When you think of a “top 10 job” list, you probably picture humans climbing corporate ladders. But feline friends have been climbing their own quirky career ladders for centuries, earning titles that range from prestigious government posts to interstellar explorer. Below, we whisk you through the ten most extraordinary occupations ever claimed by cats, complete with purr‑filled anecdotes and historic tidbits.
Top 10 Job Cats: Why They Matter
10 Chief Mouser To The Cabinet Office
The Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office is a dignified position stationed at 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister. Today, the role is filled by Larry, a sleek feline recruited from the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, whose résumé boasts an impressive record of mouse‑catching. Larry even enjoys a dedicated entry on the official British government website.
Although the title is said to have origins dating back to the reign of Henry VIII, documented records only begin in 1929. Occasionally, the post sits vacant when the mouse population stays unusually docile. The longest‑serving Chief Mouser was Wilberforce, who kept the palace rodent‑free under the administrations of Edward Heath, Harold Wilson, Jim Callaghan, and Margaret Thatcher.
9 Mail Carriers
In an eccentric 1876 experiment, the Belgian city of Liège decided that cats might be the most efficient couriers for the local mail. The Belgian Society for the Elevation of the Domestic Cat trained 37 whiskered volunteers, each wearing waterproof pouches around their necks to carry letters. While one particularly spry cat managed to deliver its mail in roughly five hours, the others took anywhere up to a full day.
On March 4, 1876, The New York Times reported, “It is believed that, unless the criminal class of dogs undertakes to waylay and rob the mail‑cats, the messages will be delivered with rapidity and safety.” The novelty quickly fizzled, and the cat‑mail service was discontinued.
8 Ship’s Cat
Ships have long welcomed feline crew members because cats excel at hunting rodents that gnaw at ropes, food stores, and other crucial supplies. Their keen senses and agile bodies make them ideal for the cramped, moving environment of a vessel.
Several cats earned medals for naval service. In 1941, “Unsinkable Sam” began his career aboard the German battleship Bismarck, was rescued from its wreckage by the British destroyer HMS Cossack, and later transferred to HMS Ark Royal—both of which were torpedoed. After surviving three sinkings, Sam retired from military duty.
Another wartime hero, Pooli, garnered three service ribbons and four battle stars while serving on an attack transport. In 1949, the British cat Simon defended the stores of HMS Amethyst during a 101‑day siege, earning Britain’s prestigious Dickin Medal and a burial with full military honors.
7 CIA Informants
During the 1960s, the Central Intelligence Agency launched a covert venture known as Project Acoustic Kitty, hoping to train cats as espionage agents inside Soviet embassies. The plan involved surgically implanting microphones, transmitters, and antennae into the cats’ bodies to capture secret conversations.
Training proved far more challenging than anticipated. In the program’s inaugural mission, a female cat was dispatched to a public park to eavesdrop on two men seated on a bench. While crossing the street, the cat was struck by a taxi and killed instantly. The CIA subsequently deemed the operation “not practical” and abandoned the project.
6 Astronaut
Following successful rat launches in 1961, the French space agency turned its sights to felines. Fourteen cat candidates underwent rigorous preparation, including exposure to compression chambers, high‑g centrifuges, and the deafening roar of rocket engines.
Each selected cat received a ten‑hour surgical procedure to implant electrodes in the brain, allowing scientists to monitor physiological responses during flight. On October 18, 1963, a tuxedo cat named Félicette was catapulted aloft in the nose cone of a Véronique AG1 rocket, soaring to an altitude of roughly 161 kilometers (100 miles).
Félicette experienced brief weightlessness before safely returning to Earth via parachute, making her the sole feline to survive a spaceflight.
5 Composer
In 1996, composer Rabbi Moshe Cotel was rehearsing at his baby‑grand piano when Ket‑zel, a curious cat, leapt onto the keyboard. The feline treaded from the treble into the bass, creating a whimsical series of notes. Intrigued, Cotel grabbed a pencil and transcribed the accidental melody.
A year later, Cotel learned of a competition hosted by the Paris New Music Review for compositions under sixty seconds. He submitted Ket‑zel’s piece, titled “Piece for Piano: Four Paws.”
The judges, unaware of the cat’s involvement, awarded the work an honorable mention. When the piece premiered at the Museum of the City of New York, Ket‑zel sat in the audience and let out a loud meow as Cotel’s name was announced.
4 Mayor
In the modest Alaskan town of Talkeetna, nestled near Denali National Park, an orange‑tabby named Stubbs held the ceremonial office of mayor from 1998 onward. Though the role was largely symbolic, Stubbs dutifully patrolled the streets, sipped catnip‑infused water each afternoon at the West Rib Café & Pub, and greeted visitors from his “office” inside Nagley’s General Store.
Stubbs’ tenure wasn’t without drama. In 2013, a dog attacked him, prompting a worldwide outpouring of donations that funded his life‑saving surgery. The media attention even spurred a brief, albeit unsuccessful, campaign for Stubbs to run for the Alaska Senate in 2014.
He enjoyed a long, peaceful life until he passed away of natural causes in 2017, leaving the town’s residents to wonder who might fill the whimsical power vacuum.
3 Customs Officer
In 2002, a Siamese cat named Rusik wandered into a customs checkpoint in Stavropol, Russia, where he was quickly adopted by the stationed guards. Recognizing his keen sense of smell, officials assigned him the task of sniffing out illegally smuggled Caspian Sea caviar hidden in vehicles.
According to police officer Sergei Kovalenko, “One day, Rusik leapt into the boot of a passing car at the checkpoint and instantly detected sturgeon.” Impressed, the team kept him on regular duty, and his detections repeatedly outperformed traditional sniffer dogs.
Unfortunately, after less than a year of service, Rusik was run over by a vehicle—rumored to be a retaliatory strike by the smuggling mafia—ending the career of a cat who had become a formidable weapon against illegal caviar trafficking.
2 Assistant Librarian
When a striped cat named Kuzya sauntered into the Novorossiysk children’s library in 2013, the staff fell in love and decided he should become an official employee. However, Russian labor regulations required proper paperwork for any worker, feline or human.
Undeterred, the librarians secured an animal passport for Kuzya and obtained a special order from the head librarian designating him as an assistant librarian. His salary consists of 30 cans of Whiskas per month, and his uniform is a dapper bow tie, which he proudly wears each day.
1 Actor
Since the dawn of cinema, cats have occasionally graced the silver screen, though their independent temperament often makes them tougher to direct than dogs. Notable feline stars include Orangey in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), the mysterious “Tao” in The Incredible Journey (1963), and Ted Nude‑Gent as “Mr. Bigglesworth” in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997).
More recent appearances feature Crackerjack and Pumpkin as “Crookshanks” in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), and the duo Tonic and Leo as “Church” in Pet Sematary (2019). Despite their reputation for aloofness, cats have earned several PATSY (Picture Animal Top Star of the Year) Awards, recognizing their contributions to film.
These feline performers prove that, even with a touch of cattitude, cats can captivate audiences and leave a lasting paw‑print on movie history.