Centenary of Kiddo the airship cat

An unusual anniversary went generally unnoticed last week (15 October 2010). It was the centenary of the first air-to-ground radio message, which was itself a consequence of the first ever attempt by a cat to cross the Atlantic Ocean by air.

The intrepid feline was a grey tabby called Kiddo. He belonged to a crew member of the airship America, in which a US explorer, aeronaut and journalist, Walter Wellman (1858–1934), intended to fly from New Jersey to Europe.

Wellman and five companions set off from Atlantic City on 15 October 1910, unaware that Kiddo had stowed away in one of the airship’s two lifeboats. The cat apparently did not enjoy flying and soon made his presence known by mewing and howling.

Kiddo’s panic attack so annoyed the crew that they decided to remove him from the airship by lowering him to a motor boat. Since the America was the first aircraft to carry radio equipment, they were able to arrange this by sending the historic first in-flight radio message: “Roy, come and get this goddamn cat!”

The scaredy-cat was unceremoniously stuffed into a canvas bag attached to a rope. But the weather turned out to be too rough for transferring him to the boat, and Kiddo had to remain on board. Luckily, the cat soon overcame his initial fears and proved to be a valuable member of the crew, being “more useful than any barometer”.

“You must never cross the Atlantic in an airship without a cat,” wrote the navigator. “This cat has always indicated trouble well ahead. Two or three times when we thought we were ‘in’ he gave most decided indications that he knew we would be shortly getting it in the neck.”

The airship broke the record for continuous flight by remaining in the air for almost 72 hours. Unfortunately, she then developed engine problems and was forced down into the sea. Kiddo and the crew were rescued by a steamboat and taken back to New York, where they received a tumultuous welcome.

Kiddo enjoyed celebrity status. For a while he was displayed in a top department store, reclining on soft cushions in a gilded cage. He retired from his career as an aviator to live with Wellman’ s daughter.