By Laurie Darroch
Although dogs have made a big mark in the world of movies, cats are right up there in the echelons of cinematic fame with their own growing catalog of movies. These five movies and movie cats are just a small sample.
The Cat in the Hat
This cat movie was based on a 1957 children’s book by the same name. The Cat in the Hat was written by the creative genius Theodor Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss. The book was followed by a cartoon musical in 1971, with Allan Sherman of Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh song fame voicing the cat. In 2003 a full live-action movie hit the theaters, starring Mike Myers as the instigating cat.
Although the cat was a bit of a con artist using every technique at his means, he finds a way to make the day fun for the children, including them in a myriad of antics and trouble. In the end, everything turns out just fine.
The book and others by Dr. Seuss marked a changing point in how reading was taught in schools, helping to alter the dry style of Dick and Jane books into reading that was more alive and fun. The Cat in the Hat appears in additional features such as the 1982 television film The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat, and again in 2010 in the television series The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!
Puss in Boots
Puss in boots was a dashing cat dressed in swashbuckling style wearing tall elegant boots, a plumed hat and a sheathed sword at his side. He originated in European 
fairytales long before he ever made an appearance in the world of films. Puss in Boots appeared in numerous stories beginning in the mid-1500s penned by Italian author Giovanni Francesco Straparola and in French books by Charles Perrault in 1695 and 1697, and numerous versions since. It seems the boot-wearing cat has quite a pedigree.
In the story, one of three sons is left what is initially seen as not much of a heritage in comparison to his two brothers, one who receives the family mill and the other the family mules. The seemingly ordinary cat turns out to be a creature of great intelligence, charm and ability who guides his human companion to wealth and fame through a series of carefully planned adventures. The wise cat turns out to be the most important inherited gift from the father’s will.
Appearing in various movies, the more recent screen interpretation of the dashing cat was included in the series of Shrek movies. The spin-off of that particular cat in his own animated feature movie, Puss in Boots, was released in 2011, voiced by the equally dashing Antonio Banderas, the perfect choice for the animated cat. However, the film shows little resemblance to the original story in print form.
Puss in Boots has not only appeared in movies and television, he has even been featured in Tchaikovsky’s ballet version of Sleeping Beauty. Puss in Boots is one accomplished cat!
The Cheshire Cat
The cat with the big grin that was capable of appearing and disappearing was created by Lewis Carroll in the book Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland. It is believed that Lewis was inspired by the events and surroundings of his own life in the mid-1800s in England. 
That is not an unrealistic supposition considering every fiction writer is influenced in some degree by their own life experiences.
The Cheshire Cat disappears leaving only a large toothy grin visible until that fades away as well. The philosophical cat challenges Alice to think about the world she has entered in Wonderland, posing questions and making comments to her that show the mischievous wisdom of the disappearing cat. In the 1951 animated version of Alice in Wonderland, the Cheshire Cat is even able to rearrange his own body parts into whatever manner he sees fit.
In Tim Burton’s 2010 version of Alice in Wonderland, the cat is voiced by Stephen Fry, the British actor who among many other entertainment accomplishments was once part of the hilarious comedic team of Fry and Laurie. Cheshire, as he is known in the Burton version, is more directly involved in the adventures with Alice.
Ranging from playful to serious adaptations of the character, the elusive Cheshire Cat makes his mark, even when he is almost completely invisible, not unlike our real feline companions.
Cats, the Musical
Perhaps one of the strangest concepts ever for a stage play and then later a movie recording of the play in 1998, Cats is the third longest running play in theatrical history. Comprised of a cast of cats interacting with the audience, the emotive musical was an instant hit. Songs, included the heart wrenching and powerful song Memories, sung by a fallen shabby cat named Grizabella in this feline story.
The musical was composed by the Midas golden talent of Andrew Lloyd Weber and is based on the book Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot. The setting for the story is a huge junkyard, an odd setting for a grand play, but it somehow works. Cats premiered in 1981 in London and continued to Broadway in 1982.
For those unable to attend the elaborate stage performances of Cats, and even for those longing to see the play again, it was inevitable that the hit musical would find its way to film where it could be preserved in all its catlike majesty and watched repeatedly on copies purchased for home viewing. For musical buffs, Cats was a hit. Meow!
Garfield
Grumbly Garfield, the lasagna loving cat, was originally a long running and popular comic strip created by Jim Davis. The three main characters in the strip are Garfield the fat yellow cat, Jon his human companion, and his less than brilliant canine companion Odie. They have been joined by additional minor characters in television and movies as well.
The comic strip has been syndicated in over 2, 500 publications, making him one hefty cat. Merchandising income alone from the famous cat runs into the hundreds of millions.
Irascible Garfield tries hard not to show his true affection for the other beings in his life, but inevitably lets some of his feeling come through.
From 1982 to 1991, ten animated Garfield shows were produced for television. Two seasonal specials, Garfield’s Halloween Adventure and A Garfield Family Christmas have become favorite holiday viewing each year. Garfield and Friends, an ongoing animated series, ran from 1988 to 1994 and is seen in reruns.
In 2004 Garfield finally hit the big screen in the movie Garfield, starring Bill Murray as the lovable grumbling, mumbling cat. The movie combined a computer animated Garfield along with real animals and human actors.
With our connection to our feline family members, cats are likely to continue making their unique personalities known in the movie industry. Snuggle up with your cat, bring out the Canidae PURE treats for your cat, and popcorn for you to munch on. Then settle in to watch a good movie starring a much-loved famous cat.
Top photo by Amy the Nurse/Flickr
Middle photo by Eva Rinaldi/Flickr
Bottom photo by Loren Javier/Flickr
Read more articles by Laurie Darroch