Whenever a flapper needed a smile and a friend in the 20s, she could always count on a big-eyed cuddlesome cat with amiable ways and an affinity for surrealistic adventures. The actress and aviatrice Ruth Elder brought along a huggable Felix the Cat in October 1927, when she attempted to be the first female to cross the Atlantic on a solo flight. The plane went down mid sea and sank with everything, except for its pilot who was rescued somehow. Back in Hollywood Elder received a telegram: “Am alright. Swam ashore. Will see you soon. – Felix.”
Felis is Latin for “cat”, and felix means “happy”, “lucky”.
