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Cats may rule our hearts, but some also occupy noteworthy job titles. While dogs might be more eager to please their owners and bosses, cats have still earned top performance ratings across the ages.
That classic feline indifference just shows they do it out of passion for the role, not for treats or applause. Here are 10 cats that have taken on significant, unique, or endearing positions.
10. Chief Mouser To The Cabinet Office
The Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office holds a distinguished role at 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the UK's Prime Minister. This position is currently filled by Larry, who was recruited from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home due to his exceptional mousing skills. He even has an entry on the official UK government website.
This position dates back to the reign of Henry VIII, though official records only begin in 1929. The position has occasionally remained vacant when no mice were present to cause trouble. The longest-serving Chief Mouser was Wilberforce, who served under Prime Ministers Edward Heath, Harold Wilson, Jim Callaghan, and Margaret Thatcher.
9. Mail Carriers
In 1876, the Belgian city of Liege decided the best way to transport mail was with the help of cats. The Belgian Society for the Elevation of the Domestic Cat trained 37 volunteers to carry letters sealed in waterproof pouches around their necks. One cat completed the task in about five hours, while others took up to 24 hours.
On March 4, 1876, The New York Times reported, "It is believed that, unless the criminal class of dogs undertakes to waylay and rob the mail-cats, the messages will be delivered with rapidity and safety." The experiment was quickly abandoned.
8. Ship’s Cat
Cats are highly adaptable to their environment and excel at catching mice that chew through crucial ropes and food supplies. This makes them ideal companions on a ship.
Several cats have been awarded medals for their naval service. In 1941, "Unsinkable Sam" began his career aboard the German battleship Bismarck and was later found on its wreckage by the HMS Cossack. After the Cossack was torpedoed, Sam was transferred to the HMS Ark Royal, which too was torpedoed. He then retired from military service with honor.
Pooli, another World War II cat, earned three service ribbons and four battle stars for her work aboard an attack transport ship. In 1949, Simon safeguarded the stores of the British HMS Amethyst during a 101-day siege. He remains the only cat to be awarded Britain’s prestigious Dickin Medal and was laid to rest with full military honors.
7. CIA Informants
In the 1960s, the Central Intelligence Agency made an attempt to train cats as spies to monitor Soviet embassies. The operation, known as Project Acoustic Kitty, involved implanting microphones, transmitters, and antennas into cats' bodies to secretly record conversations. The cats were then trained to follow commands, which proved more challenging than anticipated.
During the first mission, a female cat was sent to a public park with instructions to record a conversation between two men sitting on a nearby bench. While crossing the street, she was struck by a taxi and killed instantly. The CIA ultimately concluded that the project was “not practical.”
6. Astronaut
By 1961, the French space program had successfully launched rats into Earth’s atmosphere. They then decided to take things to the next level. And what better animal to follow rats than cats?
Fourteen feline candidates were chosen for training, which included exposure to a compression chamber, high g-force centrifuge spins, and rocket noise simulations. During a 10-hour surgery, electrodes were implanted in the selected cat’s brain so scientists could monitor its biological responses during the flight.
On October 18, 1963, a tuxedo cat named Felicette was launched in the nose cone of a Veronique AG1 rocket. She flew nearly 161 kilometers (100 mi) above Earth, briefly experienced weightlessness, and safely parachuted back down. She remains the only cat to survive a space flight.
5. Composer
In 1996, Rabbi Moshe Cotel was playing his baby grand piano when Ketzel (which means “cat” in Yiddish) hopped onto the keys. She walked across the treble notes and made her way toward the bass. Cotel, who was the head of the composition department at Peabody Conservatory, quickly grabbed a pencil and transcribed the music.
A year later, he learned about a competition by the Paris New Music Review for compositions under 60 seconds. He entered Ketzel’s piece, named “Piece for Piano: Four Paws.”
The judges, who had no knowledge of the composer or title, gave the piece an honorable mention. When the composition was performed at the Museum of the City of New York, Ketzel, who was sitting in the audience, meowed loudly when her name was announced.
4. Mayor
In the small town of Talkeetna, located near Denali National Park with a population of about 900, there was a very unique mayor: Stubbs, a ginger cat. Stubbs took office in 1998. As the town is a historic district, the mayor’s position was more of a ceremonial one than a practical one. His mayoral tasks included roaming the town, enjoying catnip-infused water every afternoon at West Rib Cafe & Pub, and holding office hours at Nagley’s General Store for visitors.
But even cats have rivals in politics. In 2013, Stubbs was viciously attacked by a dog. His life-saving surgery was funded by a global outpouring of donations from well-wishers around the world.
After his recovery, Stubbs leveraged the positive publicity to make a run for the 2014 Alaska Senate race, although he was unsuccessful. He passed away peacefully from old age at his home in 2017. It remains unclear who will succeed him in the role of mayor.
3. Actor
Since the dawn of cinema, movie star cats have captured our hearts. Despite their reputation for being difficult to train, cats have nonetheless shared the screen with human actors, often overshadowed by their canine counterparts.
Some of the famous feline stars to grace the silver screen include Orangey in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), Syn Cat as “Tao” in The Incredible Journey (1963), Ted Nude-Gent as “Mr. Bigglesworth” in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Crackerjack and Pumpkin as “Crookshanks” in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), and Tonic and Leo as “Church” in Pet Sematary (2019).
The PATSY (Picture Animal Top Star of the Year) Awards celebrate exceptional animals in film. Cats, known for their strong personalities and unpredictable nature, have still managed to earn a fair share of accolades.
2. Assistant Librarian
In 2013, a striped cat named Kuzya wandered into the Novorossiysk children's library, and the staff couldn't help but welcome him. However, for Kuzya to stay, he needed to become an official employee. Due to strict Russian regulations regarding undocumented workers, neither humans nor felines could be hired without the proper documentation.
Determined, the library staff obtained an animal passport, and the head librarian of Novorossiysk signed a special decree appointing Kuzya as the library's official assistant. His salary consists of 30 cans of Whiskas cat food per month, and he’s required to wear a uniform, which includes a bow tie, during his shifts.
1. Customs Officer
In 2002, a Siamese cat found its way into a customs checkpoint in Stavropol, Russia, where the guards quickly adopted him. Soon, he took on the responsibility of inspecting vehicles for illegally smuggled Caspian Sea caviar.
Police officer Sergei Kovalenko recounted, “One day, Rusik jumped into the boot of a passing car at the checkpoint and immediately detected some sturgeon. After that, we decided to employ him full time for our searches.”
No matter how cleverly smugglers (often mafia members) tried to hide their goods, Rusik could always sniff them out. After less than a year on the job, he had put the sniffer dogs out of work, proving himself as a powerful tool against sturgeon smuggling.
In 2003, Rusik met a tragic end when he was run over by a car that he had previously caught smuggling caviar. Many believe this was a mafia-ordered hit, as Rusik’s success in his role had made him too dangerous to remain alive.
