Throughout decades of cinematic history, one species has reigned supreme alongside their human co-stars: cats. From classic dramas likeThe GodfatherandThe Long Goodbye, to horror films likePet SemataryandRe-Animator, to action movies and comedies alike, cats have often played a pivotal role in some of history’s greatest films. Mankind’s cat obsession may have even reached peak cinematic cuteness with the arrival ofPeter Atencio’stitle tabby,Keanu, in whichKeegan-Michael KeyandJordanPeelego to great lengths to retrieve their kidnapped kitten.
With that in mind, we’ve put together a collection of history’s best movie cats and kittens. One caveat here: we avoided animated cats and “big cats” like lions and tigers for the sake of consistency. What follows is a lovingly curated list of the best house cats and kittens to ever appear on the silver screen, be they constant companions, harbingers of doom, or just plain jerks. Let us know your favorite movie cats and kittens in the comments below!
‘Alien’ & ’Aliens’ - Jones
Sigourney Weaver’sRipley is rightly extolled as a resourceful survivor of theAlienfranchise, but another survivor is often overlooked: Jones the cat. Onboard the USCSSNostromoto control the rodent population and accompany Ellen Ripley, Jonesy managed to avoid the Xenomorph’s rampage throughout the ship. While his human cohorts, save Ripley, ultimately met their demise, the alien had little interest in Jonesy. The tomcat then joined Ripley in her hypersleep chamber for both the journey aboard theNarcissus, and again on Ripley’s return to Earth. Jonesy even survived those 57 years asleep, but likely died (off camera, of course) after Ripley left him behind on Earth one last time.–Dave Trumbore
‘Sleepwalkers’ - Cats
It’s a rare thing for a movie to include a clowder of feral cats as heroes, and rarer still to pit them against their shape-shifting energy vampire nemeses known as Sleepwalkers, but fret not;Stephen Kingprovides. Though the title terrors have the power of illusion, cats can see right through them; their claws are also able to inflict mortal wounds upon the Sleepwalkers (just another reason to never get your cats declawed). Dogs may have the coveted title of “man’s best friend,” but if the Sleepwalkers are around, you’re going to want to befriend as many cats as possible.–Dave Trumbore
Here’s a bonus clip if you’d like one:
‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ – Cat
Played by two-time Patsy Award winning cat-actor Orangey, the simply named “Cat” endures all sorts of horrors as the pet ofAudrey Hepburn’sHolly Golightly, not the least of which beingMickey Rooney’sracist depiction of Yunioshi. It’s also, like inHarry & Tonto, a symbol of self-reliance and the inability to connect to actual people, exemplified by the series of men Holly leaves reeling. Even when she does find love though, poor Cat is squished between Holly and her paramour as they embrace in the rain. A prime, steaming-hot slice of hell for any cat, but for the star ofThe Incredible Shrinking Manand theMission: ImpossibleTV series, it’s an outright offense.– Chris Cabin
‘Men in Black’ - Orion
Cats often play the role of pet, partner, or even a familiar in movies that decide to feature them, but you don’t often see a simple feline as the guardian of an entire galaxy. In this movie, however, Orion the cat does a fine job of evading humans and Bugs alike, protecting his Arquillian master’s prized possession and incredible source of energy. The moral of the story: if you need something kept secret and safe, let a cat guard it.–Dave Trumbore
‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ - Tjorven
Here’s an unfortunate fictional cat story, one I’d advise the animal lovers out there to avoid if you’d rather not be upset by it. In theStiegg Larssonnovel, a dismembered stray cat named Tjorven is left on Mikael Blomkvist’s porch as a warning to discontinue his investigation. The Swedish film directed byNiels Arden Oplevopted not to include Tjorven, butDavid Fincher’s2011 remake decided to build quite the relationship betweenDaniel Craig’scharacter and the stray. Though Tjorven was eventually left bloody and dismembered on the stoop, Fincher clarifies in the movie’s DVD commentary that he was quite fond of Scotty the cat’s performance and insists that the animal actor was very far away from this violent scene in which a fake cat was staged.–Dave Trumbore
And a bonus scene, if you’re so inclined:
‘Mouse Hunt’ – Catzilla
The major star ofGore Verbinski’s hugely charming and quite funnyMouse Huntis, as you might expect, a mouse, who faces off against two bumbling brothers (Nathan LaneandLee Evans) and an obsessive exterminator (Christopher Walken). But one of the film’s key scenes is the chase between the mouse and Catzilla, a monster-cat that has survived numerous gassings and acts largely like a hungry lion in butcher shop. Their encounter plays out like a live-actionTom & Jerrycartoon, if Tom had been abused by the family fromThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and that’s meant as a tremendous compliment.– Chris Cabin
‘True Grit’ – General Sterling Price
“General Price don’t belong to me. He just rooms with me. Cats don’t belong to nobody. ‘Course,Idepend onhim.” That’s howJohn Wayne’sRooster Cogburn explains his relationship with his beloved cat, who drinks beer out of a saucer, and it says as much about how Price fits into the 1969 Western. In almost every sense, theCoen Brothers’2010 remake of this film is the superior picture, but the fact that they have excised the General is a major misstep in detailing Cogburn’s pickled perspective and unpredictable empathy.– Chris Cabin
‘The Black Cat’ (1934) – The Black Cat
The titular creature inEdmund Goulding’svibrant, beguiling 1934 (loose) adaptation ofEdgar Allan Poe’sstory of the same name is enough to scare Dracula himselfBela Lugosi. Sure, he’s owned and trained byBoris Karloff, but still, if a feline doesn’t get immediate points for scaring the ever-loving bejesus out of the king of the vampires, when does it?– Chris Cabin
‘Inside Llewyn Davis’ - Cat
One of the only humanizing features ofOscar Issac’s prickly and selfish Llewyn Davis is how he ends up caring for a American shorthair cat that — much like inMeet the Parents— ends up being different from the cat he was meant to look after. The lithe, ginger escape artist in the movie may be one of the most gorgeously filmed cats ever (the shot of him looking out the train window is particularly lovely), and his desire for freedom is certainly admirable. It may not make him the greatest traveling companion, but there’s never a dull moment.— Allison Keene
‘Re-Animator’ - Rufus
While modern films and their realistic effects might enrage audiences with their presumed mistreatment of animals, the fake cat used inStuart Gordon’s1985 cult classicRe-Animatorcan be spotted a mile away. Still, it’s an iconic scene in which rogue scientist Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) brings his roommate’s dead cat Rufus back to life … with hilariously horrific consequences. The events ofRe-Animatorget much more disturbing after this moment since, like any “dead cat” scene, it heralds worse things yet to come.–Dave Trumbore
