After the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria on June 28, 1914, the First World War began, where over 2 million individuals lost their lives or were wounded. Cats played a crucial role in this war, as reported by international media.
The conflict, which lasted for four years, started in Bosnia and Austria, involving the European powers and resulting in a devastating toll of over two million human lives. According to reports animals, including cats were used for military purposes during this war. Horses were used for transportation, pigeons for communication, and cats also played a significant role.
The war involved digging trenches on European fronts, where rats became a major problem, not only wasting and damaging stored food but also spreading diseases. To address this issue, more than 500,000 cats were sent to aid soldiers in the trenches.
These cats not only eliminated rats but also alerted soldiers to chemical attacks with their keen sense of smell.
During the war, Britain initiated sending cats to the Western Front for chemical warfare purposes in response to Germany’s use of chemical weapons.
In 1915, Britain trained around 500 cats and deployed them to the Western Front, where British soldiers in the trenches looked after them. Many cats lost their lives due to the release of gas from chemical weapons.
Military experts noted that towards the end of the Great War, it became evident that close to half a million military cats were used on various fronts by warring factions.
