No Kitten: Cats Are Part of the Military!”

April 29, 2024

Candilee Jackson

Cats and Ships

Felines have graced the decks of boats and ships back nearly to the beginning of time, roaming freely on passenger ships, war vessels, and merchant schooners, keeping vermin at bay. Sailors and cats have a special relationship that dates back thousands of years. The US Naval Institute reports that the ancient Egyptians were likely the first seafarers to realize the value of having cats as shipmates.⁷ “In addition to offering sailors much-needed companionship on long voyages, cats purged ships of rodents. Without cats, a crew might find their ship overrun with rats and mice that would eat into the provisions, chew through ropes, and spread disease.”² Hieroglyphics show Egyptian seafaring traders brought cats along on trips to the Mediterranean Sea. Their ability to control rodents on vessels is legendary, and since then, it has been essential to have a feline on a ship at all times, whether at the dock or underway.²

Myths and Legends

The majority of a ship’s cats were “polydactyl cats” because of the belief that a cat born with extra toes would have a much better sense of balance on a rocking ship, and their extra toes allowed them to climb higher and faster than typical cats.⁴ And not surprisingly, felines of the high seas brought a plethora of myths and legends.

1. Ship cats brought good luck, especially black cats⁴
2. A cat’s keen eyesight guided ships and kept them safe from shipwrecks because a cat can more easily detect distant lights⁴

3. The ship’s cat could predict the weather and start storms with its tail⁷
4. If a ship’s cat sneezed, sailors watched for rain⁶
5. A frisky feline had the crew bracing for strong winds⁶
6. If the ship’s cat licked its fur in the direction opposite of how it grew, a hailstorm was predicted⁶
7. if a ship’s cat fell overboard, there would be nine years of bad luck for the vessel and the crew⁶
8. Cats are used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as spies⁵

Military Cats

Animals have been a part of the military landscape for years, and most people are familiar with the use of horses, mules, pigeons, dogs, and, more recently, dolphins. However, the cat is also a military hero. Cats kept food and provisions safe from vermin and kept communications/wiring systems and wooden ship planks and ropes from being gnawed by hungry rats.

Cats have been part of the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard, playing a significant role at one point in time.⁴ British Navy ships all sailed with a cat on board until the 1970s.⁴ “While  most naval ships have restricted cats from life aboard a military vessel for hygiene reasons, felines remain part of military life. That doesn’t mean the military completely stopped using cats to their advantage. As recently as 2019, the Barksdale Air Force Base Honor Guard made a cat named ’Captain’ the unit’s official mascot and mouser extraordinaire. The feline’s job originally consisted of hunting rats, but it soon became the unit’s emotional support pet.”⁴

During times of war, platoons and battalions would adopt a stray cat as their mascot. These furry animals provided relief from the constant stress of battles  as well as companionship and entertainment for all soldiers serving our country far from home. Cats were often given military code names which, sometimes, provided laughter among the troops.⁵ Felines were also used extensively as symbols in unit insignia, especially in aviation units. Among World War II’s most famous cat insignia, “the US 81^st Infantry Division had an  arched-back black cat  as their shoulder sleeve insignia on their uniforms.”⁵

“Cats were also thought to be able to detect bombs ahead of time, like dogs sniffing out explosives. Soldiers theorized it was due to cats being attuned to atmospheric pressure or possibly just their ‘sixth sense.’  During World War II, some families would rely on their cat’s senses to alert them ahead of an air raid and would retreat for safety to air-raid or bomb shelters.”¹

Feline Heroes

Director Andy Mitchell’s Inside the Mind of a Cat, a Netflix documentary, explores the background of feline Navy cats, specifically Herman the cat, the United States Coast Guard’s “Expert Mouser.” Commissioned by the military in 1943, Herman’s primary job was to control the rodent population on the vessel. “Herman officially became a member of the US Armed Forces at eight months old. As any other Coast Guardsman, Herman was issued an identification card for his hometown in Baltimore on January 12. His ID was as legit as anyone else’s, having a formal serial number of 05225058 authenticated by pertinent officials.”⁴

Oscar (AKA “Unsinkable Sam”) survived three significant World War II shipwrecks between May and November 1941. “After the third shipwreck, he spent the remainder of his days in the UK, where it was more tranquil.”⁷

Princess Papule, “Pooli” for short, “was born in the Navy shipyard at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the 4^th of July 1944. She joined the sailors aboard the attack transport ship,  the USS Fremont. Pooli saw many WWII battles in the Pacific, including the Marianas, the Palau group, the Philippines, and Iwo Jima. During battles, Princess Papule would race to the mailroom to nest in a mail sack until the battle was over. During the war, Pooli earned four battle stars and three service ribbons and then retired to live a long and happy life.”¹

Private First  Class Hammer was born in 2004 on a United States military base in Iraq. He joined the Marines stationed there and immediately took on rodent patrol as his MOS. Because the situation in Iraq was exceptionally stressful, Hammer took on another important role by serving his fellow “Devil Dogs” as a source of comfort when needed. “When it was time for the unit to return to the United States, they couldn’t leave Hammer behind. They raised enough money through the rescue group Alley Cat Allies to bring PFC Hammer home. He received a hero’s welcome from unit members and spent the rest of his life living with Staff Sgt.  Rick Bousfield and his family. Hammer passed away in 2015.”¹

Thank You For Your Service!

Veterans Day  and Memorial Day are times when the citizenry of the United States pauses to honor those human and animal soldiers who gave their all for our freedoms. Often forgotten in the shadow of their larger “frenemies” (dogs), this writer salutes Herman, Oscar, Pooli, Hammer, and many other military felines who served aboard our naval ships and on foreign military bases in times of war.

Source Notes

1. “A Huge Meow To Honor Miliary Cats That Faithfully Served Beside Courageous Women and Men.” Meowington. November 11. Accessed February 1, 2024. https://www.meowingtons.com/blogs/lolcats/we-salute-you-a-huge-meow-to-honor-military-cats-that-faithfully-served-beside-courageous-women-men-military
2. Christenson, Scot. 2021. “Cats in the Sea Services: A Pictorial History of Cats Going to Sea.” Naval History Magazine. February. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2021/february/cats-sea-services#:~:text=Sailors%20and%20cats%20have%20a,by%20ridding%20ships%20of%20vermin
3.  2023. “The Forgotten History of Cats in the Navy.” National Geographic. April 12. Accessed February 1, 2024. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/cats-ships-navy-history

4. “Herman the Cat Slayed Foes Aboard US Coast Guard Ships.” Veteran Life. Accessed February 23, 2023. https://veteranlife.com/military-history/herman-the-cat
5.   Mills, Melissa. 2022. “Heroic Cats Who Served in the Military.” Reader’s Digest. December 23. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://www.rd.com/list/military-cats/
6.  “Myth Busters: Does A Black Cat Bring Good Luck to a Ship?” Maritime. Accessed February 20, 2023. https://www.maritime.edu/follow-the-voyage/myth-busters/myth-busters-does-black-cat-bring-good-luck-ship#
7.  White, Ryan. 2021. “History: Cats in the Navy.” Naval Post. March 1. Accessed February 20 2023. https://navalpost.com/ship-cat-navy-history-simon-oscar-tiddles-blackie/