The CIA turned cats into walking bugging devices to try to crack Kremlin secrets during the 1960s, say recently declassified documents.
The operation, codenamed Acoustic Kitty, involved surgically wiring a cat with transmitting and control devices.
"They slit the cat open, put batteries in him, wired him up," said former CIA manVictor Marchetti.
"The tail was used as an antenna. They made a monstrosity."
Unfortunately, the would-be eavesdroppers would wander off the job when they got hungry."So they put another wire in to override that," said Mr Marchetti.
In the end, the re-engineered cats came up a whisker short and the CIA abandoned the programme.
