Mail-Delivering Cats
1879: Reports reached America of experiments conducted in the city of Liege, Belgium to determine if cats could be used to deliver mail. Three dozen cats were said to have been placed in bags and then taken several miles out of the city. They were then released, after a message had been tied to each one. The cats reportedly made it back to their homes in Liege before the humans did.
Plans were said to be in the works "to establish a regular system of cat communication between Liege and the neighboring villages".
Plans were said to be in the works "to establish a regular system of cat communication between Liege and the neighboring villages".
Lancaster Intelligencer Journal - Mar 26, 1879
The Chicago Inter Ocean - Oct 28, 1879
Comments
"The Belgians have formed a society for the mental and moral improvement of cats."
First: they're already smarter than we are (when was the last time you spent a day napping in the sun rather than going to work?). Doing anything to promote their mental activity is a recipe for disaster.
Second: you can't 'improve' the morals of cats because they don't have any. Nada. Zilch. A million times zero is still zero!
Fortunately, it was Belgians . . .
First: they're already smarter than we are (when was the last time you spent a day napping in the sun rather than going to work?). Doing anything to promote their mental activity is a recipe for disaster.
Second: you can't 'improve' the morals of cats because they don't have any. Nada. Zilch. A million times zero is still zero!
Fortunately, it was Belgians . . .
Posted by Phideaux on 05/01/21 at 12:20 AM
Hm. All references I can find to this story are mentions of a report in a newspaper in the USA, usually the New York Times. All references to this Society refer back to this story, too. I call shenanigans.
Not to mention that, as much as us Dutchmen like to mock the intelligence of our southern neighbours, I'm quite sure they already had a working postal system in 1879 and would consider this a daft idea suitable only for a Luxemburger.
Not to mention that, as much as us Dutchmen like to mock the intelligence of our southern neighbours, I'm quite sure they already had a working postal system in 1879 and would consider this a daft idea suitable only for a Luxemburger.
Posted by Richard Bos on 05/01/21 at 02:23 AM
😊
Posted by Don Bysouth on 05/01/21 at 04:51 AM
Commenting is not available in this channel entry.
Category: Cats | Nineteenth Century | Postal Services