On October 18, 1963, a small black and white stray cat from Paris made history by becoming the first cat ever launched into space. Her name was Félicette, and her trip on a French rocket was a big moment in the space race. But behind this scientific success is a sad story that has been mostly forgotten for decades.
Félicette was one of 14 female cats picked by France’s Centre d’Enseignement et de Recherches de Médecine Aéronautique for their space program. The cats went through tough training that included time in machines that spun them around, staying locked in small boxes, and listening to loud rocket sounds. Scientists decided not to give the cats names, only numbers, so they would not get too attached to them. Félicette was known simply as C341 before her flight.
