Operation Acoustic Kitty: CIA Spy Cats Failed

The CIA once spent millions trying to train cats as spy devices and it failed spectacularly.

In the 1960s, Operation Acoustic Kitty aimed to turn ordinary house cats into walking surveillance

systems. They surgically implanted microphones in cats' ear canals, radio transmitters

at the base of their skulls, and wired antennas into their tails. The plan was to

release these cats near Soviet compounds where they would naturally wander close to targets

and record conversations. After five years and over 20 million dollars, they finally tested

their first cyber cat on the streets of Washington. The mission was simple: eavesdrop

on two men sitting on a park bench. The cat was released from a van across the street.