Jump to content

List of fictional cats in literature

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This list of fictional cats in literature is subsidiary to the list of fictional cats. It is restricted solely to notable feline characters from notable literary works of fiction. For characters that appear in several separate works, only the earliest work will be recorded here.

Named

[edit]
Character Earliest appearance Author Notes
Alonzo Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. Eliot A black and white tom, often considered the 'second-hand-man' to Munkustrap. He saves Demeter from Macavity, and is the first to attack him after he defeats Munkustrap.
Aristotle The Nine Lives of Aristotle Dick King-Smith A kitten depends on his nine lives and the magical powers of his owner (a friendly witch) in order to emerge safely from various adventures.[1][2][3][4][5]
Azrael Doctor Sleep Stephen King This cat living at the hospice where Dan works has the special ability to feel when someone is about to die.[6]
Bangs Sam, Bangs and Moonshine Evaline Ness Bangs is a little girl's cat in this winner of the 1967 Caldecott Medal. In a variant of Aesop's The Boy Who Cried Wolf, Samantha romanticizes her life, pretending that Bangs can talk and that her mother was a mermaid. When a neighboring boy, Thomas, believes her and goes to search for the mermaid, Bangs follow him; they are caught in a seastorm and lost. They return safely, and Sam learns the folly of spreading "moonshine," or nonsense.[7]
Behemoth The Master and Margarita Mikhail Bulgakov An abnormally large black cat who walks on his hind legs and carries a pistol. Being a member of the Devil's entourage, he is wicked and devious. He has a penchant for chess, vodka, and pickled mushrooms.[8][9]
Bombalurina Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. Eliot A flirtatious red Queen with a white chest and black spots and marks.[10]
Borregad Lyrec Gregory Frost Borregad and Lyrec are of an energy-based race who can shapeshift. When they hunt their archenemy into another world, Lyrec takes human shape, but Borregad has only enough strength to take the form of a cat.[11] Borregad, a Jester figure, finds a variant of Guinness stout to cheer himself in this fantasy world.
Bustopher Jones Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. Eliot A parody of an Edwardian gentleman of leisure and is described as the St. James's Street cat, a regular visitor to many gentlemen's clubs in the area, including Drones, Blimp's, and The Tomb. He is also extremely obese.
Buttercup "The Hunger Games Trilogy" Suzanne Collins Primrose's cat, hated by main human character Katniss.
Buzzie The Drugstore Cat Ann Petry A Manx kitten who learns about patience and self restraint.
Captain Wow "The Game of Rat and Dragon" Cordwainer Smith A telepathic tom cat who works happily alongside humans to fight outer space monsters known as Dragons, Captain Wow perceives them as rats and is a successful slayer of these invaders.
Carbonel Carbonel: the King of the Cats Barbara Sleigh Carbonel: the King of the Cats is the first of a three-part series about this royal cat, all published between 1955 and 1978. (Reprinted versions have different titles: Carbonel: the King of the Cats, Carbonel: the King of Cats, Carbonel: the Prince of Cats, and so on.) Carbonel's feline subjects miss him after the witch Mrs. Cantrip abducted him. Unfortunately, he cannot return to his throne until the enslavement spell which Mrs. Cantrip cast on him is undone.[12] He is helped by the human children Rosemary and John. Carbonel is depicted as a black cat, as shown by the book cover illustrations of a wide variety of reprints. Library Journal called it "A must for all libraries." New York Journal-American wrote, "A truly bewitching story reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland," and The Horn Book Magazine enthused, "Magic and everyday life blend smoothly in this highly enjoyable fantasy, perfect for reading aloud."
Cat Breakfast at Tiffany's Truman Capote Pet of Holly Golightly.
Cat It's Like This, Cat Emily Cheney Neville A stray cat that 14-year-old Dave Mitchell adopts as a pet and confidant.[13] Winner of the 1964 Newbery Medal.
The Cat in the Hat The Cat in the Hat Dr. Seuss A mischievous anthropomorphic feline from Dr. Seuss's book of the same name.
Cat Morgan Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. Eliot Retired and works as a doorman at the book publishers Faber and Faber. He is a gruff but likeable character.
Cheshire Cat Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Lewis Carroll Sometimes raises philosophical points that annoy or baffle Alice. It does, however, appear to cheer her up when it turns up suddenly at the Queen of Hearts' croquet lawn, and when sentenced to death baffles everyone by having made its head appear without its body, sparking a massive argument between the executioner and the King and Queen of Hearts about whether something that does not have a body can indeed be beheaded.
Chibi The Guest Cat Takashi Hiraide Chibi is a stray cat that is quickly adopted by a neighboring family, though she makes regular visits to the couple, much to their delight.
"Church" (Winston Churchill) Pet Sematary Stephen King This unfortunate cat is killed by a truck, buried in the ancient burial ground of the title, then returns home, in a manner reminiscent of the dead son in the horror story "The Monkey's Paw".
C'mell "Alpha Ralpha Boulevard"
and "The Ballad of Lost C'Mell"
Cordwainer Smith C'mell is an uplifted Persian cat with reddish fur who looks, in these stories, like a red-headed woman with discreet (and discrete) feline features. She is the heroine of both stories, being a far-future cat/woman with psychic powers including telepathy. She courageously helps her society, both in gaining more rights for "underpeople" (animals given intellect, speech, and physical make-overs) such as herself and in saving the lives of humans.[14] She appears in only two short stories, but remains "the most enduringly popular cat in science fiction and fantasy."[14]
Conrad The Cat Who Caught A Killer L.T. Shearer Conrad is a male calico cat who talks and helps Lulu Lewis, his chosen human who is a retired police officer and lives on a canal boat, to solve murders.
Coricopat Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. Eliot Male twin to Tantomile. Coricopat and Tantomile are often portrayed as psychic cats, as they sense the presence of danger before it becomes apparent to the other characters.
Crookshanks Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban J.K. Rowling The pet cat of Hermione Granger. He is described as having a "squashed face," which was inspired by a real cat Rowling once saw, which she said looked like it had run face first into a brick wall; most likely a Persian. Hermione buys Crookshanks from a shop in Diagon Alley out of sympathy, as nobody wants him because of his behaviour and his squashed looking-face. Rowling has confirmed that Crookshanks is half Kneazle,[15] an intelligent, cat-like creature who can detect when they are around untrustworthy people, explaining his higher than normal intelligence and stature.
Demeter Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. Eliot Demeter is black and gold with a few patches of white and red or orange (and she wears gloves instead of arm warmers, giving her a more elegant touch.) She is the cat who unmasks Macavity when he tries to disguise as Old Deuteronomy.
Dinah Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Lewis Carroll Alice's pet kitten in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. In Through the Looking-Glass, she is an adult with kittens of her own (Kitty and Snowdrop).
Djibi Djibi, the Kitten Felix Salten An independent cat who survives a drowning attempt and chooses for herself where to live.
Dragon Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH Robert C. O'Brien The farmer's cat who killed Mrs. Frisby's husband.
Electra Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. Eliot One of the youngest female kittens in the tribe of Jellicle cats. Like many of the other young feline characters, she is in awe of the Rum Tum Tugger, a flirtatious roguish male main character.
Faithful The Song of the Lioness series Tamora Pierce Magical cat who is a loyal companion to main character Alanna starting in book 2.
Fiddle Charmed Life Diana Wynne Jones Gwendolen used one of Cat's lives to turn his fiddle into a cat named Fiddle.
Findus Pettson and Findus Sven Nordqvist A cat who dresses up and talks with his old Swedish farmer, Pettson.
Firestar Warriors: Into the Wild Erin Hunter The main character for the first arc of Warriors books (the "Original Series") as well as a major supporting character for the subsequent arcs, he is a flame-colored tom with deep green eyes.
Francis Felidae Akif Pirinçci In this 1989 German-language mystery,[16] which has been translated into 17 languages and became a worldwide best-seller, Francis ("a wise-ass of a cat and new to the town"[17]), investigates the murders of several cats. Publishers Weekly wrote, "A clever, offbeat thriller in which the sleuth and most of the other main characters are cats, this ... won Germany's prize for best crime novel of the year in 1990. As an allegory on Germany's Nazi past, it is facile and ambivalent. The detective/narrator, Francis, an irrepressibly curious house cat, deduces that whoever is murdering the neighborhood tabbies has a warped mind and is attempting to breed a 'super race' of felines."[18] Felidae was adapted into a 1994 German animated neo-noir film directed by Michael Schaack and starring Ulrich Tukur as Francis.
Fritti Tailchaser Tailchaser's Song Tad Williams Tailchaser joins with friends Pouncequick and Roofshadow on an epic quest.
Ginger The Tale of Ginger and Pickles Beatrix Potter A yellow tomcat who ran a shop with his partner Pickles, a terrier.
Ginger The Last Battle C. S. Lewis A talking cat of Narnia, he is a four-legged member of the triumvirate who cause civil war and real terror among his compatriots. Ginger lies at every opportunity ("Aslan would want you to do this!"). His co-leaders are Rishda Tarkaan, Calormene captain leading the battle against Narnia with the sole motive of bellicosity, and Shift, a greedy ape who seeks power to sate his gluttony. Ginger is finally punished for his evil deeds by having his ability to speak removed and being banned from Aslan's Country.
Gon The Cat's Elopement Andrew Lang (translator) Original German by David Brauns.
A handsome tom who saves his beloved Koma.
Great Rumpus Cat Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. Eliot A hero in the world of the book and the musical.
Greebo Discworld Terry Pratchett A foul-tempered, one-eyed grey tomcat whose owner, Nanny Ogg, insists against all the evidence that he is a sweet, harmless kitten. In the course of the books, he has killed two vampires, eating at least one of them in the novel Witches Abroad:

"The bat squirmed under his claw. It seemed to Greebo's small cat brain that it was trying to change its shape, and he wasn't having any of that from a mouse with wings on."

Griddlebone Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. Eliot Companion to Mungojerrie, a white fluffy Persian queen who first appears in the poem Growltiger's Last Stand. She inadvertently leads to the demise of her suitor, the dreaded Growltiger, at the hands (paws) of a gang of Siamese cats.
Growltiger Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. Eliot A pirate cat.
Gummitch Space-Time for Springers Fritz Leiber As Fritz Leiber, a cat-lover, describes him, "Gummitch was a superkitten, as he knew very well, with an I.Q. of about 160. Of course, he didn't talk. But everybody knows that I.Q. tests based on language ability are very one-sided. Besides, he would talk as soon as they started setting a place for him at table and pouring him coffee."[19] Gummitch is unable to prove himself by coffee; he proves himself by saving a life in his household.
Harry Cat The Cricket in Times Square George Selden Friend and guide to New York City for Tucker Mouse and Chester Cricket. The novel was a 1961 Newbery Honor Book.
Jellylorum Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. Eliot
Jennie[20] Jennie Paul Gallico A young boy named Peter is transformed into a cat after an accident, and is taken in by Jennie and taught the ways of cats.
Jennyanydots Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. Eliot An old cat who lies around the house all day, but at night, teaches the rats, mice, and cockroaches to be good.
Josie SCP-529 - Josie the Half Cat Various A grey tabby cat designated SCP-529 by the SCP Foundation, whose rear half is invisible and intangible. Josie moves normally despite her absent half.[21] Character was the mascot for the SCP Series.[22]
Jupiter The Deptford Mice Robin Jarvis A bloated, evil ginger tabby worshipped as a living god by sewer rats. He dwells in a dark chamber and no one has ever seen any more of him than his blazing red eyes, so his rodent followers are unaware of the true feline nature of their deity.
Khat Midnite Randolph Stow He is a talking Siamese cat who persuades Captain Midnite to become a bushranger and formulates his plans.
Kitsa The Indian in the Cupboard Lynne Reid Banks She is a housecat who acts as an occasional antagonist, frightening and hunting Omri's animated toy Indian. Kitsa is black and white, with green eyes, noted for her independence and disobedience.
Kitty Bad Kitty Nick Bruel She is a housecat who wreaks havoc around her owner's home when she is in a bad mood, hence the name. She has black fur and a white tuft of fur on her chest.
Koko The Cat Who... Lilian Jackson Braun The nickname of Kao K'o-Kung, one of two cats who help detective Jim Qwilleran solve cases in the series.
Koma The Cat's Elopement Andrew Lang (translator) Original German by David Brauns.
A lovely cat who is the beloved of Gon.
Lady May "The Game of Rat and Dragon" Cordwainer Smith A telepathic cat who works happily alongside humans to fight outer space monsters known as Dragons, she perceives them as rats and is a successful slayer of these invaders. Her human partner, Underhill, is in love with her, knowing that no human female mind could ever equal the Lady's.
Leonardo "Me and My Cat?" Satoshi Kitamura A cat who switches with his companion, a boy called Nicholas.
Liszt "Edward the Conqueror" Roald Dahl A woman believes a stray cat who appreciates her piano music is a reincarnation of Franz Liszt, to the disgust of her cat-hating husband.
Macavity Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. Eliot A devilish cat. Part of the poem about him says, "Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity, For he's a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity".
Maisie MacKenzie Maisie Comes to Morningside Aileen Paterson An anthropomorphic cat who lives in Morningside, Edinburgh, Maisie wears a kilt and her adventures have taken her from Glasgow to New York to Brazil and even climbing in the Himalayas. Her feline friends are Professor Mackenzie and Mrs McKitty.[23] Maisie is featured in over 20 books, and has a line of soft toys; the books have been adapted for a television series, with dubbing by Scottish comedian Stanley Baxter.[24]
Maurice The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents Terry Pratchett The eponymous fast-talking confidence trickster cat who operates a 'pied-piper' scam in the Discworld series of books - organising teams of rats to infest a town and then rapidly withdraw after payment to a 'tame' human.
Mehitabel Archy and Mehitabel Don Marquis An alley cat who is the best friend of the cockroach Archy. Drawn in a series of newspaper comics, she is "a toujours gai" ("always in a good mood") old dame with the soul of Cleopatra." A song, "Toujours Gai," was written for Mehitabel in the 1971 animated musical comedy film Shinbone Alley. It was later covered by Eartha Kitt on her CD album Purr-fect: Greatest Hits.[25]
Mickey Barbary Vonda McIntyre A cat owned by Barbary, a twelve-year-old girl, that travels with her to live on a space station.
Midnight Louie Crystal Days Carole Nelson Douglas 20 lb (9 kg) tomcat companion to (and fellow investigator with) amateur sleuth Temple Barr, occasionally assisted by his sire 3 O'Clock Louie, his Ma Barker and her 24th Street gang, and his kit Midnight Louise.
Mikesch Kater Mikesch Josef Lada A tomcat whose owner teaches him to speak.
Minoes Minoes Annie M. G. Schmidt A cat who gets transformed into a human by a chemical accident.
Miss Moppet The Story of Miss Moppet Beatrix Potter One of Tabitha Twitchit's daughters.
Mister The Dresden Files Jim Butcher A bob-tailed grey tomcat belonging to the wizard Harry Dresden. He is often used as a vessel for Bob (a spirit of intellect) to inhabit on intelligence missions.
Mittens The Tale of Tom Kitten Beatrix Potter One of Tabitha Twitchit's daughters.
Mr. Mistoffelees Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. Eliot An aloof magician cat who can perform a variety of magic tricks such as pulling kittens from a hat and being heard in places where he is not.
Mr. Pusskins Mr. Pusskins Sam Lloyd A pampered orange tomcat.
Mrs. Norris Harry Potter series J. K. Rowling The pet cat of Hogwarts caretaker Argus Filch. She patrols the corridors of the school looking for students skipping class, often foreshadowing the appearance of Mr. Filch himself. J. K. Rowling named the character after Mrs. Norris from Jane Austen's 1814 novel Mansfield Park.[26][27]
Mog Meg and Mog Helen Nicoll Faithful friend of Meg the witch.
Mog Mog the Forgetful Cat Judith Kerr Faithful pet of the Thomas family.
Mogget Sabriel Garth Nix A mysterious white cat that serves the Abhorsen, who may be more than he appears.
Moxie The Subtle Knife Philip Pullman Will's cat who leads him through the window to Cittàgazze, where he meets Lyra. Later, Will's daemon settles as a cat.
Mungojerrie Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. Eliot Part of a duo with Rumpleteazer, a couple of petty thieves with a reputation for destruction.
Munkustrap Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. Eliot
Murr The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr E. T. A. Hoffmann
Nigger Man The Rats in the Walls H. P. Lovecraft Plays a pivotal role.
Noboru Wataya The Wind Up Bird Chronicle Haruki Murakami Later renamed Mackerel.
Old Deuteronomy Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. Eliot A very old and wise cat that can be found resting in all sorts of places throughout town.
Oliver Oliver in the Garden Margaret Beames
Orlando A Camping Holiday Kathleen Hale The eponymous hero.
Pangur Bán "The Monk and His Cat" Attributed to Sedulius Scottus;
translated by W. H. Auden
and others
Set to music by Samuel Barber and others. The cat in this 9th-century Irish monastic poem is described as a happy mouser, whose simple enjoyment of success in the hunt is likened to that of the author, a monk, when he learns something new in his studies.
Peter "The Smile of the Sphinx" William F. Temple This cat is thought, by the narrator, to be an extraordinarily stupid cat "who could never learn the simplest of tricks";[28] in fact, Peter is extraordinarily brilliant. He is part of a race of Felidae who originally lived on the Moon and who came to Earth, ages ago, to enjoy being spoiled by the Egyptians. This science fiction tale explains why dogs howl at the Moon, why the Great Sphinx of Giza has its shape, and even why the Moon has craters.
Petronius the Arbiter (Pete) The Door into Summer Robert A. Heinlein The smart, loving cat of protagonist Daniel Boone Davis, who occasionally carries him in a carrying-bag and gives him saucers of ginger ale to drink. Dan calls him Petronius the Arbiter because he thinks that Pete is a good arbiter (judge) of personality. If Pete dislikes someone, Dan will distrust that person; Pete has always been proved right.
Pixel The Cat Who Walks Through Walls Robert A. Heinlein The title character of the book, who has an inexplicable tendency to be wherever the narrator happens to be. In one scene Pixel does, in fact, walk through a wall, and it is explained that Pixel is too young to know that such behavior is impossible.
Pluto The Black Cat Edgar Allan Poe Pluto is the narrator's cat. After becoming an alcoholic he starts abusing the cat, then trying unsuccessfully to kill it. When his wife intervenes in one incident he kills her instead then bricks the body up in a wall. The narrator is caught when the police come and hear sounds behind the wall, where the narrator accidentally entombed the still-living cat along with its mistress.
Poppy Poppy Cat Lara Jones Poppy Cat, a young neckerchief-wearing kitten who is the protagonist of the series and the leader of her teammates, Alma, Zuzu, Owl and Mo. She takes them on big extraordinary adventures to faraway places by every vehicle they need, but they have to stay away from Egbert, because he is not nice to them.
Princess Arjumand, aka 'Dearum JuJu' To Say Nothing of the Dog Connie Willis Princess Arjumand is the beloved pet of Tocelyn 'Tossie' Mering in the 19th century whose great-granddaughter in the 21st century will control a very large endowment that the time travel faculty of Oxford greatly needs. Princess Arjumand is brought into the future to save her from drowning and sets off the plot of the book when the hero is tasked with returning her to her own time. Is particularly fond of goldfish.
Ralph Rotten Ralph Jack Gantos A mischievous red cat who enjoys playing mean, practical jokes on his family.
Ribby The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan Beatrix Potter A cat with a love for mouse pie, a good friend of the dog Duchess and cousin to Tabitha.
Rroû Rroû Maurice Genevoix In the film, the gray tabby kitten is born in an attic, sees his mother fall to her death, is taken in by a girl, lost in the woods, injured, recovers, and is left to live in the woods with a white cat. The novel Rroû by Maurice Genevoix was published in 1931 and republished in 2023 upon the release of the film adaptation, Mon chat et moi, la grande aventure de Rroû (My Cat and I, the Great Adventure of Rroû). Where subtitled in English in English-speaking countries, the cat’s name is Lou, and the film is called A Cat’s Life. The film is rated PG for fear, death, violence, and language.
Rum Tum Tugger Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. Eliot A fickle cat that brings trouble with his indecisiveness.
Rumpelteazer Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. Eliot Part of a duo with Mungojerrie, a couple of petty thieves with a reputation for destruction.
Sagwa Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat Amy Tan A kitten who gained her Siamese markings by accident. She is capable of writing in Chinese with her tail.
Sampson The Church Mice series Graham Oakley A cat that lives at a church and looks after mice.
Scarface Claw Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy
and various sequels
Lynley Dodd A tough cat who scares Hairy Maclary and his canine companions, and even scares himself.
Simpkin The Tailor of Gloucester Beatrix Potter The Tailor's pet cat who fetches an essential cherry-coloured silk twist, but angrily hides it after he finds the tailor released his captive mice. After a change of heart, he gives back the twist.
Sir Claude "The Cat" Blinky Bill the Movie Dorothy Wall Sir Claude is the feral cat his eye of green and purple and his tail has been cut by the trap who tries to kill Blinky Bill.
Skimbleshanks Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. Eliot A cat working on the train to Glasgow and without him, the train cannot go.
Slinky Malinki Slinky Malinki Lynley Dodd The stalking and lurking adventurous cat who is a common cat during the day but becomes a thief as night falls.[29]
Small Bob House of Hades Rick Riordan Small Bob is Bob, AKA Iapetuse's skeleton cat in Tartarus. He is a dead cat, only made from bones. His image flickers, making him seem different at times.[30]
Sprockets Mission to Universe Gordon R. Dickson Sprockets is a stowaway feral kitten who becomes spaceship mascot. The crew members superstitiously believe that his finally learning to purr will portend success in their search for an inhabitable planet.[31][32]
Squire Gingivere Mossflower Brian Jacques Squire Julian Gingivere was odd among cats in the fact that he was a vegetarian. He lived with the owl Captain Snow, but the owl's appetite for meat, his bad table manners and their conflicting personalities led to a disagreement and then separation.
Stew-Cat, Blue-Cat and Clue-Cat The Thief of Always Clive Barker These three cats are the friendly familiars of the magical Holiday House.
Tab Watership Down Richard Adams Tab is one of a gang of talking cats who live at Nuthanger Farm. When the protagonist rabbits raid the farm, the cats prove to be bold, dangerous enemies and are subdued only by the wits of Hazel and Blackberry, the brawny courage of Bigwig, and the speed of Dandelion. On his next trip to the farm, Hazel is assaulted by the green-eyed Tab, but the little girl of the farm saves Hazel.[33]
Tabitha Twitchit The Tale of Tom Kitten Beatrix Potter The mother of three kittens Miss Moppet, Mittens and Tom Kitten, who tries hard to cope with their mischievous behaviour.
Tao The Incredible Journey Sheila Burnford A Siamese cat who accompanies Luath, a Labrador Retriever, and Bodger, a Bull Terrier, on a 300-mile journey through the Canadian wilderness to rejoin their human family.
Thomas Gray Thomas Gray: Philosopher Cat Philip J. Davis A female cat living in Pembroke College, Cambridge. She assists a historian of science in his work.
Tiddles Ginger and the Mystery Visitor Charlotte Voake A cat that makes itself at home at Ginger and Kitten's house.
Tobermory "Tobermory" (in The Chronicles of Clovis) H. H. Munro In a short story by Saki, a cat is taught to talk, but knows too many personal facts about people and is all too willing to talk about them.[34] He is taught by mild-mannered Cornelius Appin, who calls Tobermory "a Beyond-cat of extraordinary intelligence".[35] When Tobermory embarrasses everyone present by proving to be a consummate gossip, his owner attempts to poison him. Saki's biographer comments, "The cat eludes the strychnine left out for him and falls instead in combat with a big yellow tom from the rectory. Not a hero's death but an honorable one, and comedy depends heavily on a sense of honor."[36]
Tom Kitten The Tale of Tom Kitten Beatrix Potter A curious but disobedient kitten in the children's stories "The Tale of Tom Kitten" and "The Roly Poly Pudding" by Beatrix Potter.
Trillion the Three-Headed Lion Beast Quest Trillion is a large, three-headed lion that cannot swim. He lives in the Central Plains. Tom, with the help of Tagus, defeats Trillion, and Tom goes through the Lion's Gate into Gorgonia, home of the wizard Malvel.
Ungatt Trunn Lord Brocktree Brian Jacques An evil wildcat who conquers the mountain stronghold Salamandastron. But the good badger Brocktree comes to regain the mountain.
Tufty Diary of a Killer Cat Ann Fine A much maligned and misunderstood cat who gets blamed for the disappearance of a pet rabbit (amongst other misdemeanours)
Yoko Yoko Rosemary Wells Yoko is a Japanese-American kitten who is getting ready for her first day of school. Unfortunately, her first day at school goes badly when she gets teased by the other students for her lunch: sushi.
Yum Yum The Cat Who... Lilian Jackson Braun One of two cats who help detective Jim Qwilleran solve cases in the series.
Zoppino Gelsomino in the Country of Liars Gianni Rodari A red kitty drawn on the wall by a girl named Romoletta and miraculously revived. Gelsomino's best friend.

Unnamed

[edit]
Character Earliest Appearance Notes
Black kitten who eats human flesh Cat's Eyes
by
Lee Jordan
A mild horror story in which a black kitten becomes an abnormally large black cat, who haunts the isolated house of the heroine, Rachel. In its kittenhood, it had led the other thirty cats of Old Miss Mulgrave to dine on her when she died in her home and the cats were starving. Rachel fears it is stalking her and her baby, with reason: "It was starving.... Now it would eat anything."[37]
The Cat in the Picture "The Cat in the Picture"
by
Wright Morris
In this macabre tale originally published in a 1958 issue of Esquire, a black cat slowly displaces a retired captain from his bed, his wife, and his home. The surprise ending is worthy of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. More than one commentator compared the writing with Poe's.[38][39][40]
Mr. Sneaze's cat "I Am a Cat"
by
Natsume Sōseki
The supercilious, feline narrator describes the lives of an assortment of middle-class Japanese people. The name of the cat is not given.
Suzdal's super-cats "The Crime and the Glory of Commander Suzdal"
by
Cordwainer Smith
Commander Suzdal saves a colonial planet by imprinting a genetic message on cat cells, which instructs them to train themselves and to be ready to fight in the time of his need, then sends them back in time to a nearby moon. "A subjective second later, the cat-people save Suzdal" from an overwhelming alien attack.[41]
Various far-future cats "Puss in Boots"
by
Ronald Anthony Cross
This science fiction story describes a world full of far-future cats on a planet where "cats were the closest thing to a religion that they had" and where cats "wandered freely and slept wherever they chose. There were huge communal cat boxes everywhere...filled with some form of brightly colored pellets, which automatically emptied and were refilled with more of the same stuff." The fact that cats are no longer fed actual meat is a clue to the mystery in the story, about whether men are any longer real men.[42]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The Nine Lives of Aristotle (book)". Kirkus Reviews. 71 (18): 1176. September 15, 2003.
  2. ^ Roback, Diane; et al. (August 4, 2003). "The Nine Lives of Aristotle: Dick King-Smith, Author, Bob Graham, Illustrator". Publishers Weekly. 250 (31): 80. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  3. ^ LC Online Catalog (2003). The Nine Lives of Aristotle. Library of Congress. ISBN 0-7636-2260-5. Retrieved November 10, 2014. Aristotle, a little white kitten, goes to live with a witch in an old cottage, where he finds so many opportunities for risky adventures that he soon has only one life left.
  4. ^ Weisman, Kay (December 1, 2003). "The Nine Lives of Aristotle (Book)". Booklist. 100 (7). Chicago: American Library Association: 667. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  5. ^ Knight, Elaine E.; et al. (October 2003). "The Nine Lives of Aristotle (Book)". School Library Journal. 49 (10). Plain City, Ohio: Media Source Inc.: 128. Archived from the original on 2014-11-10. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  6. ^ Julien, Jacques (2023). "Cats and Science Fiction Authors".
  7. ^ Association for Library Service to Children (2014). "Sam, Bangs & Moonshine, 1967 Medal Winner". Chicago: American Library Association. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  8. ^ "Master: Begemot".
  9. ^ Grimwood, Jonathan (28 June 2013). "Book of a lifetime: The Master and Margarita, by Mikhail Bulgakov". The Independent. London: Independent Print Limited. Retrieved November 10, 2014. Within pages I was hooked by Behemoth, the cigar-chomping cat...
  10. ^ Jemsta. "Bombalurina". Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  11. ^ Kelleghan, Fiona (2005). "Cats". In Gary Westfahl (ed.). The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Themes, Works, and Wonders. Vol. 1. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. p. 106. ISBN 0-313-32951-6. Cats in fantasy are frequently humorous sidekicks; for example, in Gregory Frost's Lyrec, Borregad is an alien who takes the form of a cat and thereby has little help, besides jokes, to offer the sword and sorcery hero.
  12. ^ Anonymous. (2004). "Carbonel: The King of the Cats". The New York Review Children's Collection. New York Review Books. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  13. ^ Library of Congress Catalog (1963). It's Like This, Cat. Library of Congress. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  14. ^ a b Kelleghan, Fiona (2005). "Cats". In Gary Westfahl (ed.). The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Themes, Works, and Wonders. Vol. 1. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. p. 105. ISBN 0-313-32950-8.
  15. ^ Rowling, J. K. "J. K. Rowling's Official Website". Crookshanks. Archived from the original on 16 September 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2007.
  16. ^ Connell, Sandra (September 1993). "Reviews: Fiction". Book Report. 12 (2): 47.
  17. ^ Schwertfang. "Felidae (Kritik): Rezension von Schwertfang". RoterDorn: das Medienportal. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  18. ^ Anonymous (November 23, 1992). "Felidae". Publishers Weekly. 239 (51): 53. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  19. ^ Leiber, Fritz. "Space-Time for Springers." Published in: Star of Stars; edited by Frederik Pohl. Doubleday, 1960, p. 170.
  20. ^ "Jennie".
  21. ^ "SCP-529 - Josie the Half-Cat". SCP Foundation. July 25, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  22. ^ WhiteGuard (July 4, 2021). "Interviewing Icons - The Administrator, FritzWillie". SCP Foundation. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  23. ^ Anonymous (3 July 1999). "Comic can put Maisie soundly in the picture". Herald Scotland. Glasgow, Scotland: Magnus Llewellin. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  24. ^ Anonymous (April 4, 2007). "Morningside cat Maisie 'linked to £650,000 embezzlement'". The Scotsman. Edinburgh: Johnston Press. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  25. ^ Kitt, Eartha (1998). "Toujours gai". Warwick, N.Y.: 7N/House of Hits. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  26. ^ Steele, Colin (22 March 2020). "Houses can be as important as the human characters in a book, as Christina Hardyment demonstrates in Novel Houses". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  27. ^ Schneider, Wolfgang (18 July 2017). "Im Zeichen der Grübchensätze". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  28. ^ Sobol, Donald J., editor. "The Smile of the Sphinx" in The Best Animal Stories of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Frederick Warne, 1979, p. 78.
  29. ^ Slinky Malinki at Fantastic Fiction
  30. ^ Riordan, Rick. "Heroes of Olympus: House of Hades". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  31. ^ Dickson, Gordon R. Mission to Universe. Berkley Medallion Books, 1965.
  32. ^ Kelleghan, Fiona (2000). W. A. Senior (ed.). "Something Hungry This Way Comes: Terrestrial and Ex-Terrestrial Feline Feeding Patterns and Behavior". Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts. 10 (4). Boca Raton, Fla.: International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts: 341.
  33. ^ Adams, Richard (1975). "Dea ex Machina". Watership Down. New York: Avon Books. p. 462. ISBN 0-380-00293-0. "Tab!" called Lucy sharply. "Tab! Wha' you got?"
    At the sound of her voice the cat looked up for a moment and immediately, looked back again at is prey. T'weren't no rat, though; t'was a rabbit, layin' on its side by the kennel. It looked proper bad. Kicking out an' all. Then it squealed again.
  34. ^ "Tobermory by Saki".
  35. ^ Saki. The Complete Works of Saki. Dorset Press, 1988, p. 109.
  36. ^ Langguth, A. J. Saki: A Life of Hector Hugh Munro, with Six Short Stories Never Before Collected. Simon & Schuster, 1981, p. 172.
  37. ^ Jordan, Lee. Cat's Eyes. New American Library, 1982, p. 64.
  38. ^ Pollin, Burton Ralph (2004). Poe's Seductive Influence on Great Writers. New York: IUniverse. p. 260. Additionally, in his new Collected Stories, 1984-1986... the fine and varied craftsman Wright Morris includes 'The Cat in the Picture', which is strikingly reminiscent of both 'The Black Cat' and 'The Oval Portrait'.
  39. ^ Barrett, Sharon (December 24, 1986). "Morris Collection Recalls Edgar Allan Poe Influence". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 24. A touch of the grotesque, which sometimes shades into horror, flavors many of the 26 stories in this collection. 'The Cat in the Picture,' first published in 1958, is the story of a man jealous of the attention his wife gives to a cat that decides to take up residence with them. The story, though lightened by irony, has a grim ending that seems less influenced by black humorists, in vogue at the time, than by Edgar Allan Poe.
  40. ^ Pate, Nancy (August 16, 1992). "Moose Resurfaces to Review Cat Books". Orlando Sentinel. p. F8. Awful things happen to the featured felines in Susan Fromberg Schaeffer's 'Chicago and the Cat,' Wright Morris's 'The Cat in the Picture' and Roald Dahl's 'Edward the Conqueror.'
  41. ^ Hellekson, Karen L. (2001). The Science Fiction of Cordwainer Smith. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 114. ISBN 9780786450350.
  42. ^ Cross, Ronald Anthony, "Puss in Boots"; Science Fiction Age, 1.2 (1993); p. 149.