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What Kind of Cat Is Garfield? Famous Cat Breeds Revealed

Nicole Cosgrove Profile Picture

By Nicole Cosgrove

Based on the appearance of Garfield, most cartoon lovers believe Garfield is technically an orange Persian Tabby. However, Garfield takes on the role of his creator’s idea of a cat. In other words, Garfield reflects the idea of a cat, not one particular breed. Read on to learn more.

hepper-cat-paw-dividerWhat Kind of Cat Is Garfield?

Based purely on appearances, Garfield looks a bit like a Persian Tabby. Persian Tabbies have a very distinct appearance, which is very similar to the cartoon cat Garfield. In fact, Persian Tabbies are sometimes called the “Garfield Cat” because of their appearance.

This gorgeous breed is known for its orange coat, fluffy tail, large body, and squished-up face. These cats are most known for the M-shaped marking on their forehead, but many have these M-shaped markings all throughout their fur too.

persian tabby cat outside with paws on tree
Image credit: lindarczyk, Pixabay

Similarities

If you compare Garfield to the Persian Tabby, you will see a lot of similarities. Most notably, Garfield is orange and large. He also has a squished-up face and M-like markings all throughout his body.

Differences

Although Garfield looks like a Persian Tabby, his personality is very different, though not completely opposite. Persian Tabbies are known to be very sweet, friendly, and docile. They love to be around their owners, which makes them a bit different than Garfield, who is often sassy.

At the same time, Persian Tabbies are laid back, lazy, and selective about those they love. Like Garfield, Persian Tabbies tend to only like getting affection from one or two people, most notably their owners. In their laziness and selective natures, Persian Tabbies act like Garfield and vice versa.

Garfield: A Persian Tabby

Because Garfield has the same appearance as a Persian Tabby and a lazy, selective personality, most experts would classify Garfield as this cat type. The only difference is that Garfield is a bit sassy, whereas Persian Tabbies are very loving and affectionate.

GARFIELD, cat, cartoon, kitty
Image Credit: Characters by  Jim Davis, Paws Inc., property of Paramount Global.  All rights reserved to the copyright owners.

Persian Tabby or Something Else?

Even though Garfield mimics the Persian Tabby in many regards, there are some disputes on whether or not this is true.

Garfield is made up of different ideas of what it means to be a cat. In other words, Garfield takes on the persona of many cats based on what the creator thought about cats. So, Jim Davis, the creator of Garfield, has a very specific idea of what it means to be a cat, based on all the cats he met during his life.

Some people swear that Garfield is a Maine Coon because of his large size. Some even say that he is mixed with British Shorthair. The honest truth is that nobody really knows for sure.

hepper-cat-paw-dividerFinal Thoughts

With all this in mind, it is difficult to say for sure what kind of a cat Garfield is. Garfield has the same appearance as a Persian Tabby, and he even shares some personality traits with this cat breed. However, a more accurate but slightly more obscure answer is that Garfield is a composite cat made up of many breeds since he represents a creator’s idea.

Depending on your preferences, you can say that Garfield is anything you want him to be. After all, he is a fictional cartoon character. Regardless, most people would agree that Garfield is a grumpy, orange Persian Tabby.

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Featured Image Credit: Characters by  Jim Davis, Paws Inc., property of Paramount Global.  All rights reserved to the copyright owners.

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