Have you seen the popular cartoon about a chubby pizza-loving orange cat with an attitude? The Garfield cartoon by Jim Davis is popular worldwide and continues to make people laugh as the years go forward. Garfield the cat was named after creator Jim Davis’ grandfather, James Garfield Davis.
This sarcastic cat that loves taking naps, eating ice cream, pizza, and lasagna is also known for dealing out plenty of sarcasm along the way.
Garfield is loved by many for his hilarious escapades that often involve his fellow housemate Odie the dog. The pair often find themselves in difficult situations such as digging up the yard looking for dinosaur bones, getting stuck in roll-up window shades, and other mischievous behavior.
Towards the end of their adventure everything usually works out and their pet parent Jon Arbuckle still manages to continue adoring his pets despite their wild behavior.
As a fan of Garfield, you might wonder if you can have a real-life version pet cat that looks similar. While Garfield is a fictional character, the type of cat was based on a real-life breed that makes an excellent pet.
So, what kind of cat is Garfield? Let’s find out now!
What Kind of Cat is Garfield?
The real-life version of Garfield is a crossbreed of a British and Persian shorthair cat that is known today as Exotic Short Hairs.
The result of the crossbreeding produces adorable flat face kittens with a dense short coat. They have large round paws, strong legs, a broad body, small ears, large heads, and wide eyes.
The color of the coat that is similar to Garfield is referred to as ginger tabby but this breed also produces cats with coat colors such as tortie tabby, tabby, spotted, and pointed. The color of the eyes can be amber or blue depending on their parents.
The personality is almost the opposite of the fictional character with most Exotic Short Hairs exhibiting a calm laid-back personality that is also playful at times and highly intelligent. Garfield might like to sit alone in his chair watching television, but the real-life version is generally affectionate with their owners and happy being around their family.
Was Garfield Based On a Real Cat?
Creator Jim Davis said Garfield was not based on any specific real-life cat. Instead, he was a combination of cats that he looked back on from his childhood.
Davis rolled all the different cats into one fictional ball of fur that took on the appearance and attitude of many. Davis didn’t intend for Garfield to be a particular breed and used a combination of physical characteristics to create the much-loved cartoon character.
What We Know About Garfield
- Garfield is a male cat
- The cartoon was based in Muncie Indiana
- Pizza, ice cream, cakes, burgers, and donuts are some of his favorite foods
- Raisins and grapefruit are his least favorite foods
- Odie the dog is his best friend
- He loves Odie the dog even though he pretends he doesn’t care
- He has a girlfriend named Arlene that has long eyelashes and a pink coat
- During the early days of the cartoon, he walked on all four legs but years later walked on two
- Garfield holds the world record for the most syndicated comic strip
- Garfield the cat was named after creator Jim Davis’ grandfather
- Garfield has more than nine lives
- Creator Jim Davis first created the strip to focus on pet parent Jon as the lead character but Garfield stole the attention
- Creator Jim Davis no longer draws the comic strip but maintains creative control
- The design of Garfield has gradually changed over the years
- A full-length musical was performed on stage in Muncie
- Actor Bill Murray was the voice of Garfield in the 2004 movie Garfield: The Movie
- The original voice actor for Garfield is Lorenzo Music
- The Garfield float at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade contained 18,907 cubic feet of helium
- June 19, 1978, is Garfield’s birthday
- In 2000 the Garfield Pizza Café in Malaysia opened
Bottom Line
If you want a real-life Garfield as a pet, an orange Persian cat that has black mackerel tabby stripes is very close to resembling the loved cartoon character. Remember that a pet cat comes with many years of responsibility.
Keep in mind that real-life cats don’t eat human food such as pizza, lasagna, or burgers. While Garfield the cartoon character is chubby it’s important to provide your real-life Garfield with a healthy diet to help them maintain an ideal weight.
Garfield the cartoon has been around for more than 40 years and continues to entertain fans worldwide. Chances are Garfield will continue to be well known and loved for many years to come!
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