8 Fictional Cats We Love
The only thing better than a good book is a good book featuring a famous feline. Well, that and curling up to read with a snuggly blanket and way too much chocolate. With fall and perfect reading weather finally here, a list of the best in cat-enhanced fiction might well be overdue. So bring on the kitties, and enjoy all their maddening antics without the drawbacks of cat-furred everything and the ever-present litter box! Behold, eight of the best cats from fiction:
1. The Cheshire Cat (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll)
What’s more entertaining than a talking cat? One that speaks only in riddles, cackles madly, and then vanishes, leaving only his crazy grin behind.
2. Bagheera (The Jungle Book, by Rudyard Kipling)
Bagheera, friend to Mowgli, is a black panther. He’s fierce and beautiful, and, because he escaped from captivity as a young panther-kitten, he knows all about problematic mankind.
3. Crookshanks (Harry Potter, by J.K. Rowling)
While this kitty isn’t 100% feline, you can’t make a list of fictive cats and NOT include him. This mangy looking creature is Hermione’s pet. He’s wily, he’s dishonest, and I secretly wish someone would make a web series about his secret antics.
4. Snowbell (Stuart Little, by E.B. White)
You can’t keep a murderous cat down, hence Snowbell’s importance in this children’s classic. She would like to make a snack of the family’s youngest mouse-son, Stuart, but exercises great restraint. That all goes out the window, along with Stuart (see what I did there?), when Snowbell tries to feast upon the tender flesh of a new addition to the family, a pet bird.
5. Garfield (Garfield: Bigger Than Life, by Jim Davis)
You know him, you love him; he doesn’t know you, but he does love lasagna. Garfield, his hatred of Mondays, his wise-talking scale, and his clueless owner make him a delight for the ages. If it were socially acceptable, I’d have his face tattooed over my face.
6. Rum Tum Tugger (Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, by T.S. Eliot)
The Rum Tum Tugger was a cat meme before cat memes were a thing. Put him outside, he wants to come back in. Serve him one type of food, he demands another. Though written almost 80 years ago, we’re pretty sure that with Tugger alone, Eliot could have had a very successful Tumblr. #whoneedsthewastelandeven?
7. Cat (I Am A Cat, by Natsume Soseki)
In this Japanese classic, the life of a middle-class family is observed by a sassy stray kitten. Though the creature has no name, his ego, wit, and class make him a narrator for the ages.
8. The Cat In The Hat (The Cat In The Hat, by Dr. Seuss)
A lot of people like the Cat in the striped hat from the famous children’s book. I personally think he is a manic jerk, who incites two innocent children to near madness. Still, it must be said, he is a pretty famous cat from a book.
What are your favorite cats in literature?