The stray tuxedo cat must have thought it was lucky when it was picked up off a street in Paris and put in the French space program. Good food and a safe place to live. It, along with 13 other strays, was a candidate for first cat in space. It was designated C341 so the scientists would not get attached to it. It was put through training which included the centrifuge to acclimate it to g-forces. It was chosen from the 14 because of its calm demeanor. When the flight was announced, the French press gave her the name Felix (in honor of the cartoon character). When it was discovered he was a she, the more prim name Felicette was bestowed. On Oct. 18, 1963, Felicette was strapped into a rocket, butt facing up. She was connected to electrodes to monitor neurological activity. The flight lasted only 13 minutes (no, she did not sleep the whole time) and Felicette parachuted safely back to Earth. Sadly, the brave kitty was euthanized two months later to examine her brain.
Felicette was the first cat in space which made cats the third animal in space. In 1947, U.S. scientists used a German V-2 rocket to send fruit flies into suborbital flight. In 1949, a monkey was blasted up. In 1951, the Russians used a variant of the V-2 to launch a dog. On Nov. 3, 1957, Sputnik 2 put the famous dog Laika (called Muttnik in the Western press) into orbit. Laika did not survive. The U.S. sent up two monkeys, Miss Able and Miss Baker, on the same flight. They survived. In June, 1959, the Soviets sent two dogs and the first rabbit, Marfusha. In August, 1960, Sputnik 5 carried carried the dogs Belka and Strelka, along with a gray rabbit, 40 mice, 2 rats, and 15 flasks of fruit flies and plants.
On Jan. 31, 1961, NASA prepared for its first manned space flight by sending a chimpanzee named Ham into space, returning him safely. In February, the French sent a rat named Hector. Later in 1961, the Soviets launched a guinea pig. Frogs went up in 1970. Fish in 1973. And garden spiders in the same year. That was to study their web-making in zero gravity. They spun, but badly.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%A9licette
https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/space-missions/felicette-first-cat-space
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