Cats are one of the earliest domesticated animals ” not only domestic cats, but also the big cats that have been tamed and exhibited in zoos, or even used for hunting. Cats have also played important roles in some famous movies. In fact, a few movies, such as Born Free, have been made exclusively for cats. Almost all art forms, including paintings, sculptures, writing, etc. have allocated a place for cats. Statues of cats have been recovered from the earliest Egyptian excavations.

1. Oliver, the kitten, in Oliver & Company

Oliver is a homeless kitten, who wanders the streets of 1988 New York City in search of shelter. Dodger, the dog,  treacherously uses Oliver to steal hot dogs for him from a vendor, but then he leaves Oliver without even sharing. Dodger and other dogs are owned by a pickpocket who explains to the dogs that he must repay a loan within three days. Oliver creeps into their home and, after a little reluctance, is accepted by the dogs as good company. Oliver and his new dog friends try to sell some goods. In an attempt to break into a limousine, Oliver turns on the ignition, which makes the limo catch on fire. The wealthy owner of the limousine adopts Oliver as a pet. When Dodger breaks Oliver out of the house, Oliver tells him he wants to go back because he was treated kindly. The movie was released on March 29, 1996.

2. Elsa, the lioness, in Born Free

Born Free, a 1966 British drama, won three Golden Globes and three Academy Awards. The whole the story revolves around Elsa, the lioness. The film stars Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna, as George and Joy Adamson, a real-life couple. They raised an orphan lion cub, and released her ” at maturity ” into the Kenyan wilderness. The film was produced by Columbia Pictures and Open Road Films Ltd. The story was based upon Joy Adamson’s nonfiction book, Born Free. Both Virginia McKenna and her husband, Bill Travers, became Animal Rights activists and founded the ‘Born Free Foundation.’

3. Rufus, the cat, in The Rescuers

Rufus is the cat from 1977 movie The Rescuers. Rufus is an old cat and not interested in the usual cat routines, such as chasing or hunting mice. He neither wants to catch nor harm the mice. Owned by a little orphan girl named Penny, Rufus, upon being asked, tells Bernard and Miss Bianca ” the two little rescuer mice ” that Penny ran away from the orphanage, on adoption day … but she was not adopted. He informed them that the red-haired girl was chosen that day, and, that the last time Rufus saw her, Penny was sitting on her bed looking very forlorn. Rufus appears again at the end of the film, when Penny is holding him while she had been interviewed, and got the news that she had been adopted. Rufus is most likely going to accompany Penny in her new home.

4. Tonto, the cat, in Harry & Tonto

Tonto is Harry Coombes’ cat who had lived with his master and his late wife in the Upper West Side of New York City for many years. Harry and his late wife had raised their children in the same building that is set to be demolished for conversion into a new parking garage. Harry, a retired schoolteacher, takes Tonto and leaves the place, saying farewell to his old friends. He makes a long journey with his pet cat, Tonto, and visits his children and new places, which he might have never visited before, had he not been forced to travel. This is how Harry makes new friends. Tonto dies at the ripe age of 11 years, which is equivalent to 77 years of human life, as Harry writes to a friend. Harry & Tonto was released in 1974.

5. The Aristocats

Retired opera singer Madame Adelaide Bonfamille lives in a Paris residence with her four cats, dubbed The Aristocats. The four cats are Duchess and her three kittens: Marie, Berlioz and Toulouse. Also, residing with them is their English butler, Edgar. Madame Adelaide asks her lawyer to write in her will that all the three kittens will inherit all her property, and they will retain it till their deaths. Then, after the death of the Aristocats, Edgar will inherit all the property. Edgar overhears the conversation and dislikes the idea of waiting for the cats’ deaths before he can get the property. He tries different tactics to kill the cats, but fails to do so, due to some of the cats’ friends interfering. So, the cats survive every attempt made on their lives, and Madame Bonfamille changes her will by taking Edgar out of it.

6. Morris, the cat, from TV & Radio spots

Morris, the orange-colored tabby, 14-pound cat, has appeared in movies and other media. In 1973, he starred in the film Shamus, with Dyan Cannon and Burt Reynolds. Many cats have portrayed Morris on television. The original Morris was found in a Chicago animal shelter in 1968 by a professional animal handler, Bob Martwick. Three different cats have played the famous Morris, the cat, and all the three were found by Martwick at animal shelters. Morris I died in 1978, at the age of 19, and was buried, with respect, in Martwick’s backyard. Voiced by John Irwin, Morris is the advertising mascot for 9 Lives brand cat food. Morris II retired after 15 years service and died in 1997. Morris III lived only a few years. Currently, Morris IV is in office. The first Morris cat was the most famous cat in the U.S. and was invited by President Nixon to co-sign (with a paw print) the national Animal Protection Bill.

7. Holly Golightly’s cat in Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Holly Golightly’s cat, named Cat, was an orange-red cat with a distinctive coat, featuring stripes and an M shape on his forehead (a mark of the tabby breed of cat). Also known as Orangy, the tom cat was an intelligent actor, trained by the famous pet handler Frank Inn. Golightly’s cat, Orangy, was the only cat to win a PATSY (Picture Animal Top Star of the Year, an Animal Actors equivalent award to the Oscar Award) twice. The first PATSY was won for his lead role in Rhubarb, and he won the second PATSY for his portrayal of Golightly’s ‘Cat’ in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) did not give any name to the cat, saying, ‘I’m not Holly. I’m not Lula Mae, either. I don’t know who I am! I’m like Cat here, a couple of no-name slobs. We belong to nobody. and nobody belongs to us. We don’t even belong to each other.’

8. Lucifer ” Cinderella’s stepmother’s cat

In the film Cinderella, Lucifer is the satanic pet cat of Lady Tremine, who is Cinderella’s wicked stepmother. She is jealous of Cinderella’s beauty and wants one of her daughters to gain high social status by marrying Prince Charming. She doesn’t harm Cinderella physically, but tortures her psychologically, while her two other daughters get pampered. Lady Tremine is the primary antagonist in the film, while Lucifer is the secondary antagonist. Lucifer is a black and white cat whose ears seem to transform into devilish horns at will. He is a cheater, and a mouse-chaser and eater. He is very mean to Cinderella’s mouse and bird friends. In contrast to his mistress, Lucifer is intelligent, clever and cunning. Lucifer is very dear to her mistress, who treats him like a prince and acts like a mother to him.

9. Figaro, from Disney’s Pinocchio

Figaro is a fictional cat character developed for the 1940 film Pinocchio. Immediately after the film’s opening, Figaro became a popular character among the audience. Figaro is a childish pet cat of wood carver Geppetto, who had made the Pinocchio puppet as his latest creation. Geppetto then plays with Pinocchio, the puppet, but Figaro is annoyed after a short while and struck the puppet’s feet sharply. Blue Fairy then brings the puppet to life, and the living version was more acceptable to Figaro. When Pinocchio went to school for the first time and did not come back home, Figaro, Geppetto and Cleo (the goldfish) go out to search for him. When Pinocchio finally returns home, his father is not there because he has gone out to look for Pinocchio. So, the puppet goes out in search of Geppetto without a thought of his own well-being. His father is finally found and, because of his bravery, the Blue Fairy turns Pinocchio into a real boy. Figaro and everyone else celebrated this occasion.

10. Baby, the leopard

Baby is the name of the leopard in Bringing up Baby, released in 1938. Centered around the leopard, the film was directed by Howard Hawks and starred Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant. The movie is about how Mark sends a tamed leopard, named Baby, to Susan for her aunt from Brazil. Susan thought that David was a zoologist, and, therefore, sent him to Connecticut to take care of Baby and also to sing Baby’s favorite song, which is ‘I Can’t give you Anything But Love.’

Conclusion

All sorts of cats ” big and small ” have played supporting, as well as main, roles in some famous pictures. Not only the real cats, but also those created by human imagination, too, have played some interesting and memorable roles in movies. There are a few actors who have worked with cats, and some cats, on their own merit, have served the feline community by urging philanthropists and high officials to protect animal rights.