Socrates the Cat Goes into Orbit: Notes of a Catonaut

Socrates has survived attacks by stray dogs, travelled through unfamiliar countryside, lived with an artist, appeared on television and returned home after an extraordinary disappearance. He considers himself an experienced traveller, a philosopher and a remarkably intelligent representative of the feline species. But even Socrates could never have imagined his next adventure. He is about to become a space traveller — entirely by accident.

An Unexpected Journey

Life in the Smirnov household has returned to normal. Dmitry is studying at university, Katerina is growing up, and Alexander Petrovich has taken a new job involving frequent business trips. When Tatyana Mikhailovna and Katerina leave for a short trip, Alexander Petrovich finds himself responsible for the animals. His work takes him to Mirny, in Russia's Arkhangelsk region. Unable to find anyone to care for Socrates and Pukha, he takes both animals with him.

The pets stay with Alexander Petrovich's friend Alexei. When Alexei invites his old friend on a hunting expedition, Socrates and Pukha accompany them into the forest. The cat spots a hare and, following his instincts, gives chase. Soon he is completely lost. His situation becomes dangerous when a hungry lynx with two cubs encounters him. Socrates tries to appeal to their shared feline ancestry, but the much larger predator is interested in him as food rather than family.

He escapes, discovers strange structures and enters a mysterious underground complex, where he meets bats and another terrifying creature. Eventually he emerges near a vast industrial building containing soldiers, railway equipment and enormous cylinders. He has unknowingly reached a space-launch facility. A guard dog notices him and gives chase. Socrates leaps onto a metal structure and slips through an opening into what seems a large tube. Exhausted, he falls asleep in his hiding place, unaware that it is aboard a spacecraft about to be launched.

A Cat Among the Stars

Socrates awakens to violent shaking and the roar of engines. The rocket is taking off. Then the vibrations stop, and he begins floating. Emerging from his hiding place, he encounters three astonished people in spacesuits: Russian commander Leonid, American astronaut John and a woman named Irina. Nobody can explain how a cat boarded their spacecraft. Socrates is horrified to discover that he has left Earth. The crew cannot turn around. They must continue to the International Space Station, where the unexpected passenger may have to remain for approximately three months.

On the station, Socrates meets the other crew members, including Russian cosmonauts Oleg and Nikolai. The astronauts care for him, although his presence creates astonishing difficulties. Food floats unless secured; objects cannot simply be put on a table; sleeping requires straps; even a toilet becomes an engineering challenge. The crew makes a special harness, devises a feline toilet and arranges exercise on a treadmill. Socrates is offended when made to wear improvised underwear, yet gradually adapts to weightlessness. He learns to propel himself through modules and eventually enjoys exercise.

The cat discovers that life aboard the station is not glamorous leisure. The astronauts follow a demanding schedule of equipment maintenance, experiments, hygiene and exercise. Coming from different countries, they rely on cooperation and trust. They tell stories, share music and films and speak of those waiting at home. Leonid's daughter Ksenia delights in meeting Socrates over video, while her own cat Varenik becomes the subject of a curious long-distance feline acquaintance.

Irina becomes Socrates' closest companion, allowing him to sleep beside her. Looking together at the illuminated Earth, she tells him of her son and of losing her husband years before. Her story leaves a deep impression. Through the windows, Socrates observes oceans, continents, glowing cities and changing light. For the first time, his planet appears both magnificent and fragile.

The Mouse Named John Travolta

An even greater surprise awaits among the scientific experiments. Socrates discovers laboratory mice that have never known ordinary life on Earth and hardly understand what a planet is. Among them is an inquisitive, blue-eyed mouse named John Travolta. Instead of hunting them, Socrates talks to the mice, describing forests, landscapes, oceans and animals. An unlikely friendship grows between predator and prey.

One day he secretly lets John Travolta out and carries him through the weightless modules. When the mouse is found missing, astronaut John suspects the cat has eaten him. The crew searches and eventually discovers Socrates floating with the frightened but unharmed mouse clinging to his fur. The incident amuses everyone except John. Socrates is outraged by the accusation, and profoundly changed by having befriended creatures he once regarded as prey.

The three months in orbit bring bizarre comic adventures: an attempt at football in weightlessness, learning to walk along a rope, and a birthday prank in which an astronaut dressed as a gorilla nearly frightens Socrates out of his wits. The cat also watches the preparations for a spacewalk. Irina explains the terrible risks of working outside the station. Socrates, for once, is happy to remain indoors while the astronauts bravely leave the spacecraft.

The Missing Cat Is Found

Meanwhile, the Smirnovs search desperately. The breakthrough comes when astronauts notice an online advertisement for a missing cat from the Mirny area. The description matches Socrates. Leonid contacts Alexander Petrovich, who initially takes the story for a joke. Only a video connection showing Socrates floating among the astronauts convinces his astonished owner. The crew promises to send him home with the next returning expedition.

During contact with their superiors, the unregistered feline passenger makes an unexpected appearance, forcing the commander to explain his presence. Fortunately, his safe return is authorised. The astronauts take a group photograph, and the unusual expedition attracts public attention.

Returning to Earth

As departure approaches, Socrates longs for home yet dreads parting with people who have protected and loved him. The departing crew watch White Sun of the Desert, following a tradition associated with Russian space missions, and Socrates accompanies Oleg and Nikolai in the return capsule.

The descent terrifies him. The spacecraft shakes through the atmosphere, its parachute deploys, and the final landing throws him about. At last he is on Earth again. Recovery workers, doctors and journalists gather, but the greatest reward is seeing his family. Dmitry is delighted to embrace his extraordinary pet. The next morning Socrates discovers he has become an international celebrity: journalists arrive to photograph the cat who spent three months on the International Space Station.

His ambitions begin growing again. If he ever returns to space, Socrates decides, he ought to go outside the station. All he needs is a spacesuit designed for a cat. He ends his account with another astonishing possibility: film producers are interested in adapting his adventure. A movie called Socrates Goes into Orbit no longer seems improbable.

Socrates the Cat Goes into Orbit: Notes of a Catonaut combines humour, adventure, observations about space exploration and a touching story of friendship across unexpected boundaries. It is about discovering the beauty of one's world and understanding that even the most independent traveller needs a place — and people — to return to.