Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Warning: Spoilers pertaining to Captain Marvel‘s fierce feline ahead.
Whether you loved Captain Marvel or not, I think we can all agree that Goose the cat was a freaking delight. Goose sleeps on the dashboard of spaceships. Goose turns the stoic Nick Fury into a cooing softie with one look. Goose opens his mouth and releases his massive tentacles to kill the bad guys, because as it turns out, Goose is not a cat, but an alien species called a Flerken.
Goose does exist in the comics, when Carol Danvers adopts what she thinks is a cat and names him Chewie. Captain Marvel directors/writers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck renamed the killer kitty “Goose” as a reference to the character in Top Gun (Sorry Anthony Edwards, but you are a cat now) and wisely made him integral to not only the plot, but the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe canon (hello, Fury’s eye!), perhaps because they know the power of getting your audience emotionally attached to a cat.
The good news for those of us who did get attached to Goose is that he’s joining a long list (see below) of beloved cinematic cats, several of whom are even in space. (Also: Why are there so many orange cats in movies? Justice for black cats!) Note: I’m talking specifically films that are about human characters that also happen to feature a cat. If the cat can talk, it doesn’t count.
The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)
Anyone who’s read or seen The Diary of Anne Frank remembers Mouschi, the kitty that Peter brings along with him when his family goes into hiding with the Franks. Fun fact: The cat that played Mouschi in this 1959 film, Orangey, had a prolific film and TV career, winning two PATSY Awards (the animal version of the Oscars, which ended in 1968). He also portrayed the cat in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (see below).
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
Perhaps the most famous cinematic cat of all time, “Cat” from Breakfast at Tiffany’s charmed Aubrey Hepburn, and he’ll charm you too. If you’ve ever buried your face in a fluffy cat while drunk, you’ll relate to this film.
That Darn Cat (1965)
The title should probably tip you off that this old Disney classic features an important role for a cat! “Darn Cat” or “DC” for short is a rambunctious Siamese who’s always getting into trouble, but we love him anyways—especially when he’s helping to bring robbers to justice.
Harry and Tonto (1974)
Art Carney received an Academy Award for his performance as Harry, a man who goes on a road trip with his pet cat, Tonto. Tonto the cat, sadly, never received any accolades for his performance.
Alien (1979)
Jonesy the ginger cat is obvious choice for another Cats in Space film. Not only does he look like Goose, Jonesy sticks by Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) in an increasingly dangerous space ship when no one else can.
Ghost (1990)
Floyd is the tabby cat owned by Demi Moore’s character in Ghost, and he plays a very important role indeed—he chases off the killer in her apartment! Also, Patrick Swayze screams in the kitty’s face for the above iconic shot.
Men in Black (1997)
Ah, Orion, another important member of the Cats in Space club. You may think Orion, the cat of an royal alien family, doesn’t have a significant role to play at first, but (22-year-old spoiler alert) it turns out Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones were looking at the wrong Orion’s belt the entire time.
Meet the Parents (2000)
Mr. Jinx is an absolute unit of a cat, loved dearly by the parents (Robert De Niro and Blythe Danner) of Ben Stiller’s girlfriend in this comedy. As you can imagine, it doesn’t go over well with them when Stiller loses Mr. Jinx and tries to replace him with a spray-painted stray.
Life of Pi (2012)
OK, maybe this one is cheating a little bit, but the tiger in Life of Pi—a surreal survival drama about being stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal named Richard Parker—is technically a cat!
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
This cat in the Coen brothers acclaimed film about struggling folk musician doesn’t have a name, but he (or she) does have critics wondering what the cat means. Does the cat, who escapes the apartment where Llewyn is crashing, represent a wandering quest for identity? Does he represent the sense of meaning that Llewyn can’t quite catch up to? Is the cat Llewyn himself? Meow.
Listen Up Philip (2014)
Gadzookey the cat really stole the spotlight in this critically acclaimed film from director Alex Rose Perry, in which Elizabeth Moss plays a woman named Ashley, who adopts a cat post-breakup (relatable). In some sad news, the cat who played Gadzookey, Fluffy, developed lymphoma after the film, prompting Perry to start a GoFundMe for the vet bills.
Gifted (2017)
This romantic comedy, in which Chris Evans plays the father of a gifted child and Jenny Slate plays his daughter’s teacher, was already hella charming. Then said daughter (McKenna Grace) pulled out Fred the one-eyed cat, and honestly, it busted my charm-o-meter. Fred!
Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)
I’d be remiss if I left the best cinematic cat of 2018, Jersey from Can You Ever Forgive Me?, off of this list. Struggling author Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy) can’t stomach the company of anyone besides her beloved cat, and McCarthy’s performance will make you love Jersey as much as she does.
