Here’s are the 13 coolest cats in movies. From hand-drawn animation to live action, these furry companions will warm your heart — or send shivers up your spine.
Thomas O’Malley in The AristoCats (1970)
Let’s start with a classic.
All of the cats in this 1970 Disney movie about a family of cats are adorable, but Thomas O’Malley (pictures above with his cat wife and cat children) has to be number one.
Look at his little green bowtie! Thomas swooped in to save Duchess and her children when their rightfully inherited fortune was stolen from them. He goes from an alley cat to a gentleman cat in this adorable film that is sure to put a smile on your face.
Blofeld’s Cat in From Russia With Love (1963)
First appearing in the 1963 James Bond movie From Russia With Love, the villain Blofeld’s cat has become a fixture of the Bond franchise.
Ernst Stavro Blofeld is Bond’s arch nemesis, an evil bald-headed villain with a scar on his face hell-bent on world domination. But bad guys need affection to, and Blofeld finds it in pets.
Blofeld is often seen with his cat in his lap. Different versions of his beautiful white cat have appeared in Bond movies including Your Eyes Only, Never Say Never Again, You Only Live Twice, and Diamonds Are Forever.
Puss in Puss in Boots (2011)
Antonio Banderas voices the main character in this Shrek spin off prequel movie about the heroic little sword-fighting kitty.
He definitely deserves a spot on our list of coolest cats in movies, not only because he’s adorable, but because he’s fearless. Like so many cats we know.
Puss first appeared in the original Shrek movies before he got his own film in 2011. His character is based on the old European fairy tale, Puss in Boots, about an anthropomorphic cat that uses trickery to gain power. The fairy tale dates back all the way to the 1500s,
Rum Tum Tugger in Cats (2019)
Say what you will about this 2019 movie musical, but Jason Derulo’s version of the Rum Tum Tugger in Cats definitely deserves a spot on our list of the coolest cats in movies.
Of course, his character originates from T.S. Eliot’s 1939 book of poems called Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. Rum Tum Tugger also figures prominently in the 1981 musical Cats, which was based on Eliot’s book.
Derulo plays him well, complete with rebellious spirit and cockney accent, in the 2019 movie. And he’s a great singer, too, even in a movie as cringey as this one.
Milo from The Adventures of Milo and Otis (1986)
This list wouldn’t be complete without Milo, the adorable orange tabby cat in the classic, beloved 1986 film The Adventures of Milo and Otis.
Milo is best friends with Otis, a pug. The film was shot in Japan, and follows the two furry friends on their adventures away from their farm.
Milo is always getting himself into trouble, and Otis dutifully stays by his side throughout, helping him get out of snarls. This is one movie that both dog and cat lovers can enjoy together.
The Cat in Coraline (2009)
Here’s another creepy cat to balance our list out. Honestly, being creepy is one of the things that cats do best. Especially around Halloween, and especially black cats.
In the claymation classic Coraline, the Cat character plays an important role. Voiced by Keith David, he’s the one who tells Coraline that he can cross between both worlds — her own, and the “Other” world where her Other Mother lives. He warns her to be careful there.
But even though he’s creepy looking — to be honest, pretty much all the characters in Coraline are kinda creepy — he ends up helping Coraline in her hour of need.
Simba in The Lion King (1994)
Simba is an obvious choice for one of the coolest cats in movies. How could we leave him out?
Simba is the son of Mufasa and Nala, the king and queen of the pride, in this iconic Disney movie. That makes Simba the prince, and he’s famously told by his father as a baby, “Look Simba, everything the light touches is our kingdom.”
There’s also a photo-realistic animated version of The Lion King from 2019, in which Beyoncé voices Nala and Donald Glover voices Simba. And this December, a new movie called Mufasa: The Lion King will come out with the pair reprising their roles, alongside Beyoncé’s daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, voicing Simba’s daughter Kiara.
No one can argue that Simba is a pretty iconic movie cat. And we’re sure that with the release of Mufasah this week, we’ll soon have to add to this list of the coolest cats in movies.
Churchill in Pet Sematary (2019)
Did you think we were only putting cute little kitties on this list?
Of course, we had to include Winston Churchill, AKA “Church,” the objectively creepy cat who originated in Stephen King’s 1983 horror novel about animals that come back to life after being buried in a pet cemetery over an ancient burial ground.
Church’s cold stare, as seen above, will leave you feeling unnerved. If you’ve ever been stared at by a cat this way, you know what I mean.
Church may be creepy, but it’s not this kitty’s fault that he was resurrected in cursed soil. He should have been allowed to rest in peace.
Garfield in Garfield: The Movie (2004)
Listen, I know that a new Garfield movie just came out this year. But I’m interested in 2004 Garfield: The Movie starring Bill Murray as the voice of Garfield. Alright? Can you rock with that?
Garfield, of course, originates from the 1970s comic strips by Jim Davis. Garfield has become such an iconic character that he’s almost larger than life.
Known for loving lasagna and his unimpressed attitude, Garfield is one of the most beloved fictional cats ever. This list of the coolest cats in movies would definitely not be complete without him.
D.C. in That Darn Cat (1965)
The classic 1965 film That Darn Cat!, directed by Robert Stevenson, starred Hayley Mills, Dean Jones, and a cute little Siamese cat named Darn Cat, or D.C. It’s a story about bank robbers, a kidnapping, and a mischievous kitty.
It took multiple Siamese cats to play D.C., but one of them was Syn Cat — a real life cat actor who also appeared in the 1963 film The Incredible Journey.
In That Darn Cat, D.C. helps his owners catch the robbers. Indeed, he’s a very heroic movie cat.
Chloe in Secret Life of Pets (2016)
This 2016 Universal Pictures animated children’s movie follows what pets do when their owners aren’t home.
One of the most memorable pets from The Secret Life of Pets is Chloe, a sarcastic gray tabby cat. Voiced by Lake Bell, Chloe lives in an apartment building with her owner. She’s known for not caring about much except for food and herself — and we love that for her.
Chloe is adorable — even though she did once try to eat Sweatpea, her bird friend voiced by Tara Strong.
Irena Gallier in Cat People (1982)
In this 1982 erotic thriller, the Gallier family has a strange secret (spoiler) — they turn into cats.
Directed by Paul Schrader, its a remake of the 1942 movie of the same name. The main character, Irena Gallier, is played by Nastassia Kinski opposite Malcolm McDowell as her brother Paul.
They’re descendants of an ancient black panther that mated with a human, turning them and their family members into werecats — sort of like the cat version of werewolves.
Just don’t ask about the only way to prevent werecats from turning into panthers. We’ll let you watch the movie or Google that one yourself.
The Cat in The Cat in the Hat (2003)
This movie didn’t get great reviews — it has only a 10% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer — but still, Mike Myers put a lot of work into it and we think he deserves a spot on the list.
The Cat in the Hat is of course based on the Dr. Seuss children’s book of the same name. In this live-action movie version of the story, Myers’ Cat in the Hat arrives at the home of two kids while their mom isn’t home and immediately starts wreaking havoc, despite objections from the family’s pet fish, voiced by Sean Hayes.
Yes, there is perhaps something uncanny about Myers’ humanoid face on a cat’s body, much like the off-putting appearance of the cats in the much maligned 2019 live-action movie musical Cats we talked about above. But hey, sometimes in art, you have to take risks.
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Main Image: A still from Cat People, Universal Pictures