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9 of the most iconic cats in Hollywood history
Animals of all shapes and sizes have been a key part of the film industry since the early days of cinema and a whole host of furry felines have earned their place in the spotlight over the years, so we decided to delve into the annals of history to explore nine of the most iconic cats in Hollywood movies.
9. Don Corleones cat | The Godfather
One of the many iconic scenes in The Godfather is the opening sequence where Don Vito Corleone is hearing the pleas of an unfortunate soul who needs his help.
The imposing appearance of Marlon Brandos mafia boss is softened by a playful tabby cat that spends the scene rolling around in his lap. The inclusion of the cat was reportedly not planned for as director Francis Ford Coppola claimed in The Godfather Book that he saw the stray feline running around the Paramount studio lot and decided to give the kitty a scene-stealing role.
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8. Goose | Captain Marvel & The Marvels
While technically not a cat, the alien Flerken, Goose, is the highlight of both 2019s Captain Marvel and 2023s The Marvels.
The ferocious feline provides much of the comedy across both movies, particularly the Cats-inspired finale in the sequel, and also ended up being the reason Nick Fury lost an eye, something that had been a long-held secret within the Marvel movies.
7. Jonesy | Alien
Alien is undoubtedly one of the best sci-fi horror movies in history as the deadly xenomorph spends the runtime picking off the Nostromos crew members one by one.
Alongside Sigourney Weavers Ripley, Jonesy the ginger kitty is the only other survivor of the ordeal and helps to add to the tension of the movie with several jump scares and his own frightened reactions to the acid-blooded alien.
6. Garfield
After starting life as a comic strip, the lasagne-loving Garfield made his big screen debut in 2004 with Bill Murray voicing the mischievous moggy.
The character hasnt been seen on the big screen since the 2007 sequel, A Tale of Two Kitties, but 2024 is set to welcome a new Garfield movie onto our screens, this time with Chris Pratt voicing the titular tomcat, because of course he is.
5. Mr Bigglesworth | Austin Powers
Inspired by the fluffy feline from the James Bond movies (more on that in a moment), Dr Evils cat companion Mr Bigglesworth is another hilarious parody of the iconic spy franchise.
After beginning life as a fur-covered kitty, Mr Bigglesworth lost his hair due to a complication after being cryogenically frozen with his evil mastermind owner, leaving him a bald Sphynx cat instead.
4. The Aristocats
The Disney animated movie boasts a whole clan of cats to fall in love with, whether thats Duchess, Thomas OMalley, the kittens or any of the musical cats they meet during their journey home.
Released in 1970, The Aristocats was one of the first animated movies to focus solely on furry felines and it stands the test of time as a beloved classic. �
3. Simba & Mufasa | The Lion King
Arguably the peak of the 1990s Disney renaissance, The Lion King is another animated movie that centers on cats, although in this case, theyre a little bigger than your average house cat.
Simba, Mufasa, Scar and the rest of the pride have all become iconic Disney characters in the three decades since the original movie was released and were sure that many movie fans would have loved to adopt their own lion cub after seeing adorable baby Simba in the 2019 remake.
2. Puss in Boots | Shrek & Puss in Boots
Voiced by Antonio Banderas, Puss in Boots not only stole the show in 2004s Shrek 2 and the franchises subsequent sequels but went on to have two spin-off movies, the latter becoming arguably the best film in the Shrek-Puss in Boots series.
Not only is the swashbuckling feline capable of holding his own in action scenes (even against Death himself) but hes also responsible for one of the most adorable shots in cinematic history.
1. Blofelds cat | James Bond
Blofelds fluffy white cat is almost as synonymous with the James Bond franchise as the spys trademark Aston Martins, Vodka Martinis and Q-branch gadgets.
After first appearing in From Russia With Love, Blofelds cat features in You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever and Spectre while there is an implied appearance from the kitty in For Your Eyes Only and it also features in the non-Eon Bond movie, Never Say Never Again.
Such is the iconic status of Blofelds cat that it has gone on to inspire countless other pieces of media, with many villains in movies and TV having their own cats (or other animals) in homage.
Honorable mentions
As well as the nine kitties named above, there are a plethora of other pussy cats who have been featured in movies throughout history that are worthy of an honorable mention.
These include Mrs Norris from the Harry Potter movies, Aslan from The Chronicles of Narnia, Alice in Wonderlands Cheshire Cat and the nameless ginger tom from Breakfast at Tiffanys.
The tigers in both The Life of Pi and The Hangover are certainly deserving of a nod as are Pet Sematarys Church, Keanus titular feline, Binx from Hocus Pocus and the real-life kitty who inspired A Street Cat Named Bob (who played himself in the film).
And, of course, there is Leo the Lion who appears with his iconic roar on the MGM logo.
