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The Wildest Cat Stories on the Internet (That Happen to Be True)
A cat in space, a cat who ran a railroad, a cat who inherited €10 million — eight true stories, and one glorious tall tale.
Cats Have Led Some Lives
We went down the internet rabbit hole so you don’t have to — and wow, cats have led some lives. From outer space to city hall to a €10-million inheritance, here are some of the wildest, most wonderful true cat stories we could find.
Grab a snack. Your Ragdoll can read over your shoulder.
Félicette: The First (and Only) Cat in Space
In 1963, a little tuxedo cat plucked from the streets of Paris became the first feline astronaut in history. On October 18, France launched Félicette aboard a rocket that carried her more than 150 kilometres up — past the edge of space — before parachuting safely back to Earth. She survived the flight in good condition.
Her story has a sad ending: a few months later she was euthanised so researchers could study her brain, and for decades the world largely forgot her. That’s part of why, in 2019, cat lovers crowdfunded a bronze statue in her honour at the International Space University in Strasbourg — so the only cat ever to go to space would finally be remembered properly.
Scarlett: The Mother Who Ran Into a Fire — Five Times
In 1996, firefighters in Brooklyn watched a stray cat do something they’d never forget.
Her name became Scarlett, and as her abandoned building burned, she carried each of her five kittens out one by one — running back into the flames again and again until all five were safe. Badly burned herself, she was seen touching each kitten with her nose to make sure they were all there.
All but one survived, Scarlett recovered and was adopted, and she became a worldwide symbol of a mother’s love. There’s even an animal-heroism award named after her.
Tama: The Cat Who Saved a Railroad
When a struggling little rail line in Wakayama, Japan needed a miracle, they found one in a calico cat named Tama.
In 2007 she was named honorary stationmaster of Kishi Station — complete with a tiny custom cap — and tourists came from around the world just to meet her. She single-pawedly boosted ridership and pumped millions into the local economy, saving the line.
When she died in 2015, she was given a formal send-off and the title of honourable eternal stationmaster. A cat, quite literally, kept the trains running.
Stubbs: The Cat Who “Ran” a Town for 20 Years
In the tiny town of Talkeetna, Alaska, the honorary mayor for two full decades wasn’t a person — it was a handsome cat named Stubbs.
From 1997 to 2017 he “presided” over the town, drawing tourists who wanted to meet the feline in charge. He reportedly took his meetings at the local café, where his office hours involved a bowl of water spiked with a little tuna oil.
Term limits? Never heard of them.
Creme Puff: The Cat Who Lived to 38
Cats live wonderfully long lives — but Creme Puff of Austin, Texas is in a league of her own. She holds the Guinness World Record for the oldest cat ever, reaching an astonishing 38 years and 3 days (1967–2005). That’s roughly 168 in human years.
Her owner had a knack for it: another of his cats lived to 34.
He also fed them a famously eccentric diet, and this is the one place we’ll be spoilsports — some of what he gave them, including coffee, is genuinely not safe for cats, and nobody should copy it. Two extraordinarily long-lived cats is a lovely mystery, not a recipe. Feed yours properly and enjoy the story.
Tommaso: The Stray Who Inherited €10 Million
Talk about rags to riches.
Tommaso, a black stray taken in off the streets of Rome, became one of the wealthiest pets on earth when his owner — a childless property widow — left him her entire estate: around €10 million. Overnight, an alley cat became a multimillionaire, cared for by a trustee and living in a series of comfortable homes.
Not bad for a cat who started with nothing but good luck and better whiskers.
Unsinkable Sam: The Cat Who Cheated the Sea (Three Times)
Now for a proper seafaring legend.
As the story goes, during World War II a black-and-white cat survived the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck in 1941, plucked from the water by a British ship. He then reportedly survived that ship going down too — and then a third. Nicknamed Unsinkable Sam, he supposedly retired to dry land to live out his days far from the water.
Historians love to debate the details, and the evidence is thin. But as a tall tale of feline luck, it simply can’t be beat.
Oscar: The Cat Who Always Seemed to Know
At a nursing home in Rhode Island, a cat named Oscar developed an uncanny, gentle gift: he seemed to sense when a resident’s final hours were near, curling up beside them so they wouldn’t be alone.
Staff came to trust his instincts so completely that a doctor documented the phenomenon in a 2007 essay for the New England Journal of Medicine. Nobody can fully explain it — but Oscar’s quiet companionship comforted dozens of families in the hardest of moments.
Sweet, spooky, and utterly cat.
Your Cat’s Wildest Story
Will your Ragdoll go to space, run a railroad, or inherit a fortune? Probably not, though we wouldn’t put anything past them.
But here’s the lovely truth hiding inside all these stories: cats have an astonishing knack for weaving themselves into our lives and becoming legends in their own homes — heroes, comedians, comforters, and constant companions. A Ragdoll, with all that affection and personality, is especially good at it.
Your kitten’s wildest story is the one you’ll get to live together.
Start Your Own Story
Every one of these legends began as an ordinary cat and someone who loved them. If you’d like to begin your own, we’re so glad you’re here.
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