Almost From the Beginning, These Famous Felines Have Added Much to Our Lives

The history of cat ownership is long and colorful. If you dive into the enduring relationship between people and felines, it can quickly seem like humans never even existed before cats quietly padded their ways into our rustic pastoral communities. In other words, the impact and influence of cats on early human development was far-reaching and complete to the point of no return. 

Since we cannot live without cats, we raise them up to celebrity status. The famous felines we know and love so well are listed below, and we hope you recognize a few of your favorites.

The Ancient Ones

Almost 10,000 years ago, cats were domesticated in the Near East, a region that included Western Asia, modern-day Turkey, and Northern African countries like Egypt. Due to the long-standing deification of cats in Egypt, goddesses like Bastet, Mafdet, and Sekhmet helped introduce scores of early people to this splendid species.

The veneration of cats began to pick up speed all over the world, especially after the Islamic prophet Muhammed endorsed them as wonderful companions (his favorite cat was named Muezza). 

Folklore & Beyond

Today’s famous felines owe some of their debt to Maneki-Neko, the famous Japanese cat sculpture that beckons everyone with a friendly, upright paw. Now, this figure is battery or electric powered and waves at visitors to shops, arcades and restaurants.

Likewise, the fictional character Puss in Boots gained enormous traction throughout Europe in the 1500’s for being a bit of scoundrel. His anthropomorphism made cat ownership even more fun.

Other famous felines depicted in art, literature, animation, and film over the years include:

• The Cheshire Cat
• Garfield
• Hobbes (from Calvin and Hobbes)
• Heathcliffe
• Tom Cat (Tom and Jerry)
• Sylvester from Looney Tunes
• The Cat in the Hat
• Felix the Cat
• Crookshanks from Harry Potter
• Pusheen
• Scratchy from The Simpsons
• Spt from Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Morris the Cat
• Pete the Cat
• Jonesy from Alien
• Snowbell from Stuart Little
• Hello Kitty

There are dozens more famous felines to choose from and we love them all!

Next Wave of Famous Felines

It has been proven that cats rule the internet, so it’s only fitting to list several that have made a stir on social media. If you aren’t already following these sweeties you’re missing out:

• Grumpy Cat (RIP 2.5 million followers)
• Nala (4.3 million followers)
• Cole and Marmalade (662k followers)
• Venus the Two Faced Cat (2 million followers)
• Maru (317k followers)

The good news is that every day there are more attractive kitties that are ready for their close-ups. Keep an eye for the next big feline trendsetter.

Best Furry Friends Forever

Generally speaking, cats have big personalities. Their bright, expressive eyes and fearless acrobatics helped draw human attention really early on. Not only did early cats prove to be highly skilled hunters but they were funny, interesting, super handsome, entertaining and affectionate to boot. We continue to learn so much from our cats, and we have some of these famous felines to thank for paving the way.

Our cat-friendly practice enjoys focusing on this special species. If you ever need The Pet Experts at Springbrook Animal Care Center please let us know.