Historic spaceflight

France

  • Félicette was the first cat to be launched into space, and the only one to survive spaceflight. She flew on a suborbital flight on 18 October, 1963.

In politics

Canada

  • Tuxedo Stan, a cat who ran for mayor of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

New Zealand

  • Paddles, New Zealand's "First Cat", a polydactyl cat that belonged to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern

Russia

  • Barsik, a cat who ran for mayor of Barnaul, Russia.  Barsik announced his bid to become Russia’s next president in 2018.
  • Messi, a pet cougar who became popular on Instagram and YouTube in 2018

Taiwan

  • Think Think and Ah Tsai, who belong to Tsai Ing-wen, the president of Taiwan.

United Kingdom

  • Bob, James Bowen's cat who he credits to his recovery from heroin addiction, and played the lead role in his own movie, A Street Cat Named Bob.
  • Catmando, Joint leader of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party from 1999 to 2002
  • Evie and Ossie, Cabinet Office Mousers (Mother/Son - respectively) at Whitehall in London since 2016
  • Felix, Senior Pest Controller at Huddersfield railway station. Joined in 2011
  • Freya, Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office for a brief period in 2012-2014, performing the role jointly with Larry
  • Garfield the ginger Tom famous for his visits at the local Sainsbury's supermarket in Ely, England.  His adventures are chronicled on his Facebook page, and fictionalized in his own book of short stories.
  • Gladstone, Chief Mouser of HM Treasury at Whitehall in London since 2016
  • Humphrey, Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office 1989–97, named for the character of Sir Humphrey Appleby in Yes Minister.
  • Larry, Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office since February 2011
  • Palmerston, Chief Mouser of Foreign & Commonwealth Office since April 2016
  • Peta, Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office beginning in 1964; serving under three Prime Ministers
  • Peter, Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office 1929-1946; serving under five prime ministers, and three monarchs.
  • Smudge, 'employed' for many years at the People's Palace, Glasgow and a trade union member as a result
  • Sybil, Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office for a brief period in 2007 to 2009
  • Wilberforce, Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office under four British Prime Ministers

United States

  • India "Willie" Bush, US President George W. Bush's cat, named for Rubén Sierra "El Indio".
  • Misty Malarky Ying Yang, a Siamese belonging to Amy Carter and former pet of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
  • Puffins, US President Woodrow Wilson's cat.
  • Socks, a stray cat adopted by the family of President Bill Clinton, named by his daughter Chelsea.
  • Shan, Siamese cat, belonged to US President Gerald Ford's daughter, Susan.
  • Tabby and Dixie, Abraham Lincoln's cats. Lincoln once remarked that Dixie "is smarter than my whole cabinet."
  • Tiger and Blacky, US President Calvin Coolidge's cats when he and his family lived in the White House. Coolidge was known for hiding the cats about the house, prior to and during his presidency, leaving his wife, Grace Coolidge, to find and rescue them.
  • Tom Kitten, US President John F. Kennedy's cat, and one of the 15 pets of the Kennedy family.
  • Dewey Readmore Books, a library cat from Spencer, Iowa who was the subject of the 2008 book “Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World”.
  • Hank the Cat, a Maine Coon that ran for Senate in the state of Virginia in the 2012 US elections. He finished in third place behind winner Democrat Tim Kaine.
  • Stubbs, a cat who was honorary mayor of the town of Talkeetna, Alaska from 1997 until his death in 2017
  • Sweet Tart, a 9-year-old tabby, was elected to a three-year term as Mayor of the town of Omena, Michigan in July 2018. Sweet Tart prevailed over a field that included another cat, 13 dogs, a goat, a peacock, and a chicken. Two dogs, Diablo Shapiro and Punkin Anderson-Harden, were elected Vice-Mayor and Second Vice-Mayor, respectively.

Ukraine

  • Ambassador, the main mouser of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in Kyiv since 2017.
  • Panteleimon, (affectionately known as Pantyusha), lived in Kotik, a restaurant opposite the Golden Gate in Kiev. A hospitable host, and a favorite of restaurant workers and visitors alike, he did not allow himself to rest until he checked whether everyone was comfortable at the table. Unfortunately, a fire broke out in the restaurant and the cat died, suffocating in the smoke. After a while, a monument to the famous animal was erected near the entrance to the same restaurant.

On the Internet

  • Lil' Bunny Sue Roux (US), A cat who stands on her hind legs.
  • Monty (UK), a cat with chromosome abnormalities famous for his adorable behaviour.
  • Dusty the Klepto Kitty (US), notorious for being an expert night cat burglar.
  • FamousNiki (Russia, real name Niki), an Internet celebrity known for his humanlike behavior, facial expression and passion to pose for photo and video.
  • Grumpy Cat (US, real name Tardar Sauce), an Internet celebrity known for her grumpy facial expression.
  • Kebab Shop Cat (UK), the cat of comedy writer Thom Phipps, whose tweet about it visiting the local kebab shop went viral after it was copied by VICE writer Sam Kriss to his account.
  • Keyboard Cat (US), an internet celebrity.
  • Lil Bub (US), star of Lil Bub & Friendz.
  • Felix the Huddersfield Railway Station Cat (UK), @FelixhuddsCat is the Senior Pest Controller at Huddersfield Railway Station working for Transpennine Express Trains in West Yorkshire, UK
  • Snowy the Harringay Station Cat (UK), @HarringayCat is the customer services and hospitality manager (freelance) at Harringay Station in North London. Official mascot for Harringay Choppers, ambassador for Quernmore Rd Project and has a consultancy role with Harringey Council
  • Cat Shepherd (Ireland), Real name Bodacious @1CatShepherd is a hard working, professional cat in charge of a flock of Zwartbles sheep by the banks of the River Nore in County Kilkenny.
  • Maru (Japan), Internet celebrity famous for his love of boxes.
  • N2 (2000-2014), a "talking cat" who appeared on Animal Planet's "My Pet's Gone Viral" on 31 March 2013.
  • Henri, le Chat Noir internet film noir "existentialist" cat.
  • Sockington (US), a cat famous for his posts on Twitter the microblogging site.
  • Tara (US), a family cat from Bakersfield, California who saved a four-year-old boy from a dog attack in 2014, and became a "viral Internet sensation" when household surveillance footage was published.
  • Zoe the Cat, PhD, was a cat accredited by the American Psychotherapy Association, as part of a commentary about the state of accreditation within the industry by Dr. Steve Eichel.

In film and television

  • Baggage, a cat famous for lending its name to the hit British TV show Baggage, hosted by his owner, Gok Wan.  He also has a limited following on Twitter.
  • Morris the Cat, is the advertising mascot for 9Lives brand cat food.
  • Neutron, a cat played by Orangey, featured in 1955 American science fiction film, This Island Earth.
  • Orangey, a cat featured in Breakfast at Tiffany's and other movies.
  • Palmer the Cat, acts the part of Leo Kohlmeyer in the movie The Richest Cat in the World.
  • Tsim Tung Brother Cream, is a cat who lives in a convenience store in Hong Kong. He has appeared in a book, and in advertising and on TV programs.

In literature

  • Bob, a ginger cat that was found injured and subsequently adopted by London busker, James Bowen, in 2007. Bob's and Bowen's adventures together on the streets of London became the subject of a book, published in March 2012, A Street Cat Named Bob: How One Man And His Cat Found Hope On The Streets.
  • Casper, (1997 – 14 January 2010) was a male domestic cat that was famous for traveling on a No. 3 bus in Plymouth, and inspired the book, Casper the Commuting Cat.
  • Dewey Readmore Books, the library cat from Spencer, Iowa. Born Nov 1987; abandoned at the Library in Jan 1988; died (euthanized) December 2006. Subject of a best-selling book, Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World
  • Henrietta, the now-deceased cat of New York Times foreign correspondent Christopher S. Wren, made famous by the book, The Cat Who Covered the World (ISBN 0-684-87100-9 in one printing).
  • Hodge, Dr. Samuel Johnson's favorite cat, famously recorded in James Boswell's Life of Johnson, as shedding light on his owner's character.
  • Jeoffry, subject of poem by Christopher Smart.
  • Pangur Bán, the cat who inspired an otherwise unknown 8th (or 9th) century Irish monk to write a poem cataloguing their similarities.
  • Tao, male seal-point Siamese; inspiration for a main character in the 1961 novel, The Incredible Journey.
  • Thomasina, female tabby cat and subject of Paul Gallico's book, Thomasina, the Cat Who Thought She Was God which was made into the 1964 Disney film The Three Lives of Thomasina.

World record holders

  • Blackie, a cat that inherited 15 million British Pounds and thus became the richest cat in history.
  • Colonel Meow, a Himalayan-Persian mix who became famous on social media websites for his extremely long fur and scowling face. As of 2014, he holds the Guinness world record for longest hair on a cat (nine inches). Died 2014.
  • Creme Puff, the world's oldest cat (1967–2005). Owned by Jake Perry.
  • Heed, a cat considered by Guinness Book of World Records as potentially one of the world's smallest.
  • Himmy from Cairns, Australia the fattest cat on record who weighed 21.3 kg (46.8 lbs) at his death in 1986.
  • Meow, once the world's heaviest cat.
  • Prince Chunk, a shorthair cat alleged to weigh forty-four pounds (two pounds short of the world record).
  • Smokey, the holder of the Guinness World Record for "Loudest purr by a domestic cat".
  • Stewie, Guinness World Record holder for world's longest domestic cat from August 2010 until his death 4 February 2013.
  • Tiffany Two, the oldest living feline, aged 27 years, per Guinness World Records.
  • Towser "The Mouser" (1963 - 1987) of Glenturret Distillery in Crieff, Scotland, holds the Guinness World Record for the most mice caught (28,899).
  • Félicette, the first cat ever launched into space by the French Centre d'Enseignement et de Recherches de Médecine Aéronautique (CERMA). Félicette was recovered alive after a 15-minute flight and a descent by parachute. Félicette had electrodes implanted into her brain, and the recorded neural impulses were transmitted back to Earth.

On ships

  • Mrs Chippy of Endurance, cat on the Ernest Shackleton expedition.
  • Nansen of Belgica, the ship's cat on board during the Belgian Antarctic Expedition 1897–99.
  • Simon, celebrated ship's cat of HMS Amethyst. In addition to being presented with multiple medals, he was the only cat to have won the PDSA's Dickin Medal, for his rat-catching and morale-boosting activities during the Yangtze Incident in 1949. He also received the rank of "Able Seacat".
  • Trim of HMS Reliance, and HMS Investigator, the first cat to circumnavigate Australia. Companion of Matthew Flinders.
  • The Unsinkable Sam of the German battleship Bismarck, HMS Cossack, and HMS Ark Royal. All three ships were torpedoed, but Sam survived each sinking and retired to a home on dry land. The most famous mascot of the British Royal Navy.

Mascots

  • Cherry Pop,"Jovan Cherry Pop of Mystichill", (1981–1995) was a pedigree Champion Persian who became the poster cat for the Broward Country Humane Society.  Money raised from Cherry Pop merchandise, events, and parties were donated to the Humane Society and other shelters, assisting in bringing attention to pet adoption for animals in need.
  • Hamish McHamish (1999–11 September 2014), a long-haired ginger cat that was adopted by the citizens of the town of St Andrews, Fife, Scotland and has had a statue built in his honor. Something of a local feline celebrity with tourists and students, he became famous after the publication of a book titled "Hamish McHamish: Cool Cat About Town". In 2013, a bronze statue was crowd funded in his honor, unveiled in April 2014.
  • Matilda, resident cat of the Algonquin Hotel in New York City. The Algonquin was for many years home to the Algonquin Round Table, consisting of such American wits as Dorothy Parker, Alexander Woolcott, and Harpo Marx. There have been nine cats who have called the Algonquin their home since the 1930s, but not all have been female. All the males have been named Hamlet (in deference to the actor John Barrymore), and the females Matilda.
  • Şero, the political mascot of the Turkish Republican People's Party (CHP) who resides in the party's headquarters in Ankara.
  • Tama, (29 April 1999 - 22 June 2015) A Super Station Master of Kishi Station is known to be the most profitable cat in the world, with earning total up to US$ 10 million for her 8 years career as Station Master single-handedly.

Other

  • Artful Dodger, a cat in the United Kingdom, who in 2011 was reported to regularly catch the cross-town bus.
  • Bart, also known as zombie cat, a cat who survived a traffic accident, was unintentionally buried alive, and clawed its way out of the grave.
  • Beerbohm, a cat that resided at the Gielgud Theatre in London.
  • Blackie the Talking Cat, a "talking" cat who was exhibited (for donations) by an unemployed couple on the streets of Augusta, Georgia. Blackie became the subject of a court case, Miles v. City Council of Augusta.
  • Chase No Face, a cat who lost her face in an accident, and is now a therapy cat for people with disfigurements.
  • CC (Copy Cat, or Carbon Cat), the first cloned cat.
  • Crimean Tom, a cat that helped British Army troops find food after the Siege of Sevastopol
  • Emily, an American cat who, after being lost, was found to have gone to France.
  • Faith, a London cat that took up residence in St Faith & St Augustine's church (by St Paul's Cathedral) in wartime, and received a PDSA Silver Medal for her bravery in caring for her kitten when the church was bombed.
  • Fred the Undercover Kitty, a cat famous for assisting the NYPD and Brooklyn District Attorney's Office in 2006.
  • Jack, a cat who was lost by American Airlines baggage handlers at John F Kennedy airport before Hurricane Irene.  He was found later but was severely dehydrated and malnourished after his 61-day ordeal and was euthanized.
  • Ketzel, the tuxedo cat who won a prize for his piano composition in 1997.
  • Lewis, a cat who became infamous after being placed under house arrest.
  • Little Nicky, first cloned animal for commercial reasons.
  • Macavity, the busdrivers' nickname of a British cat, white with different-colored eyes, known for regularly catching the local bus by himself.
  • Marzipan (c.1992–2013), a calico cat who lived in the lobby of Astor Theatre in Melbourne, Australia. She was the theatre's unofficial mascot and was often seen sitting on the couches, waiting for the patrons to pat her as they left the cinema. She was also known to stroll in the cinema and watch the movies, or simply wander down the aisle and sit on patrons' laps.  She had her own Facebook fan page.
  • Mike (1908 – January 1929), a cat who guarded the entrance to the British Museum
  • Nora, a gray tabby cat who plays the piano alongside her owner.
  • Oscar, a cat fitted with bionic hind legs following an accident in 2009.
  • Oscar the hospice cat, written up in the New England Journal of Medicine for his uncanny ability to predict which patients will die by curling up to sleep with them hours before their death. To date he has been right 25 times.
  • Peter, the Lord's cat, the only animal to have an obituary in Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.
  • Pickles, a cat who lives on the Hobbiton movie set in Matamata, New Zealand.
  • Red, a cat who became a millionaire in 2005.
  • Room 8, a tomcat who appeared at Elysian Heights Elementary School in Echo Park, California at the start of the school year in 1952, returning every day thereafter, before disappearing for the summer, only to return the following September. This behavior continued into the mid-1960s. (Ref. Los Angeles Times)
  • Rusik, the Russian police sniffer cat on Stavropol, who died in the line of duty fighting against illegal endangered sturgeon fish traffic in 2003.
  • Scarlett, who in 1996 saved her kittens one by one from a fire in Brooklyn NY, suffering horrible burns in the process. Named Scarlett by the fireman who rescued her. She became a famous example of the power of a mother's love.
  • Senator Capitol Kitty, a resident of Capitol Park in Sacramento, CA and star of Sharon Davis's book "The Adventures of Capitol Kitty"
  • Sissi the Red Cat, an Italian cat who achieved celebrity by correctly picking the results of the 2014 World Cup matches in Brazil.
  • Tama, a calico cat who was the station master at Kinokawa, Wakayama railway station, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan from 2007 to 2015.
  • Tibs the Great (November 1950 – December 1964) was the British Post Office's "number one cat" and kept the post office headquarters completely mouse-free during his 14 years of service.
  • Tiddles, tabby resident of the Ladies' toilet at Paddington Station, London. Thousands of passengers met her and their donations fed her.
  • Tobermory Cat, a cat living in Tobermory, made famous by Angus Stewart.
  • Willow, a cat lost from a Boulder, Colorado home, who was discovered 5 years later and 1,800 miles away in New York City. She survived owls, coyotes, criminals, and Manhattan traffic. She was reunited with her owners with the help of her microchip.
  • Winnie, who awakened a New Castle, Indiana family in April 2007 at 1 a.m. after detecting carbon monoxide in their home, saving the family's lives.

Pets of famous people

  • Baggage, a cat owned by British television presenter Gok Wan. Baggage was the inspiration for Gok's TV series Baggage, first broadcast in the UK on 21 September 2012.  Has a limited following on Twitter and a fanpage on Facebook.
  • Bimbo, the cat belonging to Makarios III during his British-imposed time in exile in the Seychelles.
  • Catarina, Edgar Allan Poe's pet cat and the inspiration for his story "The Black Cat".
  • Cheddar, who belongs to the former Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper.
  • Choupette, the pet and muse of designer Karl Lagerfeld
  • Delilah, belonging to the Queen frontman Freddie Mercury; Mercury paid tribute to Delilah, a female tortoiseshell cat, on the Queen album, Innuendo.
  • F.D.C. Willard, the pen name of Chester, the cat of Jack H. Hetherington, who listed the cat as co-author of several physics papers from 1975 to 1980
  • Foss, belonging to Edward Lear; subject of many drawings, some published in The Heraldic Blazon of Foss the Cat; inspired The Owl & the Pussycat; Lear buried Foss in his garden and died himself only two months later
  • Jellylorum was T. S. Eliot's own cat, immortalized in Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, the basis for the musical Cats
  • Jeoffry, the visionary poet Christopher Smart's cat, who is praised as "surpassing in beauty" in his owner's poem "Jubilate Agno (A Poem from Bedlam)". (Jeoffry was Smart's only companion during his confinement in an asylum in 1762–63.) The Jeoffry extract is set as a treble solo in the festival cantata, Rejoice in the Lamb Op 30, by Benjamin Britten.
  • Khouli-Khan, the cat of Thomas Anson is memorialized by the neoclassical "Cat's Monument" in the park at Shugborough Hall, Staffordshire, unless the cat in question is the first cat to circumnavigate the globe in the company of Admiral George Anson on HMS Centurion
  • Logos, the cat of Jacques Derrida. Mentioned in Plato's Pharmacy: "Logos, a living, animate creature, is thus also an organism that has been engendered. An organism: a differentiated body proper, with a center and extremities, joints, a head, and feet."
  • Lion, a cat who belonged to guitarist John Fahey, who later wrote a song about Lion called "Lion" in tribute.
  • Macak, Nikola Tesla's cat.
  • Mademoiselle Fifi, (aka Paree) the beloved pet cat of aviator John Moisant. Fifi often accompanied Moisant on his flights, and on 23 August 1910 Mademoiselle Fifi became the first cat to fly across the English Channel during the first aeroplane flight from London-to-Paris. Moisant was killed at New Orleans in December 1910, and a famous photo was published of Fifi attending Moisant's funeral, draped in mourning cover.
  • Meredith Grey and Olivia Benson , Scottish Folds belonging to Taylor Swift.
  • Minna Minna Mowbray, belonging to Michael Joseph; an entire chapter is dedicated to her in Cat's Company 1946.
  • Morrissey, a cat belonging to actor and comedian Russell Brand.
  • Mouschi, the tabby cat who lived in the Secret Annexe of Anne Frank's family; it was actually Peter van Pels (aka Peter Van Daan)'s cat.
  • Mourka, belonging to George Balanchine and the subject of Mourka: the autobiography of a cat by Tanaquil LeClercq, Stein & Day, New York, 1964.
  • Muezza, the cat of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
  • Neo, the cat of author Jeff VanderMeer.
  • Norton, a Scottish fold tabby belonging to Peter Gethers; memorialized in novels The Cat Who Went to Paris, A Cat Abroad, and The Cat Who'll Live Forever.
  • Nothing, the cat of Jean-Paul Sartre.
  • Ollie, a Siamese cat belonging to Ricky Gervais and Jane Fallon. Ollie was presented to Gervais in 2003 on the Friday Night with Jonathan Ross show.  She is named after Oliver Hardy and has more than 57,000 followers on Twitter.
  • Pixie, a Maine Coon belonging to well-known ailurophile Judge Richard Posner; described by Judge Posner in the Chicago Tribune as "the best cat [he's] ever had."
  • Polar Bear, the white cat adopted by writer and animal activist Cleveland Amory, and featured in The Cat Who Came for Christmas, The Cat and the Curmudgeon, and The Best Cat Ever
  • Professor Meowingtons, PhD. the black and white overweight cat belonging to Canadian electronic musician Deadmau5. Meowingtons is featured on the cover of the Deadmau5 album Album Title Goes Here.
  • Rupi, belonging to Jethro Tull leader Ian Anderson; inspired title song of his 2004 solo album Rupi's Dance.
  • Sadie, a Siamese belonging to James Mason; talked about in Mason's The Cats in our Lives (1949).
  • Selima, a Tortoiseshell tabby belonging to Horace Walpole; drowned in a goldfish bowl, inspiring Thomas Gray's poem Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat Drowned in a Tub of Goldfishes (1748).
  • Shorty Blackwell, a cat that belonged to Micky Dolenz of The Monkees, and was the subject of a song written from the cat's point of view, called "Shorty Blackwell".
  • Snowball, the most famous of Ernest Hemingway's cats, who was polydactyl and lived with Hemingway at his house in Key West.
  • Solomon, one of Lloyd Alexander's many cats, who inspired the premise of the book Time Cat: The Remarkable Journeys of Jason And Gareth.
  • Sprite, belonging to Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes; she was used as inspiration for some of Hobbes' physical features and behaviors, such as his habit of pouncing on Calvin.
  • Taffy, belonging to Christopher Morley. Thieving cat commemorated in Morley's 1929 poem "In Honor of Taffy Topaz".
  • Ta-Miu, the cat of Crown Prince Thutmose. After her death she was mummified and buried in a decorated sarcophagus.
  • Timothy, a white cat belonging to Dorothy L. Sayers; mentioned in two poems: "For Timothy" and "War Cat".

Pets of famous gorillas

  • All Ball (c. May 1984 – December 1984), the first cat of Koko the gorilla, so named by Koko because the kitten was tailless.
  • Lipstick and Smoky, two cats that Koko the gorilla chose after All Ball escaped and was killed by a car.
  • Ms. Black and Ms. Gray, two cats that Koko the gorilla adopted during her 44th birthday celebration on 4 July 2015.

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