photo by Professor BattyThe other night I noticed a cat sitting watching me from across the street as I left a friends house. This seemingly innocuous event got me thinking. If I wanted to closely observe humanity unnoticed, but remain mobile how would I disguise my cameras/probes (or possibly myself)? The answer to that questions was staring me in the face, swishing its tail side to side. Feral cats are everywhere and almost no one notices them, making them the perfect disguise for a research probe.

First, from a physical standpoint cats are an ideal base to build an observation platform around. Their near supernatural agility means that the probe can be given the speed and maneuverability needed to evade capture without looking suspicious. A cat’s size would also allow ample room for the equipment needed on a remote probe (especially if using advanced alien technology). The probe’s power system could even be based on or supplemented by a bacteria based biologic power generation system that lets the probe “feed” on pet food left out for outdoor animals. In addition cats are omnipresent and largely look the same regardless of where in the world you go, meaning one probe could be used virtually anywhere on Earth without drawing any attention to itself.

Which leads me to what is largely the most important reason why cats would make the perfect camouflage for a a probe. Feral cat’s are (unfortunately) largely ignored by the population at large. Just try to think of the last time you looked at a stray cat with anything more than a passing glance. This apathetic acceptance of the feral cat population means an alien probe could move unnoticed through humanity, quietly observing us from incredibly close range. By being disguised as a cat, the probe could even travel well beyond the outer perimeter of even the most vigilantly guarded facility. Animal lovers on the facilities staff may even make the cat-probe an unofficial mascot, feeding and providing shelter for it. Unknowingly giving the remote observer unprecedented access with out raising a single red flag.

While this is all theory and conjecture with no evidence to prove the existence of extraterrestrial cat-probes, it does seem logical that a visitor with the technology to travel vast distances though space and a desire to remain undetected would make use of camouflaged remote probes to study our planet. Although in a much more primitive manor, it is what we do when we want to find game trails or check that the babysitter is taking good care of our children. Just as the hunter would select a game camera that would blend into the woods or a concerned parent would pick a hidden camera that looked at home in their child’s room, an extraterrestrial observer would use a probe that blends in nearly every inhabited area of the planet. Agile, omnipresent and virtually invisible, the a stray cat fits this bill perfectly. I know the next time I see a stray, I will wonder if I am being watched by a simple Earth cat or something a little more out of this world.

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