British Designer Raising Funds to Build a Statue in Paris Dedicated to Félicette, The First Cat in Space

When British designer Matthew Serge Guy came across a vintage tea towel that memorialized a nameless cat who went into space. Wanting to know more about this astro-feline, Guy did some research and learned that the cat’s name was Félicette and that she was the very first and only cat to go into space. Upon learning this information, Guy set about raising funds through Kickstarter to commission animal sculptor Gill Parker create a statue dedicated to Félicette’s memory in her native Paris.

Félicette is the first and only cat to experience the weightlessness of space. Although other animals in space, such as Laika the dog and Ham the chimpanzee, are well-known within popular culture and have lasting memorials, very few people are aware that a cat went to space at all. Now it’s time for The Astrocat to get the memorial she rightly deserves. …Gill Parker is one of the most acclaimed animal sculptors of our time. Should this project be fully funded, Gill has kindly offered to help us bring this statue to life.

Felicette Returns to Earth

Space Cat

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.

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