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This Is The Story Of A Baltimore Cat That Joined The Coast Guard During World War II

July 3, 2023

During the tumultuous years of World War II, a grey cat from Baltimore was officially commissioned by the United States Coast Guard.

Surprisingly enough, cats played a significant role on ships at one point in time. Their primary duty was to control the rodent population aboard the vessel.

In 1943, Herman the cat officially joined the US Coast Guard as an "Expert Mouser".

He even had his own passport.

#ThrowbackThursday: ID for Herman the Cat, issued 1/12/43 by Captain of Port, Baltimore, Maryland. Occupation: Expert Mouser. Sponsor: U.S. Coast Guard. Signed with an X, and including his paw print. pic.twitter.com/8HP4rcciXl

— Soft Side (@SoftSide1) July 8, 2021

The details read:

Herman the Cat, occupation: EXPERT MOUSER, age: 8 months, height: 15 inches, weight: 11 pounds, eyes: GREEN, color hair: GRAY, issued on Jan. 12, 1943. A pawprint substituted for the standard right-hand index fingerprint.

Herman's induction even made the popular Paramount newsreels of the era (video below).

@history Enjoy this clip of this cat who joined the coast gaurd. #History ♬ original sound - HISTORY

Like many defense workers, including some of the foreign-born, Herman ran into issues over his birth certificate.

But the matter was finally hushed up.