Cats that Were Famous Before the Internet

Tabby catSource: © Shutterstock

When it comes to popular pets, we all have probably heard of Grumpy Cat and Lil Bub.  While these recently recognized animals are on every one’s radar now, what about the ones that came before them?  Before the internet, animals were just as popular and many became famous in their own right.  Although they probably were not as widely known as animals today but they did find their place in the history books.

The Cat with a Funny Name

One of the most famous cats in history is a cat named Room 8.  In 1952, the cat that snuck into a classroom at Elysian Heights Elementary School in the state of California became the mascot of the school.  Both teacher and children alike fell in love with this stray tabby. They named this cat after the room in which he was found, which was classroom number 8. He would leave during the summer holidays and then return when the children came back.  This added to his fame and many people would come to take pictures of this local event. There was even a children’s book that feature the feline.

Simon the Stowaway

Another sneaky little cat that became famous was Simon the cat.  In 1948, this feline was brought on board the HMS Amethyst, a ship in the Royal Navy while it was docked in Hong Kong.  Simon became popular among the sailors and became the ships chief rat catcher. But tragedy struck and the ship was attacked and poor Simon with a lot of the sailors on board was injured and some even killed.  After pulling four pieces of bomb shrapnel from Simon’s tiny body, he made a full recovery.  When he returned home he was given a hero’s welcome.  Simon received several medals for his bravery in the face of war.

The Cat Named Faith

This feline who was named Faith wondered into St. Faiths Church of London and the entire church group quickly was smitten by the cat.  After being a staple in the church, she gave birth in 1941 to a kitten they named Panda.  Oddly, one day Faith took Panda into the basement but it was cold so the congregation brought the kitten back up.  But Faith kept taking Panda back down to the basement.  After the congregation had left the church it was bombed during an air raid.  To their surprise when they returned to the bombed out church the pair were still alive huddling in the basement.  Faith was later given the silver medal from the PDSA for her bravery.

Image via alljengi at Flickr.com

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  • 13926855805_c185df3423_z: © Shutterstock

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