16th-Century Military Manual Depicts Explosive Cats as Siege Weapons
A digitized 16th-century military manual by artillery master Franz Helm, held by the University of Pennsylvania, includes illustrations of cats strapped with small powder kegs to set fire to castles or towns. The manual, written in early 1500s Germany, describes binding a sack like a fire-arrow to a cat's back, igniting it, and releasing the animal to run into enemy structures, where it would ignite hay or straw. UPenn historian Mitch Fraas examined the text, which suggests using a cat from the target location to ensure it returns there. The manual reflects imaginative siege warfare tactics of the period.
Key facts
- Franz Helm wrote an early 16th-century military manual on siege warfare.
- The manual includes illustrations of cats with explosive devices attached.
- Helm was an artillery master who proposed using animals for delivering explosives.
- The text advises binding a small ignited sack to a cat's back to burn enemy towns.
- The manual was digitized by the University of Pennsylvania.
- Historian Mitch Fraas at UPenn analyzed the exploding cat concept.
- The strategy aimed to set fire to castles or cities otherwise inaccessible.
- The original post appeared in 2014 and was updated in 2026.
Entities
Artists
- Franz Helm
Institutions
- University of Pennsylvania