Superstitious types like to steer clear of black cats, but throughout history, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more iconic pet. These foreboding and mysterious felines have plenty of character, if not color, making them some of the more memorable members of the kitty kingdom. Discover their lasting legacy as we look at 22 of the most famous black cats from movies and pop culture.
Top 22 Famous Black Cats
1. Binx (“Hocus Pocus”)
The black cat turns from a bad omen to a good guy in Hocus Pocus, the kid-friendly flick about the Sanderson sisters terrorizing modern-day Salem. Cursed by the trio of witches in 1693, Thackery Binx transformed into an immortal cat that lived for centuries protecting the Black Flame Candle.
While Binx’s soul moved on at the end, this heroic kitty left an undeniably indelible mark in pop culture.
2. Cobweb (“Hocus Pocus 2”)
The Sanderson sisters are back at it in Hocus Pocus 2. The sequel to the 1993 movie came out in 2022, and while the story’s three antagonists make a glorious return to form, Binx and the child heroes from the original are conspicuously absent.
Fortunately, fans of the original got their black cat fix with Cobweb, the non-talking Bombay belonging to the scheming shop owner, Gilbert.
3. Salem (“Sabrina the Teenage Witch”)
Salem Saberhagen is a 500-year-old witch serving a 100-year sentence for attempting to take over the world. As a supervillain in his past life, Salem became much more subdued as a powerless American shorthair, taking on a mentorship role for Sabrina as she navigated the confusion of life as a teenage witch.
Sassy, sympathetic, and occasionally self-serving, Salem was the show’s true star for many fans.
4. Felix the Cat (“Felix the Cat”)
Black cats are more than entertainment icons; they’re industry pioneers. Felix the Cat first appeared in 1919, becoming the first successful animated character in film history.
Although his movie and TV career ended decades ago, Felix endures as a vintage pop culture star and an essential Americana figure.
5. Sylvester (Looney Tunes)
Like Felix the Cat, Sylvester steals his name from the scientific name for the wildcat, Felis Silvestris, despite being a domestic Tuxedo cat.
The lisping, conniving kitty has gone through several iterations and pairings with other Looney Tunes characters over the years, but the most famous involves his rivalry with the innocent Tweety Bird.
6. Figaro (“Pinocchio”)
Everyone knows Figaro, the curious and comedic cat from the 1940 Disney masterpiece Pinocchio. Figaro became a massive hit with Walt Disney and the film’s fans, ensuring his place in future productions.
Today’s children know the silly black cat as Minnie Mouse’s pet and Pluto’s feline counterpart in Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and its various spin-offs.
7. Lucifer (“Cinderella”)
Not all black cats in Disney movies can be as sweet as Figaro. The antagonist from the 1950s Cinderella, the obese and wildly wicked Lucifer, is the evil Lady Tremaine’s adored companion and one of the title character’s most exasperating housemates.
Though he terrorizes the mice, Jaq and Gus, during most of the movie, Lucifer gets his comeuppance when the dog, Bruno, forces him out of a tower window.
8. Pluto (“The Black Cat”)
Edgar Allan Poe published The Black Cat in 1845, and like many of his works, it has stood the test of time and continues to entertain audiences to this day.
Loose adaptations have persisted since the Bela Lugosi/Boris Karloff film in 1934. Recently, the black cat returned in Netflix’s Fall of the House of Usher, the horror series based on Poe’s works.
9. Jiji (“Kiki’s Delivery Service”)
Jiji from Kiki’s Delivery Service might be the blackest of all black cats from movies or TV. As with Salem from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, he plays the part of a familiar for the title witch.
Jiji stole the show with his sarcastic wit and endearing nature, quickly becoming one of the film’s most beloved characters.
10. Luna (“Sailor Moon”)
Animated black cats are easily confused, but nobody could mistake Luna from the TV classic Sailor Moon. Sporting a crescent emblem on her brow, Luna made herself memorable as the guardian cat that assembles the Sailor Senshi on Earth.
Departing from the sarcastic and silly temperament typical to many anime cats, Luna had a more serious personality to offset Usagi’s often childish nature.
11. Snowball II (“The Simpsons”)
When their original white cat passed away following a car accident, the Simpson family replaced her with the ironically named Snowball II, an all-black cat with yellow-green eyes.
Though often overlooked, Snowball II was generally loyal and friendly with family, including Santa’s Little Helper. Four subsequent Snowballs have died since then, with each successor taking the Snowball name to save the family on the cost of new bowls.
12. Penelope Pussycat (“Pepe Le Pew”)
Not many remember Penelope’s name, but few would forget Pepe Le Pew’s on-again, off-again love interest. The innocent and often-confused black cat has been the focus of Pepe’s amorous compulsion since 1949, reciprocating on occasion when the French skunk could cover his stench.
Although she rarely uttered a word, Penelope found her fame as one of the funniest members of the Looney Tunes family.
13. Miss Kitty (“Batman Returns”)
Catwoman was also a cat lady in Batman Returns, bringing her matching black feline on her sordid adventures. Symbolizing her owner’s complex relationship with Batman, Miss Kitty passes to Bruce when Seline Kyle dies at the movie’s end.
In later storylines, Miss Kitty appears quite comfortable at home as Bruce’s and Alfred’s pet at Wayne Manor.
14. Cosmic Creepers (“Bedknobs and Broomsticks”)
Cosmic Creepers belongs to witch-in-training Miss Eglantine Price in the 1972 musical family film from Disney. As Price explains, she doesn’t believe in silly names, but that was the name that came with the cat.
Unlike the familiars that often take a black cat form, Cosmic was just a regular old cat trying to manage the stress, confusion, and occasional terror of living with an inexperienced witch.
15. Lucinda (“Bewitched”)
Cats transforming into people was basically the plot of the original series, but in the 2005 film update, we only had one mostly black tortoiseshell feline to follow.
Lucinda belonged to the main character and good-natured witch, Isabel. Not having a speaking role, the cat playing Lucinda did all her stunts in the movie with the help of expert trainers.
16. Isis (“Star Trek”)
As the only character with ears pointier than Spock, Isis appeared in the final episode of season two of the original Star Trek series.
After time-traveling to 1968, the Enterprise crew encounters the black cat when they meet Gary Seven, an interstellar agent determined to prevent a nuclear disaster on Earth.
17. Miss Kitty Fantastico (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”)
Buffy fans might remember a Tuxedo kitten Tara and Willow adopted in season four. Miss Kitty Fantastico may not have been a star, but no one can argue that she had the best name of anyone in the series.
Sadly, the adorable black cat met an untimely end in the show, according to allusions in season seven. While fans aren’t 100% certain, most believe she spent all nine lives in an unfortunate crossbow accident.
18. Blair (“Soul Eater”)
Fans of the action-comedy anime Soul Eater know Blair as the cat witch and close friend to the show’s protagonists. Her name refers to the Blair Witch Project’s title character, though she is considerably more fun-loving than the low-budget horror movie icon.
19. The Cat (“Coraline”)
The side character becomes the star in the stop-motion film Coraline. The Cat, a chatty and sarcastic kitty at times, was a key protagonist in the book and movie.
Helping Coraline find her way through the Other World and beat the Other Mother, the black feline was one of the story’s most crucial characters and perhaps its true hero.
20. Kitty (“The Munsters”)
What better setting for an ominous black cat than the Munsters’ merrily macabre lifestyle? The cute and unassuming Kitt quickly showed any visitor his terror-inducing side with a mighty lion’s roar.
21. Socks (Clinton Family Pet)
Famous black cats aren’t limited to the movie and TV universe. Few celebrity animals gain as much fame as presidential cats and dogs, and among the recent First Pets, some of the more notable have been black-coated kitties.
Many still remember Socks, the Clintons’ black and white domestic shorthair that followed the family from Little Rock to the White House.
22. India (Bush Family Pet)
Socks left in 2001 to live with Clinton’s secretary, Beth Currie, but the White House wasn’t without a resident black cat for long. When Bush entered, he brought his jet-black Bombay, India, to the Oval Office.
As the family pet since 1991, the low-key kitty wasn’t as prominent as the Bush’s dogs, though she did gain some unfortunate international fame when mobs in India burned Bush’s effigy in protest of her name.
Conclusion
The superstition swirling around the moody and menacing black cat has made them a favorite in film and animation. Thankfully, the Hollywood treatment has helped dispel many of the myths, showcasing them more like the gentle and generous companions many of us appreciate in the home. Cats of all colors can dazzle and delight in a loving home, and it’s nice to see them get their due credit.
Featured Image Credit: Viktor Sergeevich, Shutterstock
Top 22 Famous Black Cats
