A Cat, a Curiosity, and a Man Who Refused to Cage a Dream

I’ll go ahead and confess this upfront—I was never what you’d call a Cat Person.
Not by upbringing. Not by reputation.

Except for that one time in college.

A Tom Cat—self-appointed, self-employed, and utterly unimpressed by my existence—strolled
into my apartment like he’d signed a lease I’d forgotten about. He was already house-trained, already opinionated, and already convinced he knew more about life than I did. If I was studying in the dining room, he would go up to the door and reach for the doorknob, I would let him out, he would scratch to get back in. When he wanted out at night while I was sleeping, he’d climb up on my chest and lick my face. No bell. No begging. Just a very personal wake-up call. After conducting his business outside —or a hunt or two— he’d return, he would climb back through the window, and he’d curl up behind my legs and sleep like a king who’d surveyed his kingdom and found it acceptable.

That cat was cool.
Independent.
Selective with affection—but sincere when it showed up.

So yes, I get it now. I understand why people love their cats.

And I also understand this great, unspoken truth of humanity: there are two kinds of people in this world—Dog People and Cat People.

If you happen to be the latter, then you owe it to yourself to make a pilgrimage to my hometown of Sylva, North Carolina, and step inside one of the most unexpected, whimsical, heartfelt places you’ll ever encounter:

The American Museum of the House Cat.

Now, let me tell you about the man behind it—because no museum worth visiting ever starts with a building. It starts with a soul and chasing a dream..

Dr. Harold Sims: The Catman Who Thought Cages Were Jails

The American Museum of the House Cat was founded in 2017 by Dr. Harold Sims, a retired biology professor, Navy meteorologist during WWII, marine biologist, botanist, educator, author of children’s books—and full-time believer in doing the right thing simply because it was the right thing to do.

Around here, folks knew him by a simpler name: Catman2.

Dr. Sims didn’t set out to build a museum. Museums happen when a life gets too full of meaning to stay private. After decades of teaching and research, Harold’s love for cats—quietly collected over a lifetime—began to spill out in the form of art, antiques, literature, and memorabilia. Three decades’ worth, to be exact.

The museum’s first home was inside the Old School House Antique Mall in nearby Dillsboro. But like any good cat, it eventually found a place of its own—right here in Sylva.

Its purpose was never just to display curiosities.

It was to give back.

Honoring the Past, Securing the Future—One Cat at a Time

The American Museum of the House Cat exists to celebrate the five-million-year relationship between humans and domesticated felines—through art, history, humor, and storytelling. It educates. It entertains. It inspires. And if you let it, it tugs gently at those PURR-strings of your heart.

But this museum is also something more.

It is an extension of Catman2 Shelter, Jackson County’s first cage-free, no-kill shelter for cats, founded by Dr. Sims in the mid-1990s and built in 2002 near Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

Dr. Sims didn’t believe in cages.
He called them jails.

He believed cats should roam freely—because when people came to visit, the cats would choose their own humans.

“If you are worth it,” he’d say with a grin.

Over the years, Catman2 Shelter has been home to thousands of cats and has celebrated more than 5,000 adoptions. Today, it’s led by Kaleb, a Certified Veterinary Technician, Small Mammal Wildlife Rescuer, and Humane Educator who continues to grow the programs and honor the original vision.

That vision includes youth education, community outreach, fostering, TNR services, and a low-to-no-cost spay and neuter program co-sponsored with the Humane Society of Jackson County.

Helping stray cats—and sometimes stray people—find each other.

Art with a Purpose, Whimsy with a Mission

You could spend hours wandering the museum, smiling at the unexpected, marveling at the creativity, and learning more than you ever thought possible about the House Cat. Many of the artworks you see once adorned the shelter walls themselves—proof that this museum was, in a way, birthed by shelter kitties.

A documentary filmmaker, Kim Best, captured Dr. Sims’ story beautifully in an award-winning film that’s well worth your time.  In it, Dr. Sims explains that the museum exists to educate and entertain—but also to raise awareness and funds for cats who still need help.

Every house cat deserves recognition.
Every life deserves dignity.

That belief lives on today through initiatives like MiMi’s MEOWseum ToeBeans Pawtnership, designed to support the museum and its mission well into the future.

A Dream That Still Needs Dreamers

Dr. Sims was a little esoteric. Deeply charming. Unapologetically himself. And he left his mark—through books, a shelter, a museum, and a philosophy rooted in service.

He once said,
“Without a dream, nothing can come true.”

His dream didn’t end with his passing.

The museum is growing.
The shelter is growing.
And the need is growing too.

That’s where you come in.

Whether you’re a lifelong Cat Person, a curious Dog Person, or someone who once shared an apartment with a Tom Cat who taught you a thing or two about independence—this is your invitation.

Come visit.

Volunteer your time.

Donate if you can. 

Help keep this dream alive.

And the next time you find yourself in Sylva—home of Western Carolina University and the mighty Catamounts—step inside The American Museum of the House Cat for an experience that’s whimsical, meaningful, and unforgettable.

Go Cats. 🐾