Orange cats are showbiz naturals. Their bright coats pop on screen and on the comic page, which may be one reason so many famous cats are ginger. Naming your cat after one of them gives you a ready-made story and an easy way to explain the name.
Below are famous orange cats grouped by where they come from, plus famous orange characters that are not house cats, like tigers and lions, and red-haired heroes who make great namesakes.
Famous orange cats in movies
| Name | Film | Who they are |
|---|---|---|
| Orangey | Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) | The orange tabby actor who played Cat, Holly Golightly's nameless pet. |
| Jones (Jonesy) | Alien (1979) | Ripley's orange tabby, the only other survivor of the Nostromo. |
| Milo | The Adventures of Milo and Otis | A curious orange tabby kitten on a journey with his pug friend Otis. |
| Goose | Captain Marvel (2019) | An orange tabby who turns out to be far more than an ordinary cat. |
| Puss in Boots | Shrek 2 and the Puss in Boots films | A swashbuckling orange tabby with a hat, a sword and huge eyes. |
| Toulouse | The Aristocats (1970) | The orange kitten of the family, who loves to paint. |
| Thomas O'Malley | The Aristocats (1970) | The charming orange alley cat who helps Duchess and her kittens. |
| Oliver | Oliver and Company (1988) | An orange kitten in New York, in Disney's take on Oliver Twist. |
| Bob | A Street Cat Named Bob (2016) | Based on a real London ginger cat. Bob played himself in much of the film. |
A timeline of famous orange cats
Orange cats have been stars for almost a century. Here is a quick tour of some of the best known, in order of first appearance.
| Year | Cat | Where they appeared |
|---|---|---|
| 1928 | Tigger | A.A. Milne's The House at Pooh Corner, where Tigger first bounces into the Hundred Acre Wood. |
| 1961 | Orangey as Cat | Breakfast at Tiffany's, opposite Audrey Hepburn. |
| 1970 | Toulouse and Thomas O'Malley | Disney's The Aristocats. |
| 1973 | Heathcliff | George Gately's newspaper comic strip. |
| 1978 | Garfield | Jim Davis's comic strip, which went on to become one of the most widely syndicated comics in the world. |
| 1979 | Jones | Ridley Scott's Alien. |
| 1985 | Hobbes | Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes. |
| 1988 | Oliver | Disney's Oliver and Company. |
| 1999 | Crookshanks | J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the book where he first appears. |
| 2004 | Puss in Boots | DreamWorks' Shrek 2. |
| 2016 | Bob | A Street Cat Named Bob, the film based on the real ginger street cat. |
| 2019 | Goose | Marvel's Captain Marvel. |
Is it a good idea to name your cat after a famous orange cat?
It can be a great choice, with a couple of things to keep in mind.
- You get a built-in story. Everyone who meets a cat named Garfield or Jonesy instantly gets the joke, which makes introductions easy.
- You will not be the only one. The most famous names, like Garfield, are common at shelters and vet offices. If you want something less expected, go deeper into the list with Calcifer, Stubbs, Orangey or Crookshanks.
- Match the character, not just the color. A gentle, sleepy cat suits Garfield. A bold one suits Puss or Goose. A cat with a big fluffy coat and a grumpy face is a natural Crookshanks.
- Shorten long names. Richard Parker and Shere Khan are fun formal names, but you will probably end up calling them Parker and Khan.
If you love the idea of a famous name but want more options, our clever orange cat names page has science, art and mythology references, and our funny orange cat names page includes pop culture jokes.
More about the real-life stars
Some famous orange cats were not drawn or animated at all. Orangey, the cat actor behind Cat in Breakfast at Tiffany's, also starred in the 1951 film Rhubarb, and he is widely reported to have won PATSY Awards, the animal-acting honors of the era, for both roles. Bob, the London street cat, became famous through his owner's best-selling book before playing himself on screen. Stubbs, an orange cat in the small town of Talkeetna, Alaska, became a local celebrity and tourist attraction as the town's honorary mayor.
Each of these names comes with a real story you can share, which is part of what makes a famous name so much fun.
Famous orange cats in comics, cartoons and TV
The comic page has given us some of the most famous orange cats of all, starting with the big guy himself.
- GarfieldBoy: The lasagna-loving, Monday-hating orange tabby created by Jim Davis in 1978.
- HeathcliffBoy: The scrappy orange comic-strip cat created by George Gately.
- HobbesBoy: Calvin's stuffed (or very real) orange-and-black tiger in Calvin and Hobbes.
- TiggerBoy: The bouncy orange-and-black striped tiger from Winnie the Pooh.
- SpotNeutral: Lieutenant Commander Data's orange cat on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
- CrookshanksBoy: Hermione's big, bandy-legged ginger cat in the Harry Potter books.
- LasagnaNeutral: Garfield's favorite food, for an orange cat who loves to eat.
- MondaysNeutral: Garfield famously hates Mondays. Your cat may agree.
- GarfunkelBoy: Sounds like Garfield, rhymes with nothing.
Real-life famous orange cats
Not every famous orange cat is fictional.
- OrangeyBoy: The orange tabby actor who played Cat in Breakfast at Tiffany's.
- BobBoy: The London street cat whose bond with his owner inspired the book A Street Cat Named Bob.
- StubbsBoy: The orange cat known as the honorary mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska.
- MorrisBoy: The famously finicky orange tabby mascot of 9Lives cat food.
Famous orange big cats and other characters
Tigers, lions, foxes and fire creatures are fair game for an orange cat name too.
- SimbaBoy: The golden lion king of Pride Rock, a fit for a regal orange tom.
- NalaGirl: Simba's best friend and queen in The Lion King.
- MufasaBoy: Simba's mighty father in The Lion King, great for a big floofy boy.
- AslanBoy: The great golden lion of C.S. Lewis's Narnia books.
- Shere KhanBoy: The fearsome tiger villain of The Jungle Book.
- RajahBoy: Princess Jasmine's loyal tiger in Disney's Aladdin.
- Richard ParkerBoy: The Bengal tiger who shares a lifeboat with Pi in Life of Pi.
- NemoNeutral: The orange-and-white clownfish from Finding Nemo.
- ErnieBoy: The cheerful orange Muppet from Sesame Street, Bert's roommate.
- FozzieBoy: Fozzie Bear, the joke-telling orange-brown Muppet. Wocka wocka.
- LoraxNeutral: Dr. Seuss's orange, mustached speaker for the trees.
- CalciferBoy: The fire demon who powers the castle in Howl's Moving Castle.
- PonyoGirl: The goldfish girl from Studio Ghibli's Ponyo.
- CharmanderNeutral: The orange fire-lizard Pokemon with a flame on its tail.
- CharizardBoy: Charmander's fully evolved, fire-breathing dragon form.
- VulpixNeutral: The fox Pokemon with six curled tails.
- CliffordBoy: Named for the big red dog, ideal for an orange cat who is just as big.
- Pumpkin KingBoy: Jack Skellington's title in The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Famous redheads and ginger characters
Red-haired heroes make excellent namesakes for an orange cat.
- WeasleyBoy: The famously red-haired wizarding family from Harry Potter.
- RonBoy: Ron Weasley, Harry Potter's red-haired best friend.
- GinnyGirl: Ginny Weasley, the youngest Weasley and a fierce red-haired witch.
- FredBoy: One of the prank-loving red-haired Weasley twins.
- GeorgeBoy: The other Weasley twin, and a solid classic name on its own.
- ArchieBoy: Archie Andrews, the red-haired teen of Archie Comics.
- AnnieGirl: Little Orphan Annie, the curly red-haired comic and musical heroine.
- ArielGirl: Disney's red-haired little mermaid.
- MeridaGirl: The wild red-haired archer princess from Disney Pixar's Brave.
- AnneGirl: Anne Shirley of Anne of Green Gables, who hated her red hair.
- PippiGirl: Pippi Longstocking, the super-strong girl with red braids.
- LucilleGirl: A nod to Lucille Ball, the comedy legend known for her red hair.
- RebaGirl: A nod to country star Reba McEntire and her red hair.
- RitaGirl: A nod to Rita Hayworth, the Hollywood star famous as a redhead.
- WilmaGirl: Wilma Flintstone, the red-haired matriarch of Bedrock.
- PebblesGirl: Pebbles Flintstone, Wilma's red-haired daughter.
- DaphneGirl: Daphne Blake of Scooby-Doo's Mystery Inc., known for her red hair.
- VelmaGirl: Mystery Inc.'s brainiac in her famous orange sweater.
- JessicaGirl: A nod to Jessica Rabbit, the red-haired star of Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
- KimGirl: Kim Possible, the red-haired teen hero who can do anything.
- MistyGirl: Misty, the orange-haired gym leader from the Pokemon anime.
- LeelooGirl: The orange-haired heroine of The Fifth Element.
- SansaGirl: Sansa Stark of Game of Thrones, a red-haired queen in the north.
- YgritteGirl: The red-haired wildling archer from Game of Thrones, "kissed by fire."
- WillowGirl: Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a red-haired witch.
- StrawberryGirl: Strawberry Shortcake, the red-haired cartoon girl.
- OpieBoy: Opie Taylor of The Andy Griffith Show, played by red-haired Ron Howard.
- ConanBoy: A nod to red-haired talk show host Conan O'Brien.
- Carrot TopBoy: A nod to the red-haired prop comedian, and a classic ginger nickname.
- EdBoy: A nod to red-haired singer Ed Sheeran, and a funny human name for a cat.
Famous orange cat names for girls
Look at the famous orange cats above and you will notice that almost all of them are male. That matches real life: because of how the orange gene is inherited, most orange cats are boys. If your orange cat is a girl, you can still borrow a famous name. Here are the best options:
- Nala: Simba's queen in The Lion King, a golden lioness.
- Ripley: the hero of Alien and Jonesy's devoted human.
- Holly: Holly Golightly, who owned Orangey's character in Breakfast at Tiffany's.
- Audrey: for Audrey Hepburn, Orangey's co-star.
- Ponyo: Studio Ghibli's orange goldfish girl.
- Ginny: the fiery youngest Weasley.
- Merida: the red-haired archer of Brave.
- Velma: Mystery Inc.'s brain in her orange sweater.
- Misty: the orange-haired Pokemon trainer.
- Wilma and Pebbles: Bedrock's red-haired mother and daughter, a cute pair for two girls.
Our female orange cat names page has hundreds more ideas for orange girls.
Famous pairs for two orange cats
- Toulouse and O'Malley: both orange cats from The Aristocats.
- Jonesy and Ripley: the cat and his human from Alien.
- Goose and Maverick: a Top Gun pair that also nods to Captain Marvel's cat.
- Calvin and Hobbes: the boy and his tiger.
- Simba and Nala: the Lion King couple.
- Fred and George: the red-haired Weasley twins.
- Milo and Otis: perfect if your orange cat lives with a dog.
- Bert and Ernie: give the orange cat the Ernie name.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the most famous orange cat?
Garfield, the lasagna-loving comic-strip cat created by Jim Davis in 1978, is probably the most famous orange cat in the world.
What is the name of the orange cat in Breakfast at Tiffany's?
The cat is called simply Cat in the film. It was played by an orange tabby actor named Orangey.
What is the orange cat in Alien called?
Jones, usually called Jonesy. He belongs to Ellen Ripley and survives the events of the film with her.
What is the orange cat in Captain Marvel called?
Goose. In the film, Goose looks like an orange tabby but turns out to be something far stranger.
What orange cats are in Disney movies?
Toulouse and Thomas O'Malley in The Aristocats, and Oliver in Oliver and Company, are Disney's best-known orange cats.