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The media coverage of cats concerns how cats are portrayed in contemporary 20th and 21st century media, specifically on how cats exist as symbols, where cats find themselves in human narratives, and which human qualities are often given to personify feline characters within literature, television, animation, or on the Internet.

The Human Cat

The Human Cat is how the cat as a character is personified within contemporary media; it is primarily based on qualities that humans themselves can or wish to find within a cat's movements, emotions, or personality. This is broken down to the nature of the cat, as, to quote Barbara Byrne's article Cats in Literature, "cats are interesting to artists since they demonstrate the kind of personalities men would most "desire" to develop. Their mysterious nature, complete independence, cunning evil, and patient intelligence makes them fascinating creature." A certain mimesis is born from The Human Cat; the author or creator wishes to live vicariously through the cat. As a result, a human character is created with the body of a cat but still behaves with humanistic qualities to exist as a symbol or an archetype in order to display objectively human ideas and characteristics to a viewer. Sometimes, however, this character may be given "cat-like" qualities in order to balance human qualities in order to return this character from the absurd, such as muteness or primal instincts that are believed to be reserved for animals.

The Human Cat

The Human Cat is how the cat as a character is personified within contemporary media; it is primarily based on qualities that humans themselves can or wish to find within a cat's movements, emotions, or personality. This is broken down to the nature of the cat, as, to quote Barbara Byrne's article Cats in Literature, "cats are interesting to artists since they demonstrate the kind of personalities men would most "desire" to develop. Their mysterious nature, complete independence, cunning evil, and patient intelligence makes them fascinating creature." A certain mimesis is born from The Human Cat; the author or creator wishes to live vicariously through the cat. As a result, a human character is created with the body of a cat but still behaves with humanistic qualities to exist as a symbol or an archetype in order to display objectively human ideas and characteristics to a viewer. Sometimes, however, this character may be given "cat-like" qualities in order to balance human qualities in order to return this character from the absurd, such as muteness or primal instincts that are believed to be reserved for animals.

The Cat Archetypes

When cats are to act as characters within a narrative, they often find themselves filling a specific caricature in a story depending on the author's relationship with the cat and which human-like qualities the author would like to give to the cat. Cats are frequently defined by what humans believe to be essential to their catness, their cat-like qualities. These qualities are often nimbleness, stealth, silence, or elegance; it is from these descriptions that a sample of cat characters are created from.

A Free, Conniving Spirit

Here, the isolationist nature of the domestic cat is often represented as an individual that acts independently, freely, or even wildly and hectic. The cat is a character that acts to their own accord and rarely partakes in matters not of their own unless driven to such circumstances. As a result, this character is often a neutral or free-range character within the narrative until the time calls for their assistance. The black cat is a common choice of this character, as their dark, thin, and mysterious complexion allow this type of cat to cause tame mischief and mayhem, as seen in characters such as the unnamed black cat from Coraline and later renditions of Salem Saberhagen from Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Salem, in particular, provides an interesting perspective on the Human Cat, as he is a former human transformed into a cat for his crimes against humanity. However, the qualities given to Salem's personality are distinctly cat-like, such as his sharp wit, cheekiness, and his dry or apathetic remarks. The cat is praised for their resourcefulness and independence, and the qualities of snark and wittiness can be attributed to a defense or survival mechanism, creating a modern concept of the "wild cat" through an adaptable and mysterious character that follows no rules and abides by their own personal morals. This later created a more Bohemian and artistic take on the cat, such as Dr. Seuss' strange, magical, and mystical character, The Cat in the Hat. The Bohemian "alley cat" was also popularized in the 20th Century by Hanna-Barbera in the early 1960s with the introduction of Top Cat and Snagglepuss. This musical and theatric characterization is later portrayed and popularized with Disney's 1970 film The Aristocats and the 1972 adult animated film Felix the Cat, a movie which, in particular, identified the institution of hedonism as well as postmodern ideals similar to that of Bohemianism. Later interpretations of this take a more survivalist approach, usually utilizing the mystery genre. Such examples of this include the 1989 novel Felidae, as well as its 1994 animated adaptation, along with the 2010 French animated film Une vie de chat, the 2008 film Bolt, and Team Rocket's Meowth from the Pokémon anime.

Double Trouble

It is not uncommon for the cat to be paired with another animals; often, this pairing is usually with a dog, a mouse, or even a human. Situational comedy and slapstick are the most common genres for this pairing, and the cat often plays a role similar to the free spirit archetype. The difference here is a more static setting created in order to cement its role as an individual whose primary form of comedy is displayed through its reactions to other characters as either the straight man or the antagonist, as opposed to the free cat's independent endeavors. The other animals also perform their humanistic roles within narrative, such as the archetypal characterizations often given to the foils of the cat, being the dog and the mouse. Sylvester the Cat from Looney Tunes and Tom Cat from Tom and Jerry are often seen as the pioneers for the antagonistic and predatory cat within animation through their insistence and the odd methods they use. In this type of media, the cat is often subjected to loss here due to their inherit stealth and cunning being equated to negative or sinister traits. Peg-Leg Pete, the antagonist of Mickey Mouse, takes a more humanistic approach to the cat and mouse dynamic, as the characters imitate human personalities, movements, and conflicts and, for the most part, only exist as cat and mouse in name. In later adaptations, Pete has lost the majority of his antagonistic behavior and is often used as the straightman to Goofy, creating an odd rendition of the dog and cat relationship later popularized in the 1992 television series, Goof Troop, as well as its subsequent movies.

This dynamic is subverted in a few notable instances, such as with Looney Tunes characters Marc Antony and Pussyfoot. The bulldog Marc Antony constantly strives to protect, smother, and coddle the oblivious kitten Pussyfoot from any potential danger. Ren and Stimpy takes a more "dumb and dumber" dynamic between the titular characters, with the feline Stimpy straying from typical depictions of cats by framing him as highly unintelligent and instinctual. The Simpsons introduces The Itchy & Scratchy Show, which parodies the common slapstick cat and mouse dynamic seen in cat media, such as Tom and Jerry, to an over the top violent degree that always ends with Itchy, who parodies Tom, being immensely harmed in some way.

Cats as symbols

Like most animals, cats have been established as symbols through contemporary literature, television, and animation, as well as the Internet.

See also

• Cultural depictions of cats

References

Category:Cats in popular culture

Category:Media coverage and representation aaaaaaaaa