ago
A reluctant pose on the part of Riku. Wisely, Seija pulled her face back, foregoing a more action-oriented tableau.
#45
Beautiful Cat In A Cat Show, Salle Wagram
#46
Cat In The Opening Of A Cannon
#47
Cat Refuses To Grow
#48
Mid 1970s. My Sister And I, With Our Cat Tigger
#49
Portrait Of Miele Van Kerckhoff With A Cat In 1890s
Manda Hart 2 years ago
Even as the 19th century drew to a close in Amsterdam, Tiddles was heartily sick of Mee'mee holding him like a mannequin.
#50
Aviator John B. Moisant With His Feline Frequent Flying Companion Mademoiselle Fifi In 1911
#51
Washington Cat Show At Wardman Park Hotel In 1920
#52
A Cat Yawns On The Stairs In The Summer Of 1931
#53
This Tiger Kitten Was Given To A Group Of Coast Guardsmen By Children At Salerno. She Was Adopted, Proclaimed Mascot For A Coast Guard-Manned LST, And Christened "Dee-Day"
#54
Frances Benjamin Johnston's Cats, Herman, And Vermin. New Orleans, Louisiana
#56
Ship's Mascots On HMAS Sydney 1940
#57
Cat Show In 1935
#58
Benjamin Fink Holding The White House Cat Tiger Referred To As "Tige"
Karen Krause 2 years ago
Tiger was one of Coolidge's cats. He had two: Tiger and Blackie. Tiger had wanderlust. Caption from similar photograph: Benj. Fink, guard at the Navy Dept. found Tige promenading around the Navy Bldg. and immediately returned him to the White House. Tige's disappearance was broadcasted by Wash. radio stations. (Source: album: 1 March to 30 April 1924, v. 2, Herbert E. French, National Photo Company, p. 25, no. 29633)
#59
Coast Guard Officers Rescued A Frightened, Half-Starved Kitten From A Shell-Smashed Jap Pill-Box. They Brought Her Aboard And Named Her Tarawa
#60
My Mom And Her Cat In The Late 1930s
#61
Von Karlowski Cat
#62
Cat Sitting On A Car With Skyscrapers In The Distance. 1958
#65
Cat And Kitten Sleeping On A Stringed Chair
#66
China Grove Coast Guardsman On Atlantic Convoy Duty
Coast Guardsman Albert R. McNeely, chief electrician's mate, of China Grove, N.C., puts the ship's mascot to bed in a battle helmet aboard a Coast Guard-manned destroyer escort. The sea-going kitten is a veteran of several Atlantic crossings aboard the sleek escort ship which safeguards the passage of troops and supplies bound for the Battle of Germany.
#67
Kittens Playing With A Chicken In 1949
#68
White House Persian Cat. 1929 March 29
Manda Hart 2 years ago
Kitty was the persian cat of Lou Hoover -wife of President Hoover. Kitty was given free reign to roam the entire White House. No one knows what happened to her. In this photo she's probably caught sight of Billy Possum, a wild opossum that strayed onto White House grounds. Adopted by the Hoovers, it was kept in the pen built for the Coolidges' raccoon.
#70
Little Cats On A Birdcage, 1932
#71
A Kitten In 1925
#73
Cat Sitting On Top Of The Boxes
#74
Ethel Knox With 12 Newborn Kittens, Los Angeles, 1935
#75
Puzzums Was One Of The Greatest Feline Actor Stars Of The Late 1920s
Danny Boy 2 years ago
Puzzums would go on to star in ever great roles, expanding his repertoire and command of the craft well through the Age of the Silver Screen. But there was a sinister side to Mr. Puzzums, oh yes. He had used the poor girl in this photo, for instance, to further his career, quite at her expense. He left a trail of tears and broken careers in his wake, in fact. He was absolutely ruthless, but some say that's what made him a genius, for he pursued his artistry with the same dogged passion with which he advanced his ambitions. Naughty cat! Bad cat! ;-P
#76
Ship's HMAS Kanimbla Cat
#77
A Cat Wearing A Ford's My Man Sign At A Campaign Rally For President Gerald R. Ford, October 13, 1976
#79
Dawn Rodgers Officiates At A "Wedding" Of Formally Attired Felines Tigger And Kirby, Held By Daughters Summer And September
#80
Cats In 1923
Cain Hargreaves 2 years ago
Are these the parents of the three kittens in a similar basket in this same list?
#82
Woman Holding Her Cat In 1927
#84
1926 Cat Show In The Wagram Room Organized By Mrs. Marcelle Adam, President Of The French Cat Club
#85
Blackie And Tiger, Two Of The Cats Owned By President Calvin Coolidge
Kathryn Baylis 2 years ago (edited)
Gee, wonder how he came up with those very unusual, highly original, and really imaginative names? (Now, had he named the tiger cat Blackie, and the black cat Tiger, THAT would’ve been cool.)
#86
Aboard The Coast Guard-Manned LST, "Kodiak," The Dog From The Alaska Waterfront, And "Tarawa," The Cat From A Tarawa Pillbox, Just Don't Get Along
#87
Portrait Of Buzzer The Cat
#89
Homeless Kitten On The Ashes Of The City Of Zhizdra, Kaluga Region
Danny Boy 2 years ago
"Homeless Kitten On The Ashes Of The City Of Zhizdra, Kaluga Region"?! Ummm, no. Rather, "Kitten Roars in Elation at the Tabula Rasa Before Him, and the Power Vacuum Which Would Allow Him to Capitalize On It: 'Yes, now I can start fresh, and remake Zhizdra in MY image! Meowwwoarrrr!'"
#91
This Kitty Belonged To The Sultan Of Turkey
Mrs. Martin K. Metcalf, wife of commander Metcalf, holding Pansy. A Turkish cat formerly did her "Meowing" in the palace of the sultan of Turkey. The cat was brought to Washington from Turkey by a commander Metcalf.
#93
Calico Cat Capers With Parakeet Pal
ShellsBells 2 years ago (edited)
Where's the parakeet?!?! Edit: Wait, nevermind. I had scrolled down to far and saw it on top of cage when I zoomed in.
#94
Vernon County, Wisconsin. Edward Saugstad Feeding A Kitten Milk
#95
Two Cats On A Table In The Early 1900s
#96
Cat Show In The Wagram Room, Organized By Mrs. Marcelle Adam, President Of The Cat Club De France
Cain Hargreaves 2 years ago
It's really funny to see these "old school" Siamese cats when they still had round faces, before breeders started going for that narrow, narrow face (which is, uh, not ideal for cats)
#98
Study Of A Cat. A Close-Up Portrait Of A Cat, Possibly One Of The Cats That Arnold Genthe Called Buzzer
#99
Schermerhorn Cat
#100
Annie Edson Taylor Poses With Her Cat In 1902
Cain Hargreaves 2 years ago (edited)
Oh this is such a bonkers picture! This is Annie Edson Taylor who was the first person to go over Niagra Falls in a barrel. She had a custom barrel built made of oak and iron, with a mattress inside for padding. But before she went over, she put a cat in her barrel and sent the cat over the falls. The cat survived, so Annie tried it herself and survived (though with some injuries). Presumably this is the cat and the barrel and Annie herself (who was sometimes called the Queen of the Mist). More here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Edson_Taylor
#101
A Man And Woman Having Tea On The Veranda Of Their Mt. Nutt Home At Bowen In The Early 1900s
#102
The Cat In 1916
Manda Hart 2 years ago
This looks exactly like my cat Samin who we lost due to a broken heart when his bestie Smudge was savaged by a speeding car. Someone is peeling onions in the next room.
#103
United States President Calvin Coolidge Holding A Kitty At His Family Farm In Plymouth Notch, Vermont, 1924
#106
Portrait Of An Actress Lili Darvas Holding A Cat Ginger
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Manda Hart 2 years ago
Well done article, Ms Bliabaitė. That took some time and research to compile. Thank you, enjoyed it immensely.
Manda Hart 2 years ago
Well done article, Ms Bliabaitė. That took some time and research to compile. Thank you, enjoyed it immensely.
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