Of Canaries and Cats… Pets in the Victorian Era

When I was researching for my latest Silver Rush book, A DYING NOTE, I used an 1886 “business directory map” to work out what businesses were in the neighborhood of my fictional D & S Music Store in San Francisco. That is where I bumped up against “A. C. Robison, Importer and Dealer in Birds and cages, etc.”

My mind began churning.

Birds, eh? What kinds of birds did people keep as pets in the late 19^th century?

Birds were popular pets in the late 19th century. By Miami U. Libraries - Digital Collections [No restrictions or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Well, I couldn’t let a question like that go unanswered.

I turned to the internet, and down the rabbit hole I went….

According to the article “Our American Birds,” by Michael K. Boyer, which appeared in Godey’s Magazine, September 1889, songbirds were popular.

There is the canary, of course, but also a variety of finches: the goldfinch, the indigo finch, and the Nonpareil are mentioned. Other birds include the bobolink and the blue jay, as well as the mockingbird.

The mockingbird??

We have these chatty fellows in the trees in our backyard, and I swear, in the late spring/early summer they NEVER stop calling. I can’t imagine having them going on indoors. I’d go nuts.

Boyer spends a fair bit of space on varieties of parrots: the yellow-headed Mexican (which “stands first” as a talker), the grey African (a prime choice for a whistler), and the Cuban (which cannot be relied upon as a talker… but is inexpensive, so has the largest sales).

And, if you have a pet bird that has been exposed to drafts and contracted asthma, Boyer even gave some suggestions for hastening your feathered companion's recovery:

… keep the bird extra warm, and feed a paste made of a piece of white bread, about the size of a walnut, made by boiling it in four tablespoonfuls of milk, stirred with a wooden spoon until it becomes an even pulp; a few grains of cayenne pepper can be added.  Feed fresh for several days.  A little lettuce or water-cress will also be found beneficial.

Now, if you’re more interested in the feline’s position as a pet in the Victorian household, you can read a Good Housekeeping article (1889) titled "A Plea for Pussy and Her Possibilities As a Pet."  (From the title, I'm guessing cats did not enjoy the popularity that they do now.)

Here again, birds arise in the conversation:

"How can you keep a cat when you have birds?" friends often ask.  My cat has been taught that the birds are not for him, and I am almost confident he would not venture to take one of my birds if I offered it to him from my hand.

Cat vs Parrot: Think a truce can be arranged? By Miami U. Libraries - Digital Collections [No restrictions or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

I can’t imagine the Diva Miss Mia (who “rules the roost” in my home) could be convinced to tolerate a two-footed twittering companion. Good thing that I'm not about to try!

Are we having chicken for dinner??

Ann Parker authors the award-winning Silver Rush historical mystery series published by Poisoned Pen Press. During the day, she wrangles words for a living as a science editor/writer and marketing communications specialist (which is basically a fancy term for editor/writer). Her midnight hours are devoted to scribbling fiction. Visit AnnParker.net for more information.