The 30 most fantastic felines in film history, ranked

One of the most fascinating things about cats is their unpredictability. With all due respect to dogs and the unwavering friendship they provide, cats are simply more compelling to watch because of their independence, their cleverness, and even — let's face it — their rudeness. Of course, cats can also be fiercely loyal themselves and make for great sidekicks for our heroes (and some villains...).

In honor of National Pet Day, EW has assembled a list of our favorite cats in movie history who all serve various functions within their respective films — limited to house cats only.

30. Buttercup from the Hunger Games series

Hunger Games fans were outraged when a black-and-white tuxedo cat was cast to play the Everdeens' yellow-ish tabby in the first movie. The mistake was rectified in Catching Fire, with a new cat actor playing Buttercup in all his ginger glory.

29. The cat from Coraline (2009)

The enigmatic, unnamed cat helps guide Coraline through both her own world and the eerie Other World — with plenty of sarcasm along the way.

28. Oliver from Oliver & Company (1988)

One of Disney's more underrated cats is an orphan who has to learn how to navigate New York City — with help from a streetwise mutt voiced by Billy Joel.

27. Tonto from Harry and Tonto (1974)

Art Carney won an Academy Award for his portrayal of a retiree who makes a cross country trip with his best friend, Tonto.

26. The cats from The Aristocats (1970)

They're responsible for one of the catchiest, jazziest tunes about how great it is to be a cat.

25. Kovacs' cat from The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

The bad news: Jeff Goldblum's stately Persian meets his end when Willem Dafoe hurls him out the window. The good news: Goldblum gets to deliver the best line in the entire movie: "Did he just throw my cat out the window?"

24. Mr. Bigglesworth from the Austin Powers series

Dr. Evil's hairless companion is nearly as evil as his owner. After all, when Mr. Bigglesworth gets upset, people die.

23. Blofeld's cat from From Russia With Love (1963)

The fluffy white Persian made his debut in From Russia With Love, reappearing in multiple 007 flicks throughout the decades. And through many of the first Bond films, the only glimpse we get of the nefarious Ernst Stavro Blofeld is a closeup of him stroking his beloved cat.

22. DC from That Darn Cat! (1965)

This Disney flick follows a mischievous Siamese cat as he roams his neighborhood, clashes with the neighbor's dog, and helps foil a kidnapping. Good kitty.

21. Thackery Binx from Hocus Pocus (1993)

Don't you hate it when you stumble upon some evil witches and they transform you into an immortal black cat, doomed to walk the earth for centuries?

Related: Hocus Pocus star explains why Binx the cat doesn't just talk to his dad at the beginning

20. Zunar-J5/9 Doric 4-7 from The Cat From Outer Space (1978)

This '70s campy classic tells the story of an extraterrestrial kitty on the run from Earth's government.

19. The cat from The Mummy (1999)

Cats! Sometimes they throw up in your shoes, but sometimes they save you from ancient undead monsters!

18. Pyewacket from Bell, Book, and Candle (1958)

Kim Novak's witchy familiar is one of the most recognizable film cats of all time, with his bright blue eyes and penchant for casting spells.

17. Crookshanks from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) may have his trusted owl Hedwig, but Hermione (Emma Watson) got a pet sidekick of her own in the third movie: Crookshanks, an orange Persian-like cat. This being the wizarding world and all, Crookshanks is highly gifted and helps suss out the true identity of Ron's (Rupert Grint) rat, Scabbers.

16. Sassy from Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)

Sally Field voices the tenacious Sassy in this '90s favorite, which follows the cat and her two dog companions as they cross the country in search of their family.

Related: The best dogs from TV and movies

15. Keanu from Keanu (2016)

Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key's screwball comedy follows a kitten who's so cute, he causes break-ins, shootouts, and all sorts of action movie shenanigans. And it's not hard to see why — I mean, just look at that face.

14. Vito's cat from The Godfather (1972)

The grey, striped tabby on Vito Corleone's lap wasn't actually in the original script. Director Francis Ford Coppola found the cat as a stray near the Paramount lot and handed him to Marlon Brando as a last-minute addition. The cat underscores Vito's soft, unassuming exterior — but remember, cats have hidden claws.

13. Mr. Jinx from Meet the Parents (2000)

Mr. Jinx is one sharp cat — he even knows how to flush the toilet! — and a cherished member of the Byrnes family. This is what makes Greg (Ben Stiller) losing him such a crisis, threatening to tarnish his relationship with his future parents-in-law forever.

12. Jiji from Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)

Hayao Miyazaki's coming-of-age classic centers on the friendship between a young witch and her black cat (voiced in the English version by Phil Hartman). The loquacious Jiji sounds exactly like what you'd expect from a talking cat — snarky and sarcastic, but fiercely loyal to his friend Kiki.

11. Ulysses from Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

Sure, Oscar Isaac is charming, but his fuzzy orange costar steals every scene he's in.

10. Fat Louie from The Princess Diaries (2001)

Anne Hathaway's Mia Thermopolis may have to deal with romantic entanglements and an unexpected royal title, but at least she's got her best friend Louie at her side.

9. Frodo from A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)

Rest assured, Frodo lives. Horror movies can often be unforgiving to animals, but this service cat helps the terminally ill Sam (Lupita Nyong'o) face the apocalypse — and ultimately survives against the odds.

Related: How A Quiet Place: Day One director incorporated his love of Lord of the Rings

8. Goose from Captain Marvel (2019)

Technically, Carol Danvers' fuzzy orange companion isn't a cat but a flerken, an alien with monstrous tentacles in its stomach. But Goose's general feline exterior and helpfulness in the face of danger earns her a spot on our list.

7. Milo from The Adventures of Milo and Otis (1989)

Dogs and cats living together...Mass hysteria!

6. Mrs. Norris from the Harry Potter series

J.K. Rowling's wizarding world is filled with plenty of felines (as seen above!), but the most memorable is Filch's beloved tabby, who skulks around Hogwarts in search of misbehaving students.

5. Tom Cat of Tom and Jerry (1940–present)

Rarely has a cat been so humiliated by their prey than Tom Cat by Jerry Mouse. No matter how many traps he sets, Tom inevitably ends up yowling in pain after his scheming backfires, as seen in the early-'40s cartoons all the way through a 2021 feature film.

4. Church from Pet Sematary (1989 and 2019)

Poor Winston Churchill (a cat, not the prime minister) kicks the bucket — only to return from the dead and terrorize his former family. It's not his fault he was laid to rest in a cursed burial ground! This undead kitty was creepy in the original 1989 film, but he's even more haunting in the 2019 remake. Talk about the cat who came back.

3. Puss in Boots from Shrek 2 (2004) and beyond

This lovable, swashbuckling cat originated centuries ago in literature, but he has been popularized in recent years thanks to the Shrek franchise. First appearing in Shrek 2, Puss (voiced with gusto by Antonio Banderas) became a loyal ally to Shrek and his gang, while his origins were explored in the spinoff films Puss in Boots (2011) and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022).

Related: Antonio Banderas explains the history of how Puss in Boots spun off from Shrek

2. Jonesy from Alien (1979)

The ship cat and unofficial mascot of the USCSS Nostromo is a sci-fi and horror icon — and of the few to survive the deadly xenomorph. Sigourney Weaver may be the lead in Alien, but Jonesy is obviously the star.

1. Cat from Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

Poor no-name slob: He belongs to nobody, and nobody belongs to him. Holly Golightly's (Audrey Hepburn) unnamed cat is the ultimate film feline, a fluffy orange sweetheart who, like most cats, observes everything around him with a sort of passive disapproval.

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