Cats in Children Stories

With Czech children stories, I mainly focused on classic books, even though most of the cat characters also appeared in TV shows for kids. With those from abroad, films about cats will prevail. 

However, I remembered one classic story you may have heard as children. In a complex collection of children stories of the Brothers Grimm, there are two fairy tales about cats – The Fox and the Cat and Cat and Mouse in Partnership. Do you remember? The Grimm’s fairytales usually have a bad ending and this one is no exception, but the cat didn’t suffer anything.

One cartoon probably all of us know is an American series of short films called Tom and Jerry. Who wouldn’t know the stories of a grey tomcat that tirelessly tries to catch a little brown mouse. However, the mouse wins every time and Tom goes through rough times. 

Another cartoon tomcat you probably also know is Garfield. This portly and lazy ginger that loves lasagne first appeared in a comic book. Even though it was an American comic book, newspapers all over the world used it and you could also find it in Czech newspapers called Právo. The youth today probably know him more from films and series. 

Felix the Cat is less known in the Czech Republic. Again, it is an American character from cartoons and comic books. His popularity peaked in the silent film era. Do you know this ingenious black cat with big white eyes and a wide smile?

On TV, you can also watch Oggy cat whose life is miserable because of three cockroaches. Do you remember Oggy and the Cockroaches? I liked it a lot as a little girl, but I find it rather annoying these days to be honest.

The Aristocats by Walt Disney is an animated film in which a rich lady wills all her possessions to her four cats. However, a butler who wants to get the possessions himself stands in their way. You can buy this story as a book which is perfect for the first kids’ reading.

A cat was one of the main characters in Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey. A Persian cat called Sassy together with a golden retriever and a bulldog try to get back home on their own. This heart-warming film in which the animals go through a lot together and have to overcome various obstacles was the film of my youth. I guess you have also seen it.

I like anime so I couldn’t skip a film called The Cat Returns. It is a fantasy which brings a girl named Hara into the cat kingdom. She meets a cat prince and king and also gets into trouble but manages to solve everything with the help of the other characters. I dare to say that the exciting story and nice animations will please a lot of adult watchers as well.

The last thing I will mention is a Chinese animated film which was on TV recently – Cats and Peachtopia. It is about a tomcat and his son who live in a skyscraper where they have everything they need. However, the little tomcat decides to find a mythical cat land his father has told him about. So, he hits the road where many dangers wait for him as well as for his father who decided to look for him. Sometimes, it is quite rough. I wouldn’t let little children watch the film, even though it ends well.

Which cat stories are your favourite? Did you remember the stories I summarized, or did you find out there’s plenty of cat fun still waiting for you?