ALLIANCE, Ohio – After being closed for seven months, a cat museum is ready to reopen.

The Feline Historical Museum, 260 E. Main St., will reopen on a part-time basis beginning this week. Its hours will be 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Visitors will again be able to explore more than two centuries of feline history, art, literature and memorabilia – and sometimes interact with visiting cats.

The museum is owned and operated by the Cat Fanciers Association Foundation, which is located on the upper floor of the downtown structure that once housed a bank.

“The museum is one of a kind in its preservation of feline history,” said Roeann Fulkerson,  development director of the foundation.

The museum closed in late November, mainly due to staffing issues. It will reopen on a part-time basis for now, as it continues to seek a full-time curator, according to Karen Lawrence, who operated the museum from 2012 to 2023, when she retired and moved back to her native Canada.

The museum is working with the office staff of the CFA to staff the museum for three days a week during the summer months and will increase the days it is open each week when it hires a curator.

Lawrence had been a cat show judge and a breeder of cats.

Sprite, the agility champion Abyssinian cat owned by Karen Lawrence, jumps a hurdle on the obstacle course.

She owns an Abyssinian named Sprite that received the CFA’s Best Cat in Agility award in the 2025-26 show season, and she will bring it to the museum Aug. 19-21.

Fulkerson said Sprite will demonstrate during its visit. The cat secured its title by running the agility course in under eight seconds.

A contemporary example of a Koji roof tile at the feline museum. These Chinese works were typically glazed in colorful jewel tones and depicted warriors, animals and mythical creatures. (Photo by Karen Lawrence)

Feline agility is a competitive sport and a fun enrichment activity, Fulkerson said. Handlers lure the competing cats through obstacle courses, with the fastest cat declared the winner.

The obstacle courses are modeled after those used in dog agility and equestrian show jumping competitions. They include tunnels, hoops and weave poles.

Inside the Museum

The Feline Historical Museum focuses on artwork and memorabilia inspired by cats. Its collection has gained in size and stature since it opened in 2011.

“We have continued to add to the collection of historical items,” Fulkerson said.

Its collections include delicate figurines, ceramics, miniatures and sculptures, as well as paintings and photos.

A Japanese Maneki Neko sculpture, symbolizing health, wealth and longevity. (Photo by Richard Katris)

Artworks dating to the early 1800s are on display, as well as Boston Cat Club trophies from 1883 and medals from the British Crufts cat shows of 1894 and 1895.

Among the museum’s most historically significant artifacts is the original silver collar and medal awarded to Cosey, who was crowned Best in Show at the first major national cat show in the United States, held at Madison Square Garden on May 8, 1895.

Special exhibits include:

  • A vintage cat house designed by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
  • An extensive collection of children’s books about cats.
  • Examples illustrating the evolution of cat carriers from the early 1900s to the present.

The collection also includes a leather-bound scrapbook filled with newspaper articles, illustrations, letters, photographs and memorabilia from 1880 through 1897. The scrapbook was compiled by Samuel C. Perkins (1828-1903) of Philadelphia, a prominent attorney and Masonic grand master who served as president of the Commission for the Erection of Public Buildings from 1871 to 1891.

Admission is $5 per person, cash only (children under age 10 are admitted free). Saturday visits are available by appointment and must be scheduled at least one week in advance.

Pictured at top: A cat house designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright at the Feline Historical Museum. (Photo by Karen Lawrence)