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| (Compilation by Alvesgaspar) |
During World War I, approximately 500,000 cats were assisting Allied soldiers on land and on sea.
Mark Strauss of io9 explains that these cats killed vermin on ships and in trenches, served as gas detectors, kept troops company, and sometimes actively saved human lives.
A kitten named “Pitouchi” was adopted by Lt. Lekeux of the Belgium army. When Lekeux was later trapped in a trench with the Germans approaching, Pitouchi jumped from the hole onto a piece of nearby wood.
When the Germans saw Pitouchi, they assumed that they had mistaken a cat for a man, and left the area. Pitouchi then jumped back into the trench to comfort the beloved lieutenant whose life he just saved.
Seafaring cats were just as advantageous to their human companions. Without cats on board, ships could easily be “overrun with rats and mice that would eat into the provisions, chew through ropes and spread
disease.”
Resources
http://io9.com/a-gallery-of-cats-who-served-in-world-war-i-1624713212
Copyright August 2014 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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