In this article, we introduce you to ten famous cats: novel characters, comic heroes, film stars and social media celebrities. Which one is your personal favourite?
Is that you, Garfield? This kitty looks strikingly similar to the famous orange tabby comic cat.
Famous Cats in Pop Culture
Some furry felines are more famous than many a minor celebrity. Some are active on Instagram as “catfluencers”, while others can be found on X or TikTok. Cats also feature prominently in novels, comics and films. Whether real-life flesh-and-blood animals or fictional characters – each one has its own unique personality. Here are our top 10 famous cats.
Famous Comic Cat: Garfield
Garfield is a fat orange comic-strip tomcat with black stripes. He describes himself as “cheeky, chubby, lazy and filosofical”. His favourite pastimes are eating and sleeping, but mouse-catching definitely isn’t his thing. The irony-loving tomcat was born on 19 June 1978 in an Italian restaurant – no wonder lasagne is his favourite food.
Popular around the World
Jim Davis’s comic strips first appeared in the USA, and the plump orange tomcat has since become popular all over the world. Other main characters include his owner Jon Arbuckle and the dog Odie.
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Bob the Stray
“Bob the Stray” is the story of a wonderful friendship. It begins in 2002, when drug-addicted street musician James Bowen finds an injured tomcat. Bowen names him Bob and nurses him back to health. Bob accompanies the musician to his street performances – and Bowen starts earning much more money once the cat joins him.
Death of A Feline celebrity
A new life begins: the musician overcomes his drug addiction, both become celebrities and travel the world together. The book “Bob the Stray” became a bestseller, and the story was later made into a film. Bob died in June 2020 at the age of 14.
Findus, the Talking Tomcat
The young tabby tomcat Findus is always up to mischief. He can also talk. Findus is one of the two main characters in the Swedish children’s book series “Pettson and Findus”. The other is Pettson, an eccentric old man who received the cat in a box labelled “Findus green peas”.
TV Series and Films Featuring a Famous Cat
The first stories about the pair’s funny adventures appeared back in 1984. They were so successful that an animated series and several “Pettson and Findus” films were soon produced.
Grumpy Cat
Grumpy Cat looks like a grumpy old lady determined to ruin everyone’s day. She was born on 4 April 2012 in Morristown, Arizona, USA. In reality, Tardar Sauce – her real name – was a friendly cat. She owed her grumpy facial expression to a congenital condition known as feline dwarfism.
The Legacy of the Meme Cat
Grumpy Cat quickly became the inspiration for countless funny internet memes. Her YouTube videos also went viral in no time. In 2013, Grumpy Cat became a brand in her own right. In 2014, a film starring the cat was even made: “Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever”. Grumpy Cat died on 14 May 2019. Even after her death, her Instagram account, which currently has 2.6 million followers, is still being maintained.
Famous Cats from Fairy Tales: Puss in Boots
Puss in Boots is a fairy-tale character created by the French writer Charles Perrault. He later became famous through the Brothers Grimm’s “Children’s and Household Tales”. Like Bob the Stray, Puss in Boots also brings his owner good fortune. He helps the poor miller’s son who inherited him gain status and wealth.
Tomcat Turned Cinema Star
The fairy tale of Puss in Boots has also been adapted for film. In 2011, a 3D spin-off from the “Shrek” film series featuring the cat as the main character was released.
Mysterious Cheshire Cat
The Cheshire Cat is a character from Lewis Carroll’s book “Alice in Wonderland”. She appears suddenly without warning and disappears just as quickly again. Sometimes only her eyes or her mischievously grinning mouth remain behind like a ghostly apparition.
Famous Disney Cat
In the Disney adaptation, the mysterious feline is striped pink and purple and has an enormous mouth with human-like teeth. The character bears a certain resemblance to Garfield.
Larry from 10 Downing Street
He is probably far more popular than the British Prime Minister: we’re talking about Larry, the cat from 10 Downing Street. Larry began his duties there as chief mouser in 2011. His official title is “Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office”.
The staff of 10 Downing Street pay for his upkeep, so he is not a burden on taxpayers. Larry also has an X account under @Number10cat. The tabby tomcat with white patches already has more than 800,000 followers there.
Nala, the Instagram Queen
In the USA, you can go from rags to riches – or from rescue shelter to becoming the most successful Instagram cat of all time. With 4.5 million followers, Nala is even listed in the Guinness World Records. Despite her fame, Nala has stayed down to earth and loves cardboard boxes just like any other cat. You can follow the adorable @nala_cat cross-eyed Siamese mix online.
Famous Cats in Politics: Socks from the White House
Socks was the cat of US President Bill Clinton. The black domestic cat got his name from his four white paws. Bill Clinton’s daughter found and adopted the animal in 1991. When Clinton became president in 1992 and moved into the White House, Socks became the “First Cat” and world-famous. In 2009, the tomcat had to be put to sleep due to cancer.
Purring Successor
Current US President Joe Biden also has a cat. Her name is Willow and she originally came from a farm. Incidentally, numerous US presidents have had a cat or a dog – except Donald Trump.
Suki, the Globetrotting Cat
Suki is a Bengal cat who travels the world together with the dog Killua and her owner. You can admire their adventures on YouTube and Instagram (1.8 million followers). There you can see the cat boating, exploring mountain landscapes or sitting in the snow. During her activities, she usually wears a lead, often paired with a stylish neckerchief, a Nordic jumper or a little raincoat.
Fame and Its Limits: How Famous Cats Suffer
Many animal welfare advocates consider social media portrayals of famous cats like Suki problematic, as the animals are anthropomorphised in inappropriate ways. No cat needs a neckerchief or a “cute” jumper.
The Short Lives of Famous Cats
There may be exceptions, such as the stray cat Bob. But cats are usually extremely territorial creatures. Constantly changing locations really isn’t their thing at all.
Grumpy Cat’s fame also had its dark side. The cat was constantly dragged into the spotlight – despite her disability. Who knows, perhaps she might have lived longer than just seven years in a more cat-friendly environment.
It’s worth keeping this other side of the coin in mind when admiring some famous cats or before following questionable cat trends yourself.
This article was translated using Artificial Intelligence from the original German zooplus Magazine. While the original content was authored by industry experts and reviewed by our editorial team, this automated translation has not been human-edited and is provided for informational purposes.
