10 Most Iconic Cats In TV History, Ranked

Unlike dogs, who always seem able to offer their humans unconditional love and support, cats are something else altogether. You never quite know where you stand with cats, whether they are loving you or simply plotting your downfall (or to take over the world).

Perhaps it’s their ever-present air of mystery that makes them so enduring and so appealing, or perhaps it’s the fact that we love them despite their distance. Either way, they have made their mark on television. From commercials to cartoons, here are the most iconic television cats.

10 Morris the Cat- 9Lives

Anyone who’s ever owned a cat knows that, unlike dogs (who will eat almost anything) it can be a real pain to get a finicky cat to eat. Cue Morris, proclaimed by the cat food brand 9Lives as the world’s most finicky cat.

It’s hard to miss the large, orange tabby, who has appeared in numerous commercials and can still be found on its cans in the grocery store. The cat has been so popular that he even ran for president in the 1980s!

9 Salem- Sabrina The Teenage Witch

Though Sabrina is the star of the hit ABC comedy Sabrina the Teenage Witch, it’s the sassy cat Salem who very often threatens to steal the show. He was originally a witch, but he was punished for trying to conquer the world by being put into a cat form.

With his sardonic wit, he was a refreshing bit of irony in a show otherwise known for its earnestness. Along with the title character, he was the only character that appeared in every episode. 

8 Scratchy- The Simpsons

The long running hit The Simpsons is, without doubt, one of the most iconic TV series to have ever appeared in our living rooms. Still going strong after all of these years, one of the keys to its appeal is the character of Scratchy, the hapless enemy of the mouse Itchy.

Unlike other cartoon cats, who aren’t usually killed, Scratchy is almost always dispatched by his enemy in a particularly brutal and bloody manner, much to the hilarity of the watching Simpson family.

7 Toonces- SNL

The long-running sketch show Saturday Night Live has been known to introduce characters that later go on to become iconic in their own right. Such is the case with Toonces, the cat that could drive (though, it should be pointed out, not very well at all).

The character proved to be a tremendous success because, after all, who doesn’t want to see a cat that can drive a car? He was even given his own primetime special.

6 Heathcliff- Heathcliff & The Catillac Cats

There seems to be something about the medium of animation that makes it particularly amenable to creating iconic TV cats. Heathcliff, the orange cat, was originally a very popular comic but, in the rush of animated series that appeared during the 1980s, he appeared in two different shows (both of them named after him).

He was voiced by none other than Mel Blanc, the man responsible for providing the voices of such characters as Bugs, Daffy and, of course, Sylvester.

5 Snagglepuss- The Quick Draw McGraw Show

Hanna-Barbera is, arguably, one of the most prolific animation studios to have turned ink to paper. In addition to bringing a number of ionic characters to our television screens, including Scooby and the gang, Yogi Bear and, of course, the pink cougar.

With more than a hint of the camp about him, he immediately showed that he was the stuff of which iconic cats were made, and some of his catchphrases–such as “Heavens to Murgatroyd”–have even entered the pop culture lexicon.

4 Snowball- The Simpsons

Arguably, the most famous pet on The Simpsons is their dog, Santa’s Little Helper. Just as important, however, has been the cat, Snowball. The current Snowball is, depending on which numbering system you use, the fourth of that name.

His predecessors are buried in the backyard of the Simpsons house. He is not known for being a particularly pleasant cat–she even abandons the family at one point–but, given that he is a cat, that isn’t particularly surprising. 

3 Tom- Tom And Jerry

One half of the titular duo of Tom and Jerry, Tom is noted for his perpetual pursuit of Jerry. Unfortunately, he consistently proves to be not very good at his job, and Jerry almost always gets the better of him (though they are known to join forces on occasion).

Starting out as the star of various short films, he has since moved into television, and in recent years there has been something of a renaissance of Tom and Jerry series, most of them appearing on Cartoon Network.

2 Sylvester- Looney Tunes

Although he made his first appearances in a number of theatrical short films, Sylvester the cat has become a prominent presence in a number of Looney Tunes television series that have appeared over the list.

His long-running attempts to eat the canary Tweety is one of the most iconic animal feuds in popular culture, so it’s no wonder that the two of them have been featured on a wide range of merchandise and are almost always to be found in new Looney Tunes series.

1 Garfield- The Garfield Comics

Garfield definitely deserves his place at the top of this list of iconic TV cats. He’s been the star of not only the original comics, but also several television series–the most popular probably being Garfield and Friends, which aired from the 1980s to the 1990s–films, and merchandise galore.

Not too bad for a fat cat who sleeps around the house all day, likes to eat lasagna by the ton, and has a field day torturing his nemesis/best friend Odie. 

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