Cats With Jobs: What Do They Do With Those Paws?

The ancient Egyptians worshiped and deified cats for good reason: by hunting small rodents, they protected the barns where the Egyptians stored their provisions - primarily wheat - a vital resource for the human societies.

These days, cats have become primarily emotional support animals, giving us company, love, comfort and a sense of security. Moreover, even people with diseases such as depression, PTSD and other mental issues note a decrease in anxiety from communicating with cats.

However, some cats do completely non-cat things: they perform in theaters, fly into space, deliver mail, catch poachers, and much, much more.

Take a look at the Sputnik Africa's photo gallery to see different professions of cats around the world: from working as a performer in a cat theater to being a police assistant.

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A picture taken on May 3, 2013, shows a cat performing during a show in the Moscow Cat Theatre, founded by famous Russian clown Yuri Kouklatchev, shortly before the fall of the USSR.

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This picture taken on September 29, 2023 shows Maria the cat sitting in her box outside an establishment at the Alabang Town Center in Alabang, Metro Manila. A cat wearing a black-and-yellow security vest strolls nonchalantly past security guards lined outside a Philippine office building waiting to receive instructions for their shift. While the cats lack the security skills of dogs -- and have a tendency to sleep on the job -- their cuteness and company have endeared them to bored security guards working 12-hour shifts.

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The famous cat Mostik ("Bridge" in Russian), which became a symbol of the construction of the Crimean Bridge, after the completion of construction, moved to the regional division of the Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency in Simferopol.

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Visitors play with rescued cats at Ngao's Home, a one of its kind cafe and cat rescue place in Hanoi on August 7, 2020, ahead of the International Cat Day. International Cat Day, created in 2002, is celebrated on August 8 every year.

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The Hermitage cat-oracle Achilles, “working” in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, “went on a diet” ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

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This picture taken on September 27, 2023 shows Conan the cat walking past security guards in formation outside an office building in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. A cat wearing a black-and-yellow security vest strolls nonchalantly past security guards lined outside a Philippine office building waiting to receive instructions for their shift. While the cats lack the security skills of dogs -- and have a tendency to sleep on the job -- their cuteness and company have endeared them to bored security guards working 12-hour shifts.

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Grumpy Cat arrives at the 84th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015, in Los Angeles.

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The cat named Semyon, a pet of the fire and rescue unit of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Tyumen Region, sits on a fire truck in the garage of military vehicles in the village of Borovsky.

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