31 Cartoon & Animated Cats: The Best Cat Characters in History
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Cats are entertaining animals in any form. Perhaps this is why some of our favorite cats are animated characters. In fact, many of the funniest cartoons in history have cats as main characters. Here is a list of 31 famous cartoon and animated cats.
The 31 Famous Cartoon & Animated Cats
1. Arlene — Garfield
Garfield’s lady friend may be the only other character in the comic that can match Garfield’s sarcasm and witty personality. The big gap between Arlene’s front teeth, combined with her bright-red lipstick, is how you can tell the two apart.
2. Azrael — The Smurfs
Azrael is the evil Gargamel’s sidekick and partner in crime in “The Smurfs.” He’s a secondary character in the original cartoons but is featured prominently in the newer live-action features: “The Smurfs” and “The Smurfs 2.”
3. Bill D. Cat — Bloom County (Comic Strip)
Bill is a quiet cat with a hairball problem. He appears in the comic strip “Bloom County” and is the design of cartoonist Berkeley Breathed. Bill is best known for making noises at fellow character Opus.
4. Bucky — Get Fuzzy (Comic Strip)
A popular comic strip cat, Bucky is an angry Siamese with a witty sense of humor. He’s often the smartest character in the room and makes sure that his dog roommate never forgets it.
5. Cat in the Hat — Dr. Seuss
The Cat in the Hat may be the most charismatic and unforgettable cartoon cat of all time. While made famous by his clever rhymes that have taught children to read for decades, he has seen a resurgence in popularity as Dr. Seuss’s books have been made into movies.
6. Cheshire Cat — Alice in Wonderland
This unforgettable, colorful feline from Wonderland has an interesting habit of disappearing right before your eyes. While most cat owners are used to a little mischief, only the Cheshire Cat specializes in curiouser and curiouser activities of nonsense.
7. Felix the Cat
Felix the Cat is a comedy cartoon character from the silent film era. He first appeared in 1919 as a black cat with white eyes and a giant grin. As one of the most recognizable film characters in history, Felix was the first animated character popular enough to draw a movie audience of his own. The character rights for Felix were sold to DreamWorks Animation in 2014, which is now part of Universal Pictures.
8. Figaro — Pinocchio
Figaro first appeared as Geppetto’s companion in the 1940s but has since appeared in numerous Disney animated shorts. He has appeared most recently as Minnie Mouse’s pet in many popular Disney Junior series.
Figaro acts like a perpetual kitten, clumsy and full of mischief. While Geppetto kept him out of trouble, these days, Figaro is enjoying his time running Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck in circles.
9. Garfield
As one of the most widely known feline cartoon characters, Garfield is a cat with a serious attitude. Napping is his favorite activity, but he also loves to tease Odie, the dog. Also, he loves lasagna and hates Mondays.
10. Heathcliff — Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats
Heathcliff is a neighborhood bully that terrorized the neighborhood dogs in two animated children’s series from the early 1980s. He premiered in a comic strip titled, “Heathcliff.”
11. Hello Kitty — Sanrio
A fictional cat produced by the Japanese company Sanrio, Hello Kitty is also known by the name Kitty White. She is an anthropomorphization of a Japanese Bobtail cat and wears a red bow. Her backstory includes a twin sister named Mimmy, who wears a yellow bow, and she is portrayed as a perpetual third-grade student. Hello Kitty’s official birthday is November 1, 1974.
12. Hobbes — Calvin and Hobbes
The comic strip “Calvin and Hobbes” features a young boy’s feline playmate and confidante. At least, this is how Calvin views him. To everyone else, Hobbes is just a stuffed tiger.
13. Lucifer — Cinderella
Lucifer prefers to spend his time making Cinderella’s life difficult. He’s very much portrayed as a villain in the movie “Cinderella.” While Lady Tremaine believes that Lucifer can do no wrong, he regularly chases Cinderella’s mice friends and engages in bad behavior that gets her in trouble.
14. Mittens — Bolt
The sassy street cat Mittens takes Bolt on the adventure of a lifetime. While she’s been on the streets too long to appreciate Bolt’s quest to find his owner, she eventually learns that life is happier with friends.
15. Mochi — Big Hero 6
While he doesn’t appear that frequently in the movie, adorable Mochi is referred to as a “hairy baby” by Baymax. He is an extremely round cat that enjoys attention and cuddles.
16. Oliver — Oliver and Company
Oliver is the main character in the Disney movie “Oliver and Company.” He lives with Dodger and his dog friends and is known for being extremely courageous. His bravery helps him defeat the evil Sykes and be reunited with his beloved owner, Jenny.
17. Penelope Pussycat — Looney Tunes
Penelope is the unwilling love interest of Pepe Le Pew in the Looney Tunes shorts. She doesn’t talk in the cartoons but frequently meows and purrs. One way or another, she gets a white stripe down the middle of her back, leading Pepe to think that she’s a skunk.
18. Pink Panther
“The Pink Panther” became more famous for the title sequence than for the film itself, due to the musical theme and the titular animated pink panther. The perpetual king of cool, this cat might be one of the most recognizable cartoon cats around.
19. Puss in Boots — Fable
While Puss in Boots is originally a cat from a French fable that was out to get his master, he is now a famous Hollywood cat due to his appearance in the “Shrek” franchise. This cat with the ridiculously tall boots is voiced by Antonio Banderas and is the central character of a DreamWorks cartoon series and multiple movies.
20. Sagwa
Sagwa is a Chinese cartoon cat from the TV show and book of the same name. The character was created by Amy Tan and is part of the PBS lineup of shows that teach children life lessons about family loyalty and obligation. It won recognition for Children’s Film in 2001 at the Chicago International Film Festival.
21. Scratchy — The Simpsons
Scratchy is the famous cat from Bart and Lisa Simpson’s favorite television show, “The Itchy and Scratchy Show.” It pits cat and mouse against each other in a similar fashion to Tom and Jerry as its own cartoon within a cartoon.
22. Sergeant Tibbs — 101 Dalmatians
While the movie is all about dogs, Sergeant Tibbs courageously helps rescue Pongo and Perdita’s pups from the evil Cruella De Vil.
23. Simba — The Lion King
Simba has a bittersweet story. While he’s the rightful King of the Pridelands, his evil uncle Scar took over with his band of hyenas. Through a series of adventures with his friends Timon and Pumbaa, Simba eventually takes back his birthright and finds love with his childhood playmate, Nala.
24. Snagglepuss — Hanna Barbera
Snagglepuss is a pink anthropomorphic cougar that wears only a collar and shirt cuffs. He appeared in a Hanna-Barbera cartoon in the 1960s and has an affinity for Shakespearean theatre and fancy catchphrases. His most famous ones include, “Heavens to Murgatroyd!” and “Exit, stage left!”
25. Snowball V — The Simpsons
Snowball V is the Simpsons’ fifth pet cat. He was thrown at Lisa by the Crazy Cat Lady while she was mourning the deaths of Snowball III and Snowball IV. She is one of the three pets of the Simpson family, along with Santa’s Little Helper and She Biscuit.
26. Stimpy — Ren and Stimpy
Stimpy isn’t the smartest cat on this list. He follows Ren around blindly and regularly gets caught in his hair-brained schemes.
27. Sylvester — The Sylvester and Tweety Show
“Thuffering thuccotash,” can you believe this cat still hasn’t caught Tweety Bird? While the entire cartoon series is based on his desire to capture the yellow bird, it seems that he secretly doesn’t want to.
28. Marie, Toulouse, and Berlioz — The Aristocats
Parisian kittens Marie, Toulouse, and Berlioz have feisty personalities and a talent for singing. Toulouse is the artist, Marie has high-class preferences, and Berlioz is shy, but every one of these mischievous kittens is sure to make you smile.
29. Tigger — Winnie the Pooh
“The wonderful thing about Tiggers is that Tiggers are wonderful things!” Tigger’s catchphrase is the best possible description of the tiger himself. As the bouncy, bouncy, bounciest character in the Hundred Acre Wood, he is obnoxiously energetic and has difficulty thinking before acting.
30. Tom — Tom and Jerry
Tom has made it his life’s mission to catch Jerry the mouse. These two have spent decades trapping each other and playing a game of chase, but somehow, Tom just can’t catch him. Given how much time he spends hunting him, he may have more affinity for Jerry than he lets on.
31. Yzma (Kitty Version) — The Emperor’s New Groove
Don’t let her squeaky voice and adorable looks fool you: Yzma isn’t your typical cat. She was once a human and has knowledge of magical potions and a maniacal desire to kill Emperor Kuzco to steal the throne. Her evil desires led to her feline transformation, but now that she’s on a path to a future as a Junior Chipmunk, purr-haps she will change her ways?
Conclusion
We hope that you’ve enjoyed this list of famous cartoon and animated cats. These felines have been entertaining both children and adults for years, and they’re not going anywhere anytime soon. Cats are cute and mischievous and have personalities that go on for days. It’s no wonder that they have ended up at the center of Hollywood entertainment!
Featured Image Credit: Michelle Moross, Shutterstock
