#2: Acoustic Kitty and the Limits of Espionage
Imagine sitting on a park bench during the Cold War, discussing something secret, while an ordinary-looking cat strolls past. That was roughly the scenario CIA researchers had in mind beginning in 1964. A microphone was implanted in one ear of the animal, a small transmitter was placed beneath its skin, and an antenna was concealed in its fur. Technically, the equipment functioned. The harder problem was persuading a cat to behave like an intelligence officer. Limited field tests showed that it would wander where it pleased instead of reliably approaching the conversations handlers wanted to hear.
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