This is a list of individual cats who have achieved some degree of popularity or notability.
Before the modern era Nedjem or Nojem (Egyptian: nḏm "Sweet One" or "Sweetie"), 15th century BCE. The cat of Puimre, second priest of Amun during the reign of Thutmose III. Depicted on a damaged relief from Puimre's tomb, Nedjem is the earliest known cat to bear an individual name. Ta-Miu (Egyptian: tꜣ mjw "She-Cat"), 14th century BCE. The cat of Crown Prince Thutmose, mummified after her death and buried in a decorated sarcophagus in Prince Thutmose's own tomb following his own early demise. Muezza, 7th century CE. The (possibly apocryphal) cat of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Pangur Bán (Old Irish "White Pangur"; the meaning of the latter word is unclear), 8th–9th century CE. The cat of an otherwise unknown Irish monk, who wrote a poem cataloguing the similarities between the cat's character and his own. Polleke (died ca. 1440–1460) is a 15th-century mummified cat that was discovered in 1906 inside the walls of the Grote Kerk in Breda, Netherlands. In 2025, the cat was officially named Polleke and returned to public display in the church.
Famous in own right
Space flight Félicette, the only cat ever launched into space. Launched by the French Centre d'Enseignement et de Recherches de Médecine Aéronautique (CERMA) on 18 October 1963, Félicette was recovered alive after a 15-minute flight and a descent by parachute. Félicette had electrodes implanted into her brain, and the recorded neural impulses were transmitted back to Earth.
By country
Belgium Maximus Textoris Pulcher, a Scottish Fold cat adopted by Prime Minister Bart De Wever. An official resident of the Prime Minister's office at Rue de la Loi 16, Maximus has a popular account on Instagram.
Canada Tuxedo Stan, a cat who ran for mayor of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Czech Republic Micka, Czech Republic's "First Cat" belonging to the President Petr Pavel
Ecuador Michi, also known as the Embassy Cat, Julian Assange's cat that lived with him in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London until Assange's arrest.
Indonesia Bobby Kertanegara, a domestic shorthaired tabby cat, known for being the pet of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
Jersey Oscar, a cat in Jersey fitted with 'bionic' hind limbs designed by vet Noel Fitzpatrick following an accident in 2009.
New Zealand Mittens (~2009 to present), a ginger Turkish Angora who wandered Wellington, New Zealand especially in Te Aro, before his relocation to Auckland. He has a Facebook fanbase who regularly post photos of him climbing into rental cars, entering businesses, and napping in unusual places. Paddles, New Zealand's "First Cat", a polydactyl cat that belonged to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
Poland
Gacek, a male domestic cat with tuxedo fur, who over the years 2020–2023 has become a prominent tourist attraction in the city of Szczecin, Poland, and received widespread attention from international media.
Russia Rusik, the Russian police sniffer cat in Stavropol, who died in the line of duty fighting against illegal endangered sturgeon fish traffic in 2003.
Sweden Luffar-Lasse (Swedish: "Lasse the Vagabond"), an orange cat that gained notoriety for his daily excursions to the Överby shopping center in Trollhättan, Sweden. His return home is usually done by hitchhiking in one of the shopping center's visitors' cars. He became associated with the Swedish annual charity fundraiser Musikhjälpen of which he has brought in more than 2,000,000 SEK. In 2024 he starred in the Slow television show "En helg med Luffar-Lasse" and a statue in his honor was erected close to his usual whereabouts at the Överby shopping center.
Taiwan Longjiaosun Mikan Think Think and Ah Tsai, who belong to Tsai Ing-wen, the former President of Taiwan.
Turkey
Gli, a cat from Istanbul best known for living in the Hagia Sophia. Tombili, popular street cat from Istanbul who had a statue made of him after his death. Şerafettin who resided in the headquarters of the Republican People's Party was a significant icon in Turkish politics before dying at the age of 20.
Qatar Pizza Cat, a stray cat that resides in Al Udeid Air Base that is popular with American troops deployed to the base.
Ukraine Stepan (Ukrainian: Степан) is a striped cat from Kharkiv, who became famous worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. His Instagram page helped raise support for Ukrainian animals after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Stepan was appointed as an 'ambassador' by the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy as part of their 'Save Ukrainian Culture' campaign. In 2024, after Stepan became ill from the continuing attacks, he and his owner relocated to Germany.
United Kingdom
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