The tragic story of cat sent to space with electrodes in her skull — only to face a cruel end on Earth

The tragic story of cat sent to space with electrodes in her skull — only to face a cruel end on Earth

On October 18, 1963, a small black and white stray cat from Paris made history by becoming the first cat ever launched into space. Her name was Félicette, and her trip on a French rocket was a big moment in the space race. But behind this scientific success is a sad story that has been mostly forgotten for decades. Félicette was one of 14 female cats picked by France’s Centre d’Enseignement et de Recherches de Médecine Aéronautique for their spa…