What Type of Cat Is Garfield? Possible Options

There are few felines as well-known as our beloved cartoon cat Garfield. This fat orange cat has brightened people’s days with his surly attitude since 1978, and he’s inspired books, TV shows, and even a few movies.

He also inspired us to ask a simple question: Just what type of cat is Garfield? You might think that the answer would be easy to find, but it’s surprisingly difficult! Below, we’ll lay out everything that we know about this chubby kitty before finally sharing our groundbreaking conclusion.

What Do We Know About Garfield?

Thanks to all the literature, media, and suction cup art that’s been produced featuring Garfield, we have a wealth of information on him. So much so, in fact, that we were able to compile a dossier on the big fella.

Sex:	Male
Age:	Unknown
Weight:	Big
Known Associates:	Jon Arbuckle (owner); Odie (brother); Nermal (nephew?); Arlene (on-again/off-again girlfriend); Binky the Clown (TV personality); various aunts, uncles, and cousins (mostly deceased)
Hobbies:	Eating lasagna, sleeping, not exercising, being mean to Odie
Pet Peeves:	Mondays, other living things, diets, raisins, spiders, RX-2, the talking scale
Appearance:	Orange with black stripes on the back, pointy ears, big eyes, giant eyelids

After reviewing our dossier, it seems like we’re no closer to determining what type of cat Garfield is. Maybe it would be better if we looked at two of the breeds most commonly cited as matching his description.

Exotic Shorthair

Exotic shorthair cats are basically Persians with a short coat. They have Persian features, especially in the face, but their bodies are dissimilar. That’s fairly in keeping with Garfield’s general aesthetic. He does have exotic features, and his rotund torso in no way resembles a Persian’s. But exotic shorthairs are calm, gentle, agile, and playful. They love being held and spending time with their owners.

Garfield is none of those things. He’s reactive and mean-spirited and has all the agility of a bowling ball. We can’t imagine Jon trying to pick him up, much less wanting to spend time with him. Let’s hope there are more options because we can’t imagine why anyone would think Garfield is an exotic shorthair.

Tabby

A tabby isn’t a breed of cat, per se; rather, it refers to any cat that has distinct marks on their coat. This could be spots, stripes, swirls, or whatever it is that’s going on with Garfield. This gives us leeway to work with. However, tabbies run into the same problems as exotic shorthairs, namely, the fact that they’re friendly and playful.

However, they have one thing going for them that the exotics do not: a reputation for being bossy. Garfield is nothing if not that; he’s constantly telling Jon, Odie, and the various mice in his house what to do.

Tabby seems like a better fit for Garfield than an exotic shorthair did, but it’s still not a perfect match.

Which Cats Hate Mondays?

This is a trick question, as cats can’t tell one day of the week from another.

They manage to get around it, though, by seemingly hating every single day of the week equally.

What Did Jim Davis Say?

Now might be a good time to consult the ultimate source: Jim Davis, the creator and illustrator of the Garfield comic strips.

According to Davis, Garfield was an amalgamation of every single cat that he could remember from his childhood.

The Verdict: Garfield Is Whatever Kind of Cat You Want Him to Be

Jim Davis might be the ultimate authority on this matter since it’s hard to pinpoint an exact breed that would fit Garfield to a T.

As a result, we’ll permit you to say that Garfield’s cat breed is whatever you want him to be. We’re sure that’s fine with him—anything that doesn’t require him to get out of bed usually gets his seal of approval.

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