Get

In Your Inbox

Catster is reader-supported. When you buy via links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more.

10 Top SNL Sketches With Cats: Feline Funnies

Funny cat in a puppet costume of a pirate on the pier

Saturday Night Live has been producing comedy sketches for decades, and it occasionally has ones with animals in them. It seems like many SNL writers are also feline fans because numerous skits star cats. A few of these sketches were so well-received that they became regular series on the show.

Here’s a list of our favorite SNL sketches that feature cats, and we hope that they give you as good of a laugh as they do for us!

divider cat paws 2 oct 2024

Top 10 SNL Sketches With Cats

1. Laser Cats

Air Date: 04/15/2006
Season: Season 31
Host: None

“Laser Cats” is a series of digital shorts created by Andy Samberg and Bill Hader. The first aired on April 15, 2006. The series opens with Samberg and Hader making a pitch to Lorne Michaels to create a short film that “combines two things that everyone loves: cats and lasers.”

The series parodies low-budget home videos and includes low-quality visual effects. It also features many well-known actors, but each part always ends with a disappointed Lorne Michaels.


2. Toonces the Driving Cat

Air Date: 05/20/1989
Season: Season 14
Host: Steve Martin

This classic SNL sketch features Steve Martin and Victoria Jackson. They discover that their cat Toonces can drive. However, Toonces isn’t very good at driving and gets the family into a significant car accident. Despite the accident, the couple allows Toonces to take a driver’s license test. This sketch was a hit, and Toonces became a fan favorite. There have been several subsequent sketches that carried the story of Toonces the Cat throughout multiple seasons.


3. Pet Chalet’s Feline Culinary Creations

Air Date: 12/11/2010
Season: Season 36
Host: Paul Rudd

This sketch is a cat food commercial spoof that all cat owners can relate to. It starts by advertising the food as specially curated gourmet recipes developed by professional chefs. The camera pans over beautiful shots of high-quality ingredients while the narrator lists fancy names for each recipe. However, the beauty is immediately interrupted by a realistic shot of the food, which looks like typical canned cat food. This spoof does a great job of depicting the stark difference between what’s advertised and the actual product.


4. Litter Critters

Air Date: 10/16/1999
Season: Season 25
Host: Heather Graham

“Litter Critters” is a children’s toy commercial spoof. It starts with a woman getting disgusted by the smell coming from her cat’s litter box. She complains about how her children don’t help with cleaning up after their cat. Litter Critters is presented as the solution to the problem. It is a set of molds that children can fill with cat litter to create different figurines. The commercial proceeds to show people having fun playing with the toy and comments on how it is a creative way to deal with cat litter.


5. Pet Cat

Air Date: 01/22/2005
Season: Season 30
Host: Paul Giamatti

This sketch stars Rachel Dratch, Paul Giamatti, and Fred Armisen. Dratch and Giamatti play a couple that returns home from a date. Dratch introduces Giamatti to her pet cat, who is Armisen dressed in a cat costume.

Armisen begins to intrude and invade the couple’s personal space while Giamatti tries to get to know Dratch better. Many people can relate to Armisen’s depiction of cats that want attention without caring about what else is happening in the room.


6. Christmas With the Cat Lady

Air Date: 12/18/2004
Season: Season 30
Host: Robert De Niro

This SNL sketch is a favorite for the holidays. It opens with Robert De Niro dressed as an old cat lady named Margie. She is surrounded by cats and tells the cats a Christmas story. However, the story doesn’t have anything to do with Christmas. Rather, it is about her own life and how she was kicked by a horse. The sketch has a very simple premise. However, seeing De Niro dressed as a cat lady and doting on cats is a hilarious contrast to some of the tough acting roles he’s had.


7. Action Cats

Air Date: 04/11/1992
Season: Season 17
Host: Sharon Stone

Action Cats is a toy commercial spoof that features live cats as action figures. The voiceover for the commercial claims that there are 22 Action Cats and proceeds to show some of them off. The collection includes Skele-Kitty, Laser Gal, Cat-Atomic, and Spider Cat. All the cats are wearing costumes with fake weapons, and the commercial ends with the disclaimer that batteries and cats aren’t included with the Action Cat toys.


8. America’s Funniest Cats

Air Date: 01/16/2016
Season: Season 41
Host: Adam Driver

This sketch is a spoof of the popular TV show, America’s Funniest Home Videos. It stars Adam Driver, Cecily Strong, and Kate McKinnon. Driver is the host of a TV show that narrates videos of cats. Strong and McKinnon are his guests from France who also enjoy narrating cat videos. Hilarity ensues when their narrating styles clash. Driver wants funny and comedic commentary, while Strong and McKinnon provide very literal descriptions of what’s happening in each cat video.


9. Whiskers R We

Air Date: 12/20/2014
Season: Season 42
Host: Amy Adams

“Whiskers R We” is a series of sketches that features cats. The first sketch aired in 2014 and featured Kate McKinnon and Amy Adams. Kate McKinnon plays a character named Barbara DeDrew. She works at a cat rescue and showcases cats up for adoption. The cats are presented in a variety of funny ways, including having celebrity names and wearing cute costumes.

This sketch was such a hit that it had several runs with other guest hosts, including Tiffany Haddish, Reese Witherspoon, Charlize Theron, and Billie Eilish.


10. We Got Her a Cat

Air Date: 03/12/2022
Season: Season 47
Host: Zoë Kravitz

This sketch involves the comedy writing team Please Don’t Destroy and Zoë Kravitz. The writers of Please Don’t Destroy want to surprise Kravitz with an adorable calico cat because she starred as Catwoman. The first scene shows the cat being extremely docile. However, chaos ensues when the writers lose the cat. They team up with Kravitz to look for the cat and end up destroying an entire room while they look for it.

divider cat paws 2 oct 2024

Conclusion

We love these SNL sketches because they capture all the different aspects of cats, including their playfulness, curiosity, and chaotic energy. We hope you enjoyed watching them just as much as we did, and we’re looking forward to seeing how SNL will continue to feature cats for many more seasons to come.

See also:


Featured Image Credit: Daykiney, Shutterstock

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate (you can leave written feedback after clicking submit)

Help us improve Catster for pet parents!

Your feedback really matters.

What did you like about this post? Also how can we improve it?

Join the conversation

Leave a Reply

You’re very welcome to leave a comment or question. Please know that all comments must meet our community guidelines, and your email address will NOT be published. Let’s have a positive and constructive conversation.

Talk With A Vet Online

Peace of mind,
anywhere, anytime

Affordable vet advice

What Houseplants Are Poisonous to Cats? 15 Vet-Verified Toxic Types

Wondering what plant to get that won’t upset your cat? We’ve got you covered. This post lists 15 common houseplants that should be...

Artificial Intelligence Takes on Feline Cancer: How New Technology Is Helping Treat Common Cat Cancers

If there is one diagnosis that is universally feared, it’s cancer. The great equalizer, cancer doesn’t care if you’re old, young, rich, poor,...

Will Cat Poop Kill My Plants? Vet-Verified Risks, Prevention & FAQ

A common challenge that many cat owners will inevitably deal with is the smell of kitty droppings. Cat feces have a foul smell,...

Take Your Pet to Work Week: When & What Is It (2025 Update)

Bringing your pet to work is a recent trend. However, there is now a whole week centered around bringing your pet to work,...

More related

How to Stop Your Cat from Over-Grooming: Vet Answer & Advice

Cats are fastidious self-groomers, which is their trademark trait that begins from an early age. Your cat will tend to clean their fur...

Is Lavender Toxic to Cats? Vet-Reviewed Important Facts & FAQ

Lavender, in its various forms, is one of the most popular substances on the planet. As a plant, its beautiful purple flowers and...

Domestic Shorthair Cat: Breed Info, Pictures, Traits & Facts

Have you ever been at a friend’s house and asked them what breed their cat is, only for them to tell you they’re...

British Longhair Cat Breed Info: Pictures, Temperament & Traits

The British Longhair cat is sometimes called the Lowlander, Highlander, or Britannica. These friendly and affectionate cats are very similar to the British...

Keep reading

How to Get a Urine Sample From a Cat: Effective Vet Approved Tips & FAQ

A urine sample can help a veterinarian check for various conditions in a feline’s urinary tract and kidneys. If your vet has asked you to bring in a sample of urine from your cat, you might be feeling a bit...

woman collecting urine sample of an orange cat

How To Clean A Cat’s Wound – 7 Vet Approved Steps

It’s awful when our fur babies get injured, no matter how big or small it may be. However, some injuries are minor enough—such as scratches or tiny cuts—that they don’t warrant a trip to the vet. If your cat gets...

cat with eye wound

How Long Can a Cat Go Without Pooping? Vet-Verified Causes & Solutions

Cats are extremely routine-based animals, and if you watch them long enough, you will notice that they do certain things at the same time each day and can be accurate even down to the minute. This is so true that...

woman-teaching-cat-to-uese-litter-box

Do Cats Like Privacy When They Poop? Feline Preferences Explained

Cats may not value your privacy, especially when you’re just trying to sneak off to the bathroom. Maybe you don’t mind the four paws following you to the bathroom and having another living being watching you do your business while...

cat pooping in the litter

Is It True That Male Cats Kill Kittens? Vet-Reviewed Behavior Explanation

If you’ve heard that male cats might sometimes harm or kill kittens, you’re likely reading this now to see if there’s any truth to it. This is particularly critical if you have a male cat and are considering adopting a...

cat with kitten outdoors

Can Cats Eat Cottage Cheese? Vet-Verified Nutrition Facts

We know that cats can be picky eaters, but cheese seems to be one treat that is universally loved. So, can cats eat cottage cheese? Yes, you can feed cottage cheese to your cat, but only in moderation. Some vets...

Can Cats Eat Cottage Cheese

Why Do Cats Like Bathtubs? 9 Possible Reasons (Vet Reviewed)

While it’s common knowledge that many cats don’t like water, it’s not uncommon for cats to spend time hanging out near bathtubs. They typically don’t like bathtubs that have much water in them, but some cats seem to have an...

a cat sitting in the bathtub

Is It True That All Stray Cats Have Fleas? Vet-Verified Facts & FAQ

It is fair to assume that all stray cats have fleas simply because they are more likely to be exposed to other animals infested with fleas. If a stray cat has been on the streets for a long time, they...

stray cats lying on the ground