TV’s Top Cats

By ETCanada.com Staff. 8 Aug 2019 12:01 PM

Television has always featured plenty of catty behaviour, but it wasn’t until the early 1940s that cats began to take their rightful place on the small screen. That was the year that the Cat in the Hat made his TV debut and he’s since been followed by a long line of frisky fur balls like Heathcliff, Garfield and Salem. These pets may come in different shapes and sizes, but they all share the same animal magnetism that keeps viewers coming back for more. Curl up on your favourite couch as we salute television’s most famous felines.

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Felines are known for being fussy, but surely no cat has ever been choosier than Morris, the mascot for 9Lives cat food. Branded as "the world's most finicky cat", this full-bodied orange tabby has appeared in dozens of commercials and print campaigns over the years and has even authored three books including The Morris Approach, The Morris Method and The Morris Prescription. Now in his fifth decade as a spokescat, Morris continues to delight audiences around the world with his sardonic wit and steadfast refusal to dine on inferior brands of cat food. Fun fact: Morris has been played by three different cats since the late 1970s.
Few cats have done more with their nine lives than Garfield. Created by Jim Davis in 1978, this irrepressible fat cat has been featured in one animated series, two live action films, nine video games, 12 primetime specials and 56 books over the past 34 years. His lust for lasagna and casual indifference towards his owner, Jon Arbuckle, can also be seen daily in more than 2,500 newspapers around the world. He is, quite possibly, the most famous feline in the world and his notoriety continues to grow with every passing day.Fun fact: Garfield is the world's most syndicated comic strip.
One of literature's most famous felines, the Cat in the Hat made his small screen debut in 1971 in an animated special starring Allan Sherman in the title role. The production received rave reviews, but it wasn't until 2010 that the Cat came back in The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!, a clever PBS series starring Emmy Award winner Martin Short. The show has helped introduce the mischievous character to millions of young viewers while teaching them key educational concepts in a fun and nonintrusive way. Fun fact: The original Cat in the Hat book contains just 223 words.
With all due respect to Wile E. Coyote, no animated character has ever suffered more abuse than Scratchy. The yin to Itchy's yang, this beleaguered black cat has been sliced, diced and torn to shreds hundreds of times in his 95 appearances on The Simpsons. The formula is simple, but fans still love it, leading to Scratchy's appearance in a pair of successful video games and a hilarious cameo in The Simpsons Movie in 2007. Fun fact: Scratchy made his small screen debut on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1988.
Every witch needs a cat and Sabrina was no exception. This teenaged spellcaster found animal companionship in the form of Salem Saberhagen, a 500-year-old warlock who was transformed into a feline as punishment for plotting to take over the world. Played by an animatronic puppet and four different cats, Salem appeared in all 163 episodes of the series and won three consecutive Kids Choice Awards from 1998 to 2000 for Favourite Animal Star. Fun fact: Salem's voice was provided by ESPN sportscaster Nick Bakay.
Nearly every cat on our list can catch mice and antagonize dogs,but only one of them can drive an automobile. Well... sort of. We're referring of course to Toonces The Driving Cat. A recurring character on Saturday Night Live during the late 1980s and early 90s, this irascible grey tabby would take his owners on leisurely drives before invariably going off a high cliff and crashing hundreds of feet below. The sketches weren't terribly inventive, but they were popular, and Toonces went on to receive his very own half hour special in 1992 before being phased out of the show.Fun fact: Toonces made his small screen debut in a 1989 episode hosted by Steve Martin.

TV’s Top Cats

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