For a domestic cat living in the city today, it is difficult for them to imagine that their ancestors once lived on those wind sailing ships in the age of human discovery. As early as ancient Egypt thousands of years ago, humans have discovered the benefits of having cats on ships.
When cats were first domesticated by humans, they had only one function, and that was to catch rats. It is said that the Egyptians were the first to start domesticating domestic cats, and they began to raise cats after discovering that cats were natural enemies of mice. Rats that existed as long as there was something to eat got on board as the age of human navigation began. So the first people who started sailing found that the food on the ship was spoiled by rats, the wooden deck was bitten by rats, and the most dangerous thing was that the cables with sails were sometimes bitten off by rats. So people sacrificed the magic weapon of the rat, and the cats appeared on various ships from then on.
Due to the miraculous function of cats to kill rats, superstitious ancient sailors believed that cats could bring good luck and protect their ships. After a long sea trip, cats brought fun to the boring life of sailors, and gradually, people from the cats that were brought on the ship to kill rats at the beginning became an indispensable part of ocean voyages.
The churches in Europe have always regarded cats as messengers of demons, but sailors have ignored these. They believe that cats have the ability to perform miracles and help ships escape the clutches of bad weather. At that time, sailors had a widespread saying that they believed that magic was hidden in the tail of a cat that could invite storms. So the isle of Man's tailless cat is considered a lucky star, because without the tail there is no storm. As people's horizons gradually broadened, this superstition was taken as a joke. But because the low pressure that can easily cause storms can strain cats and all animals that are more sensitive than humans, there is some truth that boat cats can predict the weather.
Until modern times, although rats were no longer enough to be a threat to steel ships, ship cats remained as the auspicious pets of sailors on ships. On an Allied frigate during World War II, there was a ship cat named Cornvoy. The frigate's duty was to protect transatlantic cargo ships, and Cornvoy also meant to escort cargo. The cat has a full set of sailor gear on board, including its own hammock. Unfortunately, during an escort mission, the frigate was sunk by a German submarine, and Cornwally and all 87 sailors on the ship were killed.
Another Persian cat named "Oscar" was much luckier, and this Persian cat was very legendary. It was originally the darling of the officers and men of the German battleship Bismarck. On May 27, 1941, bismarck was surrounded and annihilated by the British navy near Denmark, killing all 267 officers and men on board, only Oscar was rescued by the British destroyer Cossack and renamed "Sam" by British sailors. Five months later, the Cossack was sunk by a German submarine, Sam was rescued, and soon after became a member of the British aircraft carrier Ark Royal. In less than a month, the aircraft carrier was also lost to German submarines, and the high-star Persian cat escaped for the third time, boarded the destroyer Legion, and lived a peaceful life. After the end of World War II, the portrait of "Sam" was made into an oil painting "Unsinkable Sam".
Churchill with the boat cat
In fact, pets living with sailors on board are not only cats, dogs and other animals are also common as mascots on board.
There are also pig farmers
Sheep breeders
But only the cat, who was first brought to the ship by humans for catching rats, was the most useful member of the animal crew. Cats have witnessed how humans conquered the oceans, and as sailors migrated between continents of the world, they entered unfamiliar countries, forming the most colorful cat star lineage today.