Operation Acoustic Kitty - Animal Surveillance

Operation Acoustic Kitty was a CIA project in the 1960s that attempted to use cats as an espionage tool for surveillance purposes. In 1965, the agency spent about $20 million creating an espionage device intended to use cats as audio and visual spies. The plan was to surgically implant transmitters into the cat's ear canal, and then attach a microphone to its fur so that it could pick up sound from nearby conversations. Additionally, a radio transmitter would also be implanted in its body which would allow handlers to track the animal’s movements.