With that dress in 1890, it seems she had the wherewithal and independence to have all the cats she wanted.
Kate Birdsall Roberts had her beat, though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Wife’s_Lovers
(I went looking and the only pictures I could find of Kate show her much more simply dressed than OP’s cat lady.)
With that dress in 1890, it seems she had the wherewithal and independence to have all the cats she wanted.
Kate Birdsall Roberts had her beat, though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Wife’s_Lovers (I went looking and the only pictures I could find of Kate show her much more simply dressed than OP’s cat lady.)