chli, thanks for mentioning Félicette. I pasted below some info from Wikipedia, Félicette was not as lucky as Jonesy:
"Félicette was the first cat launched into space, on 18 October 1963 as part of the France space program. Félicette was one of 14 female cats trained for spaceflight. The cats had electrodes implanted onto their skulls so their neurological activity could be monitored throughout the flight. Electrical impulses were applied to the brain and a leg during the flight to stimulate responses. The capsule was recovered 13 minutes after the rocket was ignited. Most of the data from the mission was of good quality, and Félicette survived the flight, the only cat to have survived spaceflight. A second feline was launched on 24 October, but the mission resulted in a fatality.
Félicette was euthanized two months after the launch so that scientists could perform a necropsy to examine her brain."
RIP Félicette.
"He survived, he’s now in Disneyland in Orlando, and no way am I going back there. How did he end up in Disneyland? I saw him in Disneyland, Jesus Christ!"