This week we remembered our veterans. It seems appropriate to include feline veterans—cats who served in time of war. Here’s a site celebrating eight cats of war. You don’t believe that a cat can be of service to the military? Well they can—they can offer support and entertainment on ships and bases, but some cats have also taken on life-saving jobs.
Able Seacat Simon was the first cat known to receive a military name. And he was buried with full naval honors. He was smuggled onto the HMS Amethyst while the ship was in port at Hong Kong and worked as a mouser. Sailors often found little gifts of rats in their beds. Simon was wounded in battle and, sadly, later died of his injuries.
Private First Class Hammer wandered into a tent on a US Army base in Iraq when he was 
a kitten. He brought so much comfort and support to the soldiers that upon the end of their term one sergeant contacted Alley Cat Allies who raised funds to bring him to the US where he lived out his days in comfort.
In 1854, British and French soldiers found a cat and rescued him. The cat ultimately found storerooms of food buried all over the country and saved the soldiers from starvation.
Salty was a US Coast Guard mascot for the San Diego Cost Guard in WW11. He was considered the first cat to take part in a rescue mission.
A cat named Mourka was a war hero cat because he delivered messages which ultimately saved lives.
Pooli was so treasured that on the trip back to the states on shipboard, she was given a round-the-clock guard to keep her safe. She returned home with four battle scars and three service ribbons.
Read the entire stories of these and other military cats here:
http://cattime.com/cat-facts/23501-8-brave-cats-who-served-the-armed-forces
