New collection guide for the Claire Necker Collection of Cat Artifacts and Papers now available online

This blog post was contributed by Danielle Dantzler.

NC State University Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center is pleased to announce that the newly updated collection guide for the Claire Necker Collection of Cat Artifacts and Papers is available online. SCRC is excited to provide access to a collection of unique materials focused on Necker's research and vast collection of cat memorabilia.

Claire Kral Necker was a freelance writer and a local librarian. With an interest in science and bibliography, she earned Master's degrees in Zoology and Chemistry. In 1969, she published her first book, Cats and Dogs. Necker's other works include the Natural History of Cats, Supernatural Cats: An Anthology, Four Centuries of Cat Books, and the Cat's Got Our Tongue. 

This collection includes clippings, illustrations, and various artifacts collected by Necker throughout her life and dates from the 1940s to the early 2000s. Included in the clippings are cat-related greeting cards, stamps and stickers depicting cats, songs related to cats, and a Cats the Musical playbill. The various artifacts range from large paintings, decanters, coin banks, and assorted figurines, all having one thing in common, cats!

Necker’s collection resembles a miniature museum dedicated to cats. A few of the materials are about cat care and how humans can better relate to their favorite feline friend. There is glass dishware like cat salt and pepper shakers, plates, cups, and butter dishes, as well as a collection of calendars ranging from the 1960s to the early 2000s. Most of the calendars are from cat-related organizations like Purina Cat Chow, a cat food company, and the Winn Foundation, the world's only nonprofit organization solely focused only on funding feline health research. 

Some artifacts were reviewed and treated by the Libraries’ Preservation staff before we could permanently store the items. Necker collected several cat-shaped items filled with liquid, including a cat cologne bottle wrapped around a plastic ball of yarn, a Sylvester bottle filled with syrup, and a Maraschino cordial bottle [Similar to #2 on this miniature bottle blog]. Due to preservation concerns, these items were emptied of liquid before processing staff stored the materials with the rest of the collection.

If you have any questions or are interested in this collection please contact us at library_specialcollections@ncsu.edu or submit a request online. The Special Collections Research Center is open by appointment only. Appointments are available Monday–Friday, 9am–6pm and Saturday, 1pm–5pm. Requests for a Saturday appointment must be received no later than Tuesday of the same week.