Famous Cats We'll Always Love
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Everyone loves a good animal video or meme, but when it comes to cats on the internet, they steal the show! Why? They're cute and kooky and often act like total jerks, making them especially funny — and relatable.
Feline-themed content has been around for ages, even in the early days of Disney movies that made cats so popular. Whether it's Garfield, The Cheshire Cat or Grumpy Cat, everyone has their favorite. Here are the most famous real-life and fictional cats in the world.
Orangey
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Celebrity cat: First movie appearance in 1951
Died in: 1967
Orangey was one of the most famous feline film stars after appearing in the movie “Breakfast at Tiffany's” with Audrey Hepburn.
His Claim to Fame
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The orange tabby was a double PASTY award winner and appeared in several other films over 15 years.
It is said that Orangy could be pretty mean and mischievous at times, but he was always well behaved while filming a movie.
Garfield
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Animated character: First created in 1978
The mischievous, lazy, lasagna-eating cat Garfield first appeared in comics strips in 1978. He was created by Jim Davis, who named the famous fictional character after his grandfather, James Garfield Davis.
His Claim to Fame
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The comic strips and anime films Garfield stars in chronicle the overweight, orange tabby's life.
The cat is known for his smug, sarcastic personality and his relationship with his unintelligent sidekick, Odie, the dog.
The Cheshire Cat
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Animated character: First created in 1865
The fictional Cheshire Cat was first illustrated by John Tenniel and appeared in Lewis Caroll's famous book, “Alice's Adventures In Wonderland.”The character later appeared in Walt Disney's movie, “Alice In Wonderland,” in 1951.
His Claim to Fame
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The cat is known for his distinctive, wide grin and his ability to levitate, appear and disappear and even dislocate his head from his body.
We especially love the joy he gets in pranking other characters in the story.
Tardar Sauce (aka Grumpy Cat)
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Famous celebrity cat: Discovered in 2012
Died in: 2019
Tardar Sauce first became popular when her photo appeared on Reddit in 2012. She was famous for her permanently cynical expression (caused by an underbite and feline dwarfism) that made her the subject of several memes.
Her Claim to Fame
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She quickly became an internet sensation. "Grumpy Cat" had her own social media accounts and was featured in several ad campaigns along with public appearances to promote her licensed merchandise.
She died in 2019 at the age of 7 from a urinary tract infection.
Felix
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Animated character: First created in 1919
Felix was created during the silent film area by Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer. The black cat with the big white eyes became one of the most famous cartoon characters in history after appearing in the 1919 animated short, “Feline Follies.”
His Claim to Fame
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Felix was a recurring character in the comic strips in 1923 and later aired in cartoons in 1953.
His image can still be found in numerous merchandise items.
Milo
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Real-life character: First movie appearance in 1986
Milo is the orange tabby in the Japanese film, “The Adventures of Milo and Otis.” The 1986 movie depicts two animals who become best friends (a cat and a pug) and their traveling adventures.
His Claim to Fame
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Milo is the curious one who gets into plenty of trouble, leaving Otis with the job of rescuing him from dangerous situations.
Milo, the character, was played by several tabbies during the filming of the movie.
The Cat in the Hat
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Animated character: First created in 1957
Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, created “The Cat In The Hat” to replace boring primers such as the Dick and Jane book series used in elementary schools to help young students learn how to read.
His Claim to Fame
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In the story, the rebellious cat meets two children who are home alone on a rainy day and wreaks havoc on their house. But the mischievous character takes responsibility for the mess he creates and cleans the entire house before he leaves.
“The Cat In The Hat” is still listed as a favorite book among children today.
Ted Nude-gent (aka Mr. Bigglesworth)
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Famous celebrity cat:First movie appearance in 1997
Ted Nude-Gent is the famous, hairless Sphynx cat that appears in the popular Austin Powers movies.
His Claim to Fame
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His character, "Mr. Bigglesworth," is the pet of Dr. Evil.
In 1999, he was awarded "Cat of the Year" by Cats Magazine.
Sylvester James Pussycat Sr.
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Animated character: First created in 1945
Sylvester is a fictional, anthropomorphic tuxedo cat that stars in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoon series.
Morris
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Famous celebrity cat: Discovered in 1968
Died in: 1978
Morris is perhaps the most famous orange tabby of all, making his debut in 1968 as the “spokescat” for 9Lives brand cat food.
His Claim to Fame
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He appeared in numerous comic shorts from 1945-1966 and was the fourth most popular cartoon character after Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and Daffy Duck.
Sylvester was famous for his lispy voice and trademark phrase, "Sufferin' Succotash." He was also known for his inability to catch mice and his nemesis, Tweety Bird.
His Claim to Fame
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He was adopted from a Humane Society in Chicago in 1968 and featured in 58 television commercials from 1969-1978. Known as the world's most finicky cat, Morris won two PATSY awards in 1972 and 1973.
He "authored" several cat books and appeared in several films before his death in 1978.
Nora the Piano Cat
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Famous celebrity cat: Born in 2004
Nora is a grey tabby adopted by a couple living in Pennsylvania and became famous when she was only a year old.
Her Claim to Fame
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She climbed up on the family piano and played a few notes.
The owners posted a video of her playing the keyboards on YouTube in 2007, which led to talk show appearances, news channels and several syndicated TV shows.
Simba
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Animated character: First created in 1994
The inspiration for the famous animated lion originally stemmed from Disney's 1942 character “Bambi.”Their stories are similar — both are protagonists who lose a parent and, as a result, become brave leaders in the wilderness.
His Claim to Fame
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Simba made his first appearance in Disney's “Lion King”in 1994.
With such success at the box office, the movie had subsequent sequels that featured the cute cub.
Mr. Mistoffelees
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Fictional cat: First created in 1939
The character of Mr. Mistoffelees first appeared in T.S. Eliot's poetry book, “Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.”But his real debut was in 1981 when Andrew Lloyd Weber produced the musical adaptation of the story in the Broadway hit “CATS.”
His Claim to Fame
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The black and white tuxedo cat had magical powers that he was not always able to control.
He had several famous "catmates" in the story — Grizabella, Macavity and Old Deuteronomy, to name a few.
Nala
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Celebrity cat: First discovered in 2012
Nala was adopted from an animal shelter when she was just 5 months old. Once the owners posted their adorable cat with huge blue eyes on Instagram, her popularity skyrocketed.
Her Claim to Fame
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She currently holds the Guinness World record for being the cat with the most Instagram followers (roughly 4.3 million).
In honor of Nala, the owners launched "Love," a company that focuses on pet health and animal rescues.
Smudge
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Celebrity cat: First discovered in 2018
Smudge became an internet sensation on Tumblr after his photo was turned into a meme ("Woman Yelling at a Cat") that went viral on social media.
His Claim to Fame
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The owners snapped a picture of him one night while sitting at the dinner table, with a look of disdain on his face when a plate of salad was set before him. The photo was combined with a screenshot of Taylor Armstrong from an episode of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”
Soon after, the owners launched a merchandise website using the image of Smudge's disgruntled face.
Pusheen
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Animated character: First created in 2010
The lovable Pusheen was created by Claire Belton and Andrew Duff for their “Every-Day Cute” comic strip.
His Claim to Fame
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The animated GIF cat appears in comics and in sticker sets on social media platforms and on merchandise.
The inspiration for Pusheen came from a real-life cat that Belton grew up with.
Tom
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Animated character: First created in 1940
Tom is the other half of the famous “Tom & Jerry” cartoon duo created by William Hannah and Joseph Barbera.
His Claim to Fame
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The show revolves around Tom’s unsuccessful efforts to capture Jerry, the clever mouse.
In the 1960s, it became the highest-grossing animated short film series of the time, surpassing “Looney Tunes.” A number of television spinoffs and movies have been made, including a live-action/computer-animated movie released as recently as 2021.
Maru
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Celebrity cat: Born in 2007
Maru is a male Scottish Straight from Japan who is obsessed with boxes and known for squeezing into the smallest places.
His Claim to Fame
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He became a celebrity cat after videos of him jumping into multiple boxes of all sizes became an internet hit.
At one time, he held the Guinness World Record for most viewed animal videos on YouTube.
The Duchess
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Animated character: First created in 1970
The Duchess made her first appearance in the Disney movie,“The Aristocats,”in 1970.
Her Claim to Fame
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The story follows the Parisian white cat with big blue eyes after her opera singer leaves her inheritance to her and her three kittens — Toulouse, Berlioz and Marie.
Eva Gabor was the voice for the elegant Duchess.
Unsinkable Sam
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Celebrity cat: Discovered in 1941
Died in: 1955
Also known as Oscar/Oskar, Unsinkable Sam was a black and white male ship cat famous for surviving three shipwrecks.
His Claim to Fame
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He was found floating on a board in the ocean after The Royal British Navy sank the German battleship, Bismarck.
He later survived two more shipwrecks — the HMS Cossack and the HMS Ark Royal. Sam is the perfect example of a cat living nine lives.
Salem
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Animated character turned into real-life character: Created in 1962 and later appeared on TV in 1996
Salem started out life as a cartoon cat in the American Archie Comic series and was later portrayed by a real black cat in the television show “Sabrina, The Teenage Witch.”
His Claim to Fame
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Salem was formerly a witch with magical powers who was turned into a cat, as the story goes.
He becomes Sabrina's sidekick and is given a human voice in the television show.
Si and Am
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Animated characters: First created in 1955
These famous, sinister Siamese cats made their debut in the Disney movie, Lady and the Tramp.”
Their Claim to Fame
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They loved to cause mischief and blame others when they wreaked havoc on the house.
Si and Am sang the popular "Siamese Cat Song" in the film that we’ll never get out of our heads.
Tabby
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Celebrity cat: Found fame in 1861
Died in: Unknown
Tabby was a cat that Abe Lincoln's son adopted and brought home. He then became famous for being the first cat in the White House.
His Claim to Fame
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The curious feline was a favorite of Lincoln's and was known to sit at the dinner table during formal gatherings.
People were surprised to see Lincoln feed his beloved cat with a gold fork.
Oscar
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Celebrity cat: Made headlines in 2007
Also known as "The Grim Reaper," Oscar is an unusual therapy cat at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, Rhode Island, where he offers comfort and companionship to the terminally ill.
His Claim to Fame
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He made headlines in 2007 for his accuracy rate in "predicting" the deaths of patients — usually within two hours.
A cat's sense of smell is 14 times stronger than ours, so it might not be unusual for a feline to smell an illness. But Oscar's spot-on record of foretelling acute disease and death at the nursing home is eerily accurate.
Sam
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Celebrity cat: Discovered in 2012
Sam is a white cat with a black tail and black eyebrow markings. He has a permanently surprised expression, which made him an internet sensation in 2012.
His Claim to Fame
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Known as "the cat with the eyebrows," Sam's photo went viral overnight, and soon after, he was featured in newspapers, magazines and on multiple social media platforms.
Today, Sam has more than 240,000 Instagram followers and counting.
Penelope Pussycat
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Animated character: First created in 1949
This animated female feline plays opposite Pepe Le Pew in several Looney Tunes shorts.
Her Claim to Fame
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In the earlier cartoons, she was known as Fifi or Fabrette.
The white strip down her black back gave her the appearance of a skunk, which made her the object of Pepe Le Pew's affection.
Choupette Lagerfeld
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Celebrity cat: Found fame in 2019
Choupette was the lucky pet of the rich and famous Karl Lagerfeld. When her owner died in 2019, Choupette became one of the most glamorous kitties in the feline world.
Her Claim to Fame
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She regularly dines on caviar and chicken pate, flies on private jets and has two maids who take care of her. She also has her own Twitter account and an Instagram account with more than 260,000 followers.
She has also made $3 million in sponsorships and ads. Not bad for a cat!
Scarlett
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Celebrity cat: Born in 1995
Died in: 2008
Known as "Scarlett The Brave," this fearless feline was initially a stray living on the streets in Brooklyn, New York.
Her Claim to Fame
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She became famous after saving her kittens in 1996 when an abandoned garage caught fire. Scarlett was severely burned after carrying her kittens out one by one, but her bravery made the headlines.
Soon after, she was adopted by her loving owner, but unfortunately, Scarlett had lifelong health problems due to the fire.