cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/historyporn@lemmy.world/t/992926
British soldier with the trench cat, France, WW1, 1918
Seeing animals in wartime photos always stirs so many feelings in me. Why did they stick around? Did they understand the danger? Obviously they couldn’t understand the situation but lots of loud scary noises would drive them away, I think. Too attached to their people to leave? How many outlived their adoptive family?
I feel like cats at least know where to go when it’s loud outside, where to get food/water/rest in the calm, where to get all the pets and lovins before taking off,… I don’t think any animal is ready for bomb shakes but they’ll get to the best place they can faster than we will for protection.
Too attached to their people to leave? How many outlived their adoptive family?
Now, I know nothing about nuthin’, but I would guess any house kitties left behind in active war zone might not have lasted long. This cat in the pic is likely a stray, and he’s seen some shit before any of those assholes even showed up. I bet a lot of house cats did survive, and went on the bring love to a new family as a fellow survivor.
—edit to replace “warrior” with “survivor”, added a word—
I assume that a feral/stray cat that isn’t too spooked by loud noises (which may or may not require them to be deaf, I’m not a veterinarian, nor an animal behaviorist) could have a decent time in a WW1 trench. Most soldiers were probably happy to pet them and/or bunk with them, and there would likely be a nearly endless supply of live rats to play with/eat somewhere.
A French trench cat, you could say
Jaques! I told you to acquire a trench coat for the undercover operation.
