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Kiddo, the airship cat

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Kiddo's name may not be familiar to readers; however, he was the first cat — maybe the only one — to cross the Atlantic Ocean (well, almost) by airship. He was a grey tabby and belonged to one of the crew members of Walter Wellman's airship America. Wellman (1858-1934) was an American explorer, aeronaut and journalist. In 1910 he and five companions attempted to cross the ocean, leaving from Atlantic City, New Jersey on 15 October that year. Kiddo is said to have stowed away in one of the lifeboats, and really did not enjoy his first experience of flying, mewing and howling and generally getting on the nerves of the first engineer, Melvin Vaniman. The America carried radio equipment — the first aircraft so equipped — and apparently the historic first, in-flight radio message, to a secretary back on land, read: 'Roy, come and get this goddamn cat!'

Kiddo was unceremoniously stuffed into a canvas bag, with the idea that he would be lowered into a motor-boat beneath the airship; but the weather was too rough to make the transfer and so the cat remained on board. He soon regained his equilibrium and his spirits, and indeed the crew found him 'more useful than any barometer. You must never cross the Atlantic in an airship without a cat,' as the navigator Murray Simon put it. 'He is sitting on the sail of the lifeboat now as I write, washing his face in the sun: a pleasant picture of feline contentment. This cat has always indicated trouble well ahead. Two or three times when we thought we were "in" he gave most decided indications that he knew we would be shortly getting it in the neck.'

The airship broke all records for continuous flight up to that date by remaining in the air for 71½ hours, but unfortunately came down at sea just 475 miles (760 km) short of her destination. The crew, including Kiddo, were rescued by the steamboat Trent, with Simon reminding them that it had been a good idea to bring a cat, as they have nine lives!

A tumultuous welcome awaited them in New York, and Kiddo achieved celebrity status by being displayed for a while in Gimbel's, one of the leading department stores of the time, where he reclined on soft cushions in a gilded cage.

He retired from aviation to live with Walter Wellman's daughter, but Vaniman was not so fortunate, as he died when the airship Akron, on which he was making another Atlantic attempt, exploded on 2 July 1912, killing all on board.

The photo of Kiddo with Melvin Vaniman (by 'Bushon', 1911) is copyright to the National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC, and is used here with their kind permission: it may not be copied for use elsewhere.

The information about Kiddo comes from Allan Janus's marvellous book about animals that have flown in balloons, planes and airships, Animals Aloft (Bunker Hill Publishing, Piermont, New Hampshire, 2005). We are also most grateful to Allan for his help with obtaining copyright permission for Kiddo's and other photos belonging to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. You can read about Allan's own cats Max and Maxine here.

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Our featured feline at the head of the page is Simon of HMS Amethyst.
Able Seacat Simon remains the only cat ever to have been awarded the Dickin Medal for gallantry under enemy fire,
in what became known as the 'Yangtse Incident' (1949).
Read Simon's story.

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