Cats once served as vital members of the US Navy. Old photos show these forgotten service felines.

Erin SnodgrassMay 2, 2023, 06:53 IST

Cpl. Edward Burckhardt poses with a rescued a kitten that he named Suribachi Sue.Courtesy of US Naval Institute.

Seafaring cats have been a staple of culture dating back to ancient Egypt.
Scot Christenson, author of "Cats in the Navy," spoke to Insider about these forgotten felines.

As long as humans have been sailing the seas, cats have been by their side.

A US Navy officer pets a boat cat.Courtesy of Scot Christenson

The animals were originally brought on board as pest control.

A cat walks across the HMS Queen Elizabeth off of the Gallipoli peninsula in 1915.Courtesy of Scot Christenson.

Cats eventually became valued members of several countries' navies.

Men aboard the USS Olympia use a small mirror to play with a cat on board in 1898.Courtesy of Scot Christenson.

Sailors held strong superstitions about cats.

A portrait of Navy cat Brunhilde.Courtesy of Scot Christenson.

Cats were once believed to control the weather.

A cat cuddles up on the HMAS Encounter.Courtesy of Scot Christenson.

Sailors realized years later that the cats were actually reacting to drops in air pressure.

Cats would respond to the physical agitation they felt when the air pressure around them would drop.Courtesy of Scot Christenson.

Some cats were even paid for their hard work.

Cpl. Edward Burckhardt poses with a rescued a kitten that he named Suribachi Sue.Courtesy of US Naval Institute.

Despite many cats' dislike of water, the animals adapted surprisingly well to life at sea.

A collection of cats congregate at the US Naval Air Station Squantum in July 1942.Courtesy of Scot Christenson.

There could be dozens of cats on board the same ship at one time.

A gathering of kittens play at the Naval Air Station Squantum in 1942.Courtesy of Scot Christenson.

Cats are notoriously difficult to train and could get themselves — or their sailors — into trouble.

During prohibition, federal officials learned to look for cats scurrying away to hiding holes on a ship, often inadvertently leading investigators to the ship's store of illegal boozeCourtesy of Scot Christenson.

But Navy cats were known to offer their human colleagues companionship.

A Navy man holds a group of small cats.Courtesy of Scot Christenson.

Political and legal liabilities ultimately led to the end of cats' reign on the open waters.

A 1907 postcard depicts US Navy men with a goat and cats.Courtesy of Scot Christenson.

Almost all the world's navies have since banned cats from ships.

Political and legal liabilities led to the end of Navy cats.Courtesy of Scot Christenson.

Their legacy lives on.

US Marine Frank Praytor uses a medicine dispenser to feed a stray cat.Courtesy of Scot Christenson.

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