List of fictional cats in literature

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 CharacterEarliest appearanceAuthorNotesAlonzoOld Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. EliotA 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.AristotleThe Nine Lives of Aristotle Dick King-SmithA kitten depends on his nine lives and the magical powers of his owner (a friendly witch) in order to emerge safely from various adventures.AzreelDoctor Sleep Stephen KingThis cat living at the hospice where Dan works has the special ability to feel when someone is about to die.BangsSam, Bangs and Moonshine Evaline NessBangs 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.BehemothThe Master and Margarita Mikhail BulgakovAn 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.BombalurinaOld Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. EliotA flirtatious red Queen with a white chest and black spots and marks.BorregadLyrec Gregory FrostBorregad 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. Borregad, a Jester figure, finds a variant of Guinness stout to cheer himself in this fantasy world.BubastisWatchmenAlan MooreA genetically altered red lynx with stripes belonging to Ozymandias.Bustopher JonesOld Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. EliotA 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 CollinsPrimrose's cat, hated by main human character Katniss.BuzzieThe Drugstore CatAnn PetryA Manx kitten who learns about patience and self restraint.Captain Wow"The Game of Rat and Dragon" Cordwainer SmithA 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.CarbonelCarbonel: 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 that Mrs. Cantrip cast on him is undone. 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."CatBreakfast at Tiffany's Truman CapotePet of Holly Golightly.CatIt's Like This, Cat Emily Cheney NevilleA stray cat that 14-year-old Dave Mitchell adopts as a pet and confidant. Winner of the 1964 Newbery Medal. The Cat in the HatThe Cat in the Hat Dr. SeussA mischievous anthropomorphic feline from Dr. Seuss's book of the same name.Cat MorganOld Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. EliotRetired and works as a doorman at the book publishers Faber and Faber. He is a gruff but likeable character.Chairman MaoValisPhillip K. DickGloria Knudson's catCheshire CatAlice's Adventures in Wonderland Lewis CarrollSometimes 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.ChibiThe Guest Cat Takashi HiraideChibi 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 KingThis 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 SmithC'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. She appears in only two short stories but remains "the most enduringly popular cat in science fiction and fantasy."ConradThe Cat Who Caught A KillerL.T. ShearerConrad 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.CoricopatOld Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. EliotMale 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.CrookshanksHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban J.K. RowlingThe 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, an intelligent, cat-like creature who can detect when they are around untrustworthy people, explaining his higher than normal intelligence and stature.DemeterOld Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. EliotDemeter 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.DinahAlice's Adventures in Wonderland Lewis CarrollAlice'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.DonutDungeon Crawler CarlMatt DinnimanA female tortoiseshell Persian and multi-award-winning show cat who accompanies the titular Carl throughout the series.DragonMrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH Robert C. O'BrienThe farmer's cat who killed Mrs. Frisby's husband.ElectraOld Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. EliotOne 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.FaithfulThe Song of the Lioness seriesTamora PierceMagical cat who is a loyal companion to main character Alanna starting in book 2.FiddleCharmed Life Diana Wynne JonesGwendolen used one of Cat's lives to turn his fiddle into a cat named Fiddle.FindusPettson and Findus Sven NordqvistA cat who dresses up and talks with his old Swedish farmer, Pettson.FirestarWarriors: Into the Wild Erin HunterThe 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.FrancisFelidae Akif PirinçciIn this 1989 German-language mystery, 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"), 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." Felidae was adapted into a 1994 German animated neo-noir film directed by Michael Schaack and starring Ulrich Tukur as Francis.Fritti TailchaserTailchaser's Song Tad WilliamsTailchaser joins with friends Pouncequick and Roofshadow on an epic quest.GingerThe Tale of Ginger and Pickles Beatrix PotterA yellow tomcat who ran a shop with his partner Pickles, a terrier.GingerThe Last Battle C. S. LewisA 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.GonThe Cat's ElopementAndrew Lang (translator)Original German by David Brauns.A handsome tom who saves his beloved Koma.GraymalkinMacbethWilliam ShakespeareA gray cat. The first witch's familiar. In Act I, Scene I the witches plan their next meeting - with Macbeth - "When the hurlyburly's done. When the battle's lost and won." Before the exit, the first witch calls out "I come, Graymalkin!" Great Rumpus CatOld Possum's Book of Practical Cats T. S. EliotA hero in the world of the book and the musical.GreeboDiscworld Terry PratchettA 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: