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20 Purrfect films featuring felines!

BY Anna Walker

1st Jan 2015 Film & TV

20 Purrfect films featuring felines!

We're counting down our favourite felines on film. From Alien to Meet the Parents no film is truly complete without an appearance from man’s real best friend. Time to let the cat out of the bag…

20. The Grand Budapest Hotel

Pictured above in happier times, Wes Anderson’s furry friend comes to a somewhat tragic demise when Willem Defoe decides to test the old adage ‘cats always land on their feet’. 
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19. The Cat in the Hat

This adaptation of Dr Seuss’ masterpiece starred Mike Meyers as the crazy kitty who tries to teach a family the recipe for fun!

 

18. Austin Powers 

Speaking of Mike Meyers, his zany psychedelic spy flick saw the powerful mouser Mr. Bigglesworth wreak havoc on his enemies…

 

17. The Simpsons Movie 

Snowball II, the beloved Simpsons pet has been through the mill. Her adventures over the movie and series have involved pulling Homer from a burning tree house, being terrorized by Santa’s Little Helper’s puppies and dying at the wheel of Dr. Hibbert’s Mercedes; it’s about time she got some recognition!

 

16. The Heat 

Sandra Bullock’s ginger tom, Pumpkin, breaks a long running trend of police officers having a canine companion. This huge orange pussycat helps stave off her owner’s loneliness after long days on the job.

 

15. La Dolce Vita

Who could forget the classic Trevi Fountain scene, and the kitten Anita Ekberg wears atop her head – the purrfect accessory (sorry)!
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14. Homeward Bound

Sassy, the Himalayan cat voiced by Sally Field, steals the show in the box office smash that was Homeward Bound. When three pets think they have been abandoned, they do everything in their power to get back home.

 

13. Sabrina the Teenage Witch 

The movie that launched the hugely successful TV show, Sabrina’s cat Salem is a hilarious evil warlock forced to live in cat form as punishment for his desire to take over the world. Of course.

 

12. Alice in Wonderland

Not one but two kitties star in Lewis Carroll’s classic novel, and many adaptations interpret the Cheshire cat as a sinister version of Alice’s beloved cat Dinah.
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11. The Aristocats

Another Disney classic, the animated cats make up almost the entire cast of this forbidden love story. All together now; ‘everybody wants to be a cat’!
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10. The Three Lives of Thomasina 

Perhaps the only film in the top 20 that allows a real life cat to take center stage. Thomasina is the story of how a wonderful ginger cat changed the lives of the humans who loved her. Though you have to feel sorry for the cat being dressed in that bonnet…

 

9. Day For Night 

Playing a frustrated director, François Truffaut gets to speak the fantastic line ‘we’ll shoot the scene when you find a cat that can act!’ when the cantankerous kitten refuses to drink milk on cue.

 

8. Stuart Little

You might think adopting a mouse as your new son is a terrible idea when you already own a cat, and a divaish one at that. Not the Little family, who bring the cheery Stuart into their home despite their deadpan kitty’s protestations.

 

7. James Bond

Blofeld is the ultimate Bond villain, appearing in no less than six 007 flicks. His beloved nameless cat companion appears more than the man himself whose face was originally never shown.
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6. Shrek 2

Puss in Boots, voiced by Antonio Bendaras, entered the gigantic Shrek franchise in the second film and has since gone on to star in his own feature film. This tiny warrior relies on his patented cute face to get anything he wants…

 

5. Garfield 

Bill Murray voiced every one’s favourite lasagna-loving puss, Garfield, in two blockbuster live action adaptations. Garfield is too lazy, too fat and too cynical; which is probably why he so resonates with the world!
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4. Meet the Parents

Mr. Jinx is without doubt the unsung star of Meet the Parents. The beloved pet of Robert De Niro, he causes all kinds of trouble for Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) the new son in law…

 

3. Alien

The claws are out as we’re into our top three with Jones, the crew cat in the classic Sci-Fi film, Alien. Along with Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), Jones was the only survivor following their ship’s destruction. Now that’s a tough kitty!

 

2. Breakfast at Tiffany's

A cat named Cat was the feline companion to the iconic Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) in the classic Truman Capote adaptation. Golightly only ever refers to him as ‘Cat’ because she claims they’re just a couple of ‘poor no name slobs’. The scene in which Holly runs into pouring rain to find her shivering tabby is a timeless movie moment.
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1. The Godfather

‘No Sicilian can refuse a request on his daughter’s wedding day…’ You guessed it! In at the top spot it’s The Godfather for the infamous scene in which Don Vito Corleone listens to the pleas of Amergio Bonasera, whilst confidently stroking a cat who frolics on his lap. The cat in question wasn’t intended to be in the film at all; it was a stray found on set and placed on the lap of Marlon Brando, an infamous cat lover, at the last minute. The kitty loved Brando so much, that his loud purring meant the actor’s dialogue had to be rerecorded!
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And there you have it. Who’s your favourite silver screen feline? Are there any we missed out? Let us know in the comments below.

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