Have you ever heard the story of a spy cat? It's not a movie plot, it's something that really happened. The CIA has tried to train cats to be used as spy tools on covert missions.
Imagine a small furry creature with a bug hidden around its neck infiltrating an important meeting of a hostile nation. Doesn't that sound amazing and a little ridiculous?
Back in the Cold War, when the world's great powers were trying to spy on each other. In the 1960s, the CIA came up with a seemingly bizarre but creative plan called "Acoustic Kitten".
The idea is simple: transform a cat into a mobile listening device and use its inconspicuous characteristics for spying. First of all, you have to choose the right cat. This is not an easy task, because cats have changeable personalities, some are timid, some are active.
After screening, the CIA finally found a seemingly well-behaved furball, codenamed "Acoustic Kitty". The next task is to turn the cat into a "walking bug".
The surgery was so complicated that the scientists implanted a tiny microphone in the cat's ear, an ultra-small radio transmitter around its neck, and an antenna in its tail. The whole process took more than 1 hour and the investment was up to $20 million.
But can you imagine how difficult it would be to give a cat such an operation? That's not all, training after surgery is a challenge. Training a cat to follow instructions is not as simple as training a dog. The CIA's trainers spent months with little success.
The nature of cats makes it difficult for them to concentrate for long periods of time, and they prefer to live freely and freely. Even trained "spy cats" have a hard time obeying orders at critical moments.
Eventually, the CIA decided to put the cat into action, targeting a meeting of the Soviet embassy in the Washington Special Zone. However, on the first day the cat was released on a mission, it was hit and killed by a passing taxi.
As a result, the project was abruptly brought to an end, and all the investment and hard work was in vain. This failed project was later made public, causing an uproar. Ethical questions have been raised about the use of animals for espionage in this way.
At the same time, it also reflects the extreme measures taken by intelligence agencies in various countries to obtain intelligence during the Cold War. In addition, Britain has its own "spy cat" incident, but that is more of a misunderstanding. Palmerston is an official cat of the British Foreign Office, and often moves freely around the department, which is why he is nicknamed a "spy". While this is more of a humorous view, it also reflects a deep impression of the ubiquity of espionage.