Let’s face it, every cat is a celebrity in their own mind. Some, however, find fame in the outside world as well. From fictional characters to cats who made their mark in the world of entertainment and the pages of history, famous felines are everywhere. In this article, we’ll explore 78 famous celebrity cats, both real and fictional.
The 78 Famous Celebrity Cats
1. Grumpy Cat
Her real name was Tardar Sauce and, according to her owner, she wasn’t the least bit grumpy! That fact didn’t stop this cat with the sour expression from becoming a global Internet sensation.
2. Crookshanks
Hermione Granger’s fluffy cat was more than just an ordinary feline, which seems fitting for an inhabitant of the wizarding world.
3. Mrs. Norris
Like her owner, Argus Filch, Mrs. Norris delighted in catching Harry Potter and his friends out of bed and up to mischief.
4. Orangey
Orangey was an award-winning cat actor in the mid-20th century who appeared with Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast With Tiffany’s, among other films.
Another Internet famous kitty, Lil’ Bub was known for her kitten-like appearance, the result of her rare and severe medical conditions, including dwarfism.
An 8-year-old rescue cat, Nala holds the world record for the most popular cat on Instagram, boasting over 4 million followers.
7. Garfield
This comic strip feline is famous for his love of lasagna and his hatred of Mondays and exercise.
8. Cole And Marmalade
A pair of rescue cats, Cole and Marmalade became YouTube celebrities when their owners decided to feature them in videos advocating pet adoption and education.
A Himalayan cat, Mr. Jinx is the beloved pet of “The Parents” in the Meet The Parents series of films. He appears in several memorable scenes, including one where he uses a toilet.
Snowball was the original Hemingway cat, a six-toed feline who was a gift from a ship captain to the famous writer.
14. The Cat In The Hat
Probably the most famous of Dr. Seuss’ many eccentric characters, The Cat In The Hat brings chaos and fun to the lives of two bored children one rainy day.
Forever outsmarted by a mouse named Jerry, Tom first appeared in animated films in 1940 and remains well-known to this day, starring in a live-action/animated movie as recently as 2021.
16. Oscar (“Unsinkable Sam”)
Over 5 months in 1941, a cat called Oscar, later nicknamed “Unsinkable Sam” reportedly survived three different shipwrecks in the Atlantic.
17. Ted Nude-gent (“Mr. Bigglesworth”)
Image by Igor Lukin from Pixabay
Ted Nude-gent is the real name of the Sphynx cat who played the pet of Dr. Evil, Austin Power’s nemesis.
18. Dewey
Dewey was a library cat in Iowa, found as a kitten in the book drop, who became world-famous and featured in his own book and documentary.
19. Room 8
Image Credit: Sunshineshook, Pixabay
Room 8 was a tabby cat who lived in a Los Angeles elementary school from 1952 to 1968. He received over 10,000 pieces of fan mail during his life.
A stray from the streets of Paris, Felicette was the only cat successfully sent into space. She made her 13-minute flight in 1963 so scientists could study the impacts of space travel on her body.
A stray cat from North Carolina, Venus became Internet famous in 2012 when photos of her unique half black and half red face first appeared online. With 2 million Instagram followers, Venus is a true online celebrity cat.
23. Scarlett
A real-life hero cat, Scarlett became famous in 1996 when she saved her five kittens from a fire in Brooklyn, New York.
24. Creme Puff
Believed to be the oldest cat ever recorded, Creme Puff reportedly lived to the unreal age of 38 years old.
An adorable blind kitty, Honeybee was a famous adventure cat, accompanying her owners on hikes and vacations all around the world.
26. Tama
In the late 1990s, a sweet calico cat named Tama took up residence in a Japanese railway station. She became so popular with tourists that she was officially named a station master in 2007 and helped attract thousands of extra riders and over 1 billion yen to the local area.
A huge fan of cardboard boxes, Maru the Scottish Fold cat holds the record for most YouTube views for an animal. Since his first video in 2008, Maru has accumulated over 325 million video views.
In 1997, Stubbs the cat was elected mayor of the town of Talkeetna, Alaska via a write-in vote. Stubbs served as the honorary mayor for 18 years before “retiring” from public life.
The latest in a succession of cats who’ve lived at 10 Downing Street in London, the residence of the Prime Minister, Larry serves as the official Chief Mouser, keeping the premises free of rodent pests.
30. Chippy
Mrs. Chippy was a (male) cat who rode along on Ernest Shackleton’s sea voyage to Antarctica in 1914.
A Persian and Himalayan mix, Colonel Meow holds the world record for the longest fur coat on a cat, 9 inches.
33. Tommaso
In 2011, Tommaso became the world’s richest cat when his 94-year-old owner died and left him her 13-million-dollar fortune.
34. Morris
The spokescat for 9Lives cat food, the original Morris was rescued from a shelter in Chicago. He appeared in commercials for the brand for nine years, until his death.
Bob was a stray cat found on the streets of London in 2007 by a homeless man struggling with drug addiction. The pair formed a unique bond which the man credits with saving his life. He wrote a book about their life together, which was later made into a film.
The sidekick (who often proves smarter) of the evil wizard Gargamel, Azrael helped his owner harass the Smurfs in the popular Saturday morning cartoon.
The pampered pet of fashion creative Karl Lagerfeld, Choupette is also a fashion model and Instagram influencer. She is believed to have inherited millions of dollars when Lagerfeld died in 2019.
Originally a fairy tale character from the 16th century, Puss in Boots is more well-known to modern audiences as the swashbuckling cat who first appeared in the Shrek films before earning his own franchise.
40. Frank and Louie
Born in 1999, Frank and Louie were a Janus cat, born with two faces. Unlike most cats with their condition, Frank and Louie lived for 15 years.
41. Goose
Goose appears in the Captain Marvel film, accompanying Carol Danvers on her space adventures before revealing himself to be (spoiler alert) more than meets the eye!
Little Nicky is the first commercially cloned cat. Created in 2004 as a genetic copy of a Maine Coon from Texas, Little Nicky cost his owner $50,000.
43. All Ball
All Ball was the first pet of Koko, the gorilla who learned to communicate with sign language in the 1970s.
44. Simon
Simon is the only cat to earn the Dickin Medal, Britain’s highest honor for animal war heroes. The cat survived an attack on the warship he lived on in 1949, helping the stranded sailors survive by killing off the rats who were eating their supplies.
45. Tabby and Dixie
Image Credit: Sam Chang, Unsplash
Tabby and Dixie were the first cats to live in the White House, the pets of Abraham Lincoln.
46. Snowball the Detective Cat
Snowball helped solve a murder in Canada when her hair was found on the victim’s shirt, transferred by her owner–the murderer.
Snowbell is the family cat from the Stuart Little book and films. Unsurprisingly, she isn’t thrilled to have a mouse join the household, especially one that she isn’t allowed to eat.
51. Sam With Eyebrows
An Instagram influencer, Sam has unique markings in the shape of eyebrows on his head.
52. Banye
A British Shorthair cat whose facial markings resemble the shocked face emoji, Banye became Internet famous in 2016.
If you have kids, you’re probably familiar with Pete The Cat, the star of a series of children’s books written by James Dean and recently adapted into an animated TV show.
58. Beerbohm
A cat who lived in the Globe Theater in London in the 1970s, Beerbohm regularly destroyed props and wandered into dressing rooms.
59. Snowball(s)
Snowball is the Simpsons pet cat from the long-running cartoon. The current Snowball is the fifth to hold the name, the previous versions all having met unfortunate ends.
60. Lord Tubbington
Lord Tubbington belongs to cheerleader Brittany S. Pierce on the TV show, Glee. The enormous feline made only a few appearances on the show, but it was enough to earn him icon status among fans.
A fluffy Persian with a perpetually angry face, Garfi is known as The World’s Angriest Cat on Instagram.
63. Milo
Milo is the cat companion to Otis the pug and the star of the movie, The Adventures Of Milo And Otis.
64. Sassy
A spoiled Himalayan cat, Sassy is forced to make a treacherous journey through the wilderness with her two dog brothers, Shadow and Chance, in the childhood tearjerker film, Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey.
65. Ser Pounce
Ser Pounce is the pet cat of young Tommen Baratheon in the Game of Thrones television series.
This ghost cat supposedly haunts the monuments in Washington D.C. Sightings of this supernatural feline are most commonly reported in the basement of the Capitol building.
This ancient Egyptian goddess is most commonly pictured as a cat.
74. The Cat from The Godfather
A stray cat found wandering on set by director Francis Ford Coppola, this anonymous feline made an unscripted cameo during a pivotal scene with Marlon Brando. Reportedly, his purring thwarted the sound mixing for the scene.
75. Barivel
The world record holder for longest cat, this Maine Coon is nearly 4 feet long.
Ta-Miu is famous for having its very own sarcophagus. In fact, the sarcophagus of this ancient Egyptian cat is far grander than anything an average person will be buried in. That is because Ta-Miu was the cat of Prince Thutmose. He adored his cat and had him mummified and defied in its death.
Cats were already a big deal and Thutmose’s attention for Ta-Miu only added to the obsession. Archeologists have discovered thousands of mummified cats in Egypt and Ta-Miu is one of them.
Keyboard Cat, also known as Fatso, starred in a home video in 1984 that was put onto VHS that showed her wearing a shirt and seemingly playing an electric keyboard. Fast forward to 2007 and Fatso’s video is posted to YouTube where it immediately becomes famous. Keyboard Cat was one of the first YouTube videos to truly go viral and it is still a strong part of internet lore today.
Sadly, Fatso died way back in 1987 but her legacy lives on. Keyboard Cat has been viewed nearly 65 million times. Not bad for a cat who made its debut in 1984.
Nyan Cat inexplicably took the world by storm by appearing on YouTube in 2011. The video features a mashup of a cat and a pop tart flying through space with a glowing rainbow appearing behind it. Besides the quirky artwork, the real draw of Nyan Cat is the extremely catchy techno-pop song that plays alongside the video.
As of 2022, the Nyan Cat video has been viewed over 195 million times and has over 600,000 comments. Nyan Cat is one of the most famous YouTube videos of all time and is one of the most viewed cats in history.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed this exploration of some of the most famous real and fictional cats. Your cat may not be as famous as the ones listed here, but they’re deserving of just as much time and attention. Give your kitty a few extra treats, and maybe post a cute photo online for good measure. You never know what could happen!
Elizabeth Gray is a lifelong lover of all creatures great and small. She got her first cat at 5 years old and at 14, she started working for her local veterinarian. Elizabeth spent more than 20 years working as a veterinary nurse before stepping away to become a stay-at-home parent to her daughter. Now, she is excited to share her hard-earned knowledge (literally–she has scars) with our readers. Elizabeth lives in Iowa with her family, including her two fur kids, Linnard, a husky mix and Algernon, the worldʻs most patient cat. When not writing, she enjoys reading, watching all sports but especially soccer, and spending time outdoors with her family.
