Hi everyone,
We found this very interesting post for you on the caternet! Not enough people know that there were indeed MANY brave kats at the forefront of this! To honour them please find photos and stories of them below.
And just to clarify – we do not agree with some of the things our ancestors put these cats through but there are loads of stories that should not be forgotten by time.
During the war apparently cats were a common sight on ships and in trenches to hunt rats and mice! Beyond this duty they became friends and companions to sailors and soldiers alike
It is estimated that approximately 500,000 cats were dispatched to the trenches, where they killed rats and mice; unfortunately some were also used as gas detectors. On the sea cats had the run of the ship – a tradition dating back thousands of years. As the U.S. Naval Institute explains:
It is likely that the ancient Egyptians were the first seafarers to realize the true value of having cats as shipmates. In addition to offering sailors much needed companionship on long voyages, cats provided protection by ridding ships of vermin. Without the presence of cats, a crew might find their ship overrun with rats and mice that would eat into the provisions, chew through ropes and spread disease. The more superstitious sailors believed that cats protected them by bringing good luck. It was also common for crews to adopt cats from the foreign lands they visited to serve as souvenirs as well as reminders of their pets at home.
Ship’s cat aboard the HMAS Encounter. [Wikipedia]
A gunner with the regimental cat in a trench. Cambrin, France, February 6th, 1918. [IWM]
“Togo”, the cat mascot of the battleship HMS Dreadnought. [IWM]
Feline mascot named “Spark Plug.” [Library of Congress]
“Pincher,” the mascot of the HMS Vindex, sitting on the propeller of one of the sea planes carried by the ship. [Wikipedia]
Ship’s cat strutting along the barrel of a 15-inch gun on the deck of the HMS Queen Elizabeth. Gallipoli Peninsula, 1915. [Bibliotheque nationale de France]
A Canadian soldier with “Tabby,” his unit’s mascot, on Salisbury Plain. September 27th, 1914. [IWM]
Two men of the 9th Battalion, Gordon Highlanders (15th Division) with their pet cat. “Martinpuich,” August 25th, 1916. [IWM]
Two cats pose in the breech of a 4-inch caliber gun aboard an unidentified U.S. ship. [U.S. Naval Institute]
Studio portrait of a soldier holding a kitten. Melbourne, 1915. [Australian War Memorial]
Officers of the U.S. 2nd Army Corps with a cat they discovered in the ruins of Le Cateau-Cambrésis. [Pictorial Record of the 27th Division]
A sailor on board the Royal Australian Navy Destroyer HMAS Swan shaking the paw of “Ching,” the ship’s mascot. [Australian War Memorial]
Sailor on board the HMAS Melbourne holding two ship’s cats. 1917. [Australian War Memorial]
Ensconced in an opening in a sandbagged dugout, a cat, probably a mascot, looks up expectantly at the approach of an unidentified soldier. Gallipoli Peninsula, 1915. [Australian War Memorial]
British soldier playing with mascot. [Illustrated War News, Vol. 7, London, 1918]
Portrait of Company O’Connor Men and cat. August 12th, 1915. [Australian War Memorial]
And, lastly, “Pitouchi” (photo below) was born in the trenches. His mother was killed when he was a kitten, and he was adopted and nursed to health by Lt. Lekeux of the Belgian army. According to the book, Soldiers in Fur and Feathers, by Susan Bulanda, the cat followed the officer wherever he went, and one day saved his life:
As Lekeux reached a spot near the German lines, he saw that they were digging a new trench. He hid himself in a shell hole nearby to make a sketch of the German works. He was so absorbed in his sketch that he did not notice approaching German soldiers on patrol. When he finally realized his situation, it was too late to run.
He decided to lie very still, hoping that the Germans would not see him, but unfortunately he heard one soldier say, “He’s in the hole,” so he knew he had been seen.
When Pitouchi heard the German say that, he jumped out of the hole onto a piece of timber. The Germans were startled and fired two shots at Pitouchi. However, as frightened as he was, Pitouchi was not hit, and he jumped back into the hole with his beloved Lekeux.
The Germans laughed and joked that they had mistaken a cat for a man and left. Lekeux finished his drawings and returned to the Belgian lines with Pitouchi on his shoulders.
The original post was on io9 here.
Hope you enjoyed this.
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Reblogged this on Linda's wildlife garden and commented:
thank you for sharing
Thank you! 😀
Very interesting post and great photos 🙂
Thank you Wendy 🙂 – While some of the things they had to do certainly falls into the WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO OUR CATS category it is something from history that should not be forgotten!
thanks for a great post, it was great to read about feline heroes :o)
Thank you. 🙂
What a fascinating post…thank you.
And thank you for reading and commenting. 🙂
Reblogged this on The Oasis of Good Things.
Thank you so much! 🙂
What an awesome post about kittys in the service! Love the photos, especially the ones in the cannons. Funny how the cats make it look peaceful! Meow!
It takes a cute cat to turn around even the grimmest of all moments hehe 😉
Such a beautiful post. Those photos show a lot of love and care in an otherwise cruel and heartless place and time.
Thank you! 🙂 so glad you liked the post. This is exactly why we shared it with you all ^^
thank you for sharing.. wonderful post.
You are most welcome. 🙂
A lovely post to honour those cats that served like so many other animals with soldiers or for soldiers..indeed it makes my heart sad that they were in these situations..and one hopes the times have changed somewhat..all service animals are the most special..as they ask not to go to war on behalf of man..but they do…thankyou amazing images. Hugs Fozziemum
I so agree with your comments! Let’s hope the world will never return to times as bad as those in the past and that things keep improving for pets and service animals alike! 🙂
I hope so… I really do 🙂
Fascinating! I reblogged this on “weggieboy’s blog – surviving retirement with two cats”.
Thank you ^^
Reblogged this on weggieboy's blog and commented:
Here’s a fascinating look at cats as helpmates in the military. Take that, Rin Tin Tin!
A salute to some heroic kitties. Really great photos. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Do you know whatever happened to Pitouchi and his Belgian human? Did they survive the war, and if so, did Lekeux take him home to live out his days in honor? 🙂
Unfortunately we don’t 🙁 but let’s just imagine that they did that as a well deserved retirement! 🙂
Many people do not realize that kittens were used against the Germans to stun them with their cuteness…so that they could be taken prisoner without a shot being fired 🙂
Lol!!!! I love that one. :).
So true that it should not be forgotten. The photos are exceptional. They say a lot. Thank you my friend.
Indeed! Thank you. 🙂
Those cats were such a comfort to the soldiers and hopefully a happy distraction. Great story about Pitouchi.
Marc i feel better at looking at the whole story now. The photos sure make you understand what an important job they had in war time. How great comfort they must of been for those Soliders
Thank you Kylee. :). That was exactly why I decided to share it. Not because of the horrible times but because of the comfort they gave to them!
Amazing ! War dogs are often featured, but we didn’t imagine that cats so important too ! Purrs
🙂 indeed
I had no idea! you hear lots about the dogs that are in wars but I’ve never heard about cats before.
Indeed, that’s why we had to post about this! Kitties can be just as brave as dogs :). I still think tho that some of the things our furry friends had to do in the past they should have never had to do. But history is there to be learned from!
I love this so much! Especially the photos of the soldiers holding their mascot’s paws… the cats were clearly precious to them 🙂
That’s exactly what we loved so much about the photos. 🙂 thank you <3
Reblogged this on melpadilla.
Thank you! 🙂
Oh my gosh, just found this post!! Love it. I’m a sucker for vintage photographs and the stories behind them. My dad (who is a retired veterinarian) is a World War buff and I should pass this post on; it’s so true we hear so much about dogs at war but kitties?!! This is so great. That first photograph is so awesome I want it on my wall.
Thank you 😀 glad you liked the collection I found. And yes who would have thought!!!