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I found the story of Kiddo the Cat in the tweet below (you can click “read more” to see it), and at the Smithsonian’s site “Kiddo the cat, reluctant aviator” (click headline to read). The short version: Kiddo was onboard the first airship trying to cross the Atlantic. But the airship failed and had to ditch into an attached lifeboat. Kiddo was also lowered into the lifeboat; all mammals were rescued; and Kiddo became a hero. Click to read:
An excerpt:
On October 15, 1910, Kiddo the cat became the first of his kind to attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean by airship—and he wasn’t very happy about it.
When aeronaut Walter Wellman’s America airship was preparing for take-off from Atlantic City, New Jersey, Kiddo was found in the airship’s lifeboat. The wide-eyed grey tabby was not pleased about his unexpected journey, and his howling annoyed the airship’s chief engineer, Melvin Vaniman. (The duo seemed to have made-up after their spat—enough to pose for a photo together, at least.)
The America was the first airship to have radio equipment. Kiddo has the distinction of being the subject of the first ever radio communication from an aircraft in flight: “Roy, come and get this —damn cat.”
The 71 hours that Kiddo and the rest of the crew spent in flight were fraught with storms and engine failure. After traveling just over 1,300 miles from their launch point, the America sent out a distress signal. Kiddo and the crew were evacuated via the airship’s lifeboat on to a Royal Mail steamship. The America—no longer weighed down by the boat, crew, and cat—drifted away and eventually crashed off the coast of Maryland.
According to the airship’s navigator, Murray Simon, Kiddo preferred the sea-faring portion of the journey; he described Kiddo as perched on the lifeboat’s sail, “washing his face in the Sun, a pleasant picture of feline content.”
Despite not making it across the Atlantic, the America did break the record for the longest sustained flight. Kiddo returned to dry land a hero (and even got to meet his adoring public during his brief residency in a gilded cage filled with pillows at a New York City department store) and retired from the aviation field, going to live with one of Wellman’s daughters. The crew credited Kiddo and his nine lives with helping them survive the perilous journey.
Kiddo’s escape vehicle, the America airship lifeboat, became part of the Museum’s collection in 2010.
The tweet. Click “see more to get the whole story.”
. . . and here’s a video of Kiddo and the airship:
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Simon’s Cat hasn’t made an appearance here in a while, but this two-minute video shows the moggy getting his Christmas present, which happens to be loaded with catnip. The cat gets baked and causes havoc!
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I should have realized that animals other than humans get dementia, but how do we know it? Well, SCIENCE has figured it out, and the signs of dementia in your cat are given in this article from The Conversation. Click the headline to read. Realize, though, that there’s little you can do about it in cats, and not much more in humans. The article is by Joel Abrams.
An introduction and then the signs of cognitive decline:
Many cat owners don’t realise that just like humans, cats can suffer from dementia. A recent paper has even found many similarities between feline and human dementia, finding that cognitive impairment may develop in similar ways.
Some of the symptoms of dementia in cats are even similar to what we might see in humans – though not all of them, of course. Knowing what signs to look out for is important so you can provide your cat with the best care during this phase of its life.
Feline cognitive dysfunction syndrome (also known as feline dementia) is an age-related decline in a cat’s cognitive abilities. It’s generally characterised by behavioural changes that cannot be attributed to other medical conditions.
Feline dementia is thought to be very common in older cats. One study found that by 15 years of age, more than half of cats showed signs of dementia. However, some behaviour associated with the condition has also been identified in cats as young as seven. A separate survey of cat owners also found that around 28% of cats aged between 11 and 14 exhibited at least one behavioural change associated with dementia.
. . .Behavioural changes are often the first indication that there may be something wrong. There are eight signs to look out for that might indicate your cat has dementia.
1. Unusual vocalisation: Your cat might start to vocalise excessively, or in new situations. A common example of this is meowing loudly at night.
2. Altered interactions: Cats with dementia sometimes seek attention more often or become “clingy”. Equally, cats with dementia might interact less than previously, appear irritable or seem not to recognise familiar people.
3. Sleep changes: You may notice changes in your cat’s sleeping habits – often becoming restless at night and sleeping more during the day.
4. House soiling: Changes in toilet habits can be a sign of several different conditions, but toileting outside the litter tray can be a common sign of dementia in cats.
5. Disorientation: Just like people with dementia, cats may show signs of confusion or wandering behaviour. This might appear as losing their bearings, staring blankly at walls, getting stuck behind objects or going to the wrong side of the door.
6. Changes in activity levels: A cat with dementia may be more or less active than usual. They may play less often or be less inclined to explore. You might also notice them spending less time taking care of themselves, for example grooming or washing themselves less.
7. Appearing anxious: A cat with dementia might show signs of anxiety in situations that they were previously confident with – such as around familiar people, places or sounds. An anxious cat might hide more often, going under the bed or on top of cupboards to escape.
8. Learning problems: Cats with dementia may be less unable to perform previously learned tasks, such as finding their food bowl, and may have difficulty learning new tasks.
What to do if your cat is diagnosed with dementia (that alone must be hard)? Well, enrichment or environmental changes could ameliorate the symptoms somewhat, but, in the end, there’s little you can do.
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Lagniappe: Here’s UCLA’s Powell Cat, as remembered by Jen, the Good News Girl. You can read another memoriam for Powell Cat here.
