Tomorrow is Veteran's Day here in the U.S., so I wanted to give some well earned recognition to cats in the military, particularly those who served in wartime!
The National WW2 Museum notes that cats were often used as rodent control in ships, barracks and field offices. But, cats in wartime went beyond just keeping food and equipment safe, they were also mascots, helping provide stress relief and entertainment to soldiers in some of their worst times.
Cats in war were particularly useful on ships. Ship cats kept the food supplies safe from mice and other vermin. Their small size let them get into areas where rodents might hide to prevent them from chewing ropes or communication equipment that was essential. By keeping the rats and mice under control, they also helped limit the spread of diseases. The Ontario SPCA says that superstitious sailors thought that cats brought them luck, and even that cats were thought to be able to detect bombs ahead of time. It's possible cats attuned to air pressure could sense bombs coming, or maybe they just had a sixth sense that helped alert them ahead of a bomb being dropped.
There are even several cat war heroes! During World War II, the PDSA, a British charity instituted the Dicken Medal for gallantry, the highest award for bravery for animals. One cat, named Simon, was posthumously awarded this medal for his actions during the Chinese civil war. The BBC says he was injured by shelling, but still reported for duty, protecting vital food supplies from rodents, and helping to keep morale up for 10 weeks while the crew was stranded!
Simon is the only cat to have won a Dicken award, but Faith the church cat also won an award for bravery. She was not a military cat, so she didn't qualify for a Dicken medal, but her story is a famous example of a cat seeming to know in advance of a bombing. She was a cat who made a home at St Augustine's church in London. According to Purr-n-Fur.org.uk, on September 6th, 1940, she went to the door of the 2nd floor offices and waited for the rector, Father Henry Ross to open the door for her, then watched to make sure he followed to the ground floor to open the door to the basement. She later retrieved her kitten, named Panda, and carried him down to the basement. Father Ross tried to bring them back upstairs, but after Faith carried Panda down to the basement twice more, he relented and brought her basket down to them. On September 7th there was an air raid that destroyed many homes, including some near the church. Then, on September 9th, while Father Ross was returning from business in Westminster, the air raid siren sounded again. He had to stop and spend the night in a shelter, and returned to find the church had been destroyed in the bombing. Father Ross was dismayed, but believed Faith might have made it through ok in the basement. He thought he heard faint meows in the rubble and started clearing the way to retrieve both Faith and Panda from the basement before the roof collapsed entirely!
The National Veterans Memorial Museum mentions another, more contemporary, military cat named Hammer. Private 1st Class Hammer protected supplies and provided companionship to soldiers in Iraq in 2004. In return, they protected him in their body armor during attacks. They become so bonded to their feline co-worker that they refused to leave him behind and raised money to bring him with them. He eventually made it to the U.S. and settled in Colorado Springs.
And lets not forget the famous war cat, Unsinkable Sam! You can read my post on him here and learn more about the military cat who survived not 1, not 2 but 3 shipwrecks to take his place among the ranks of famous cats in wartime!
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