For all of the cat lovers out there, Pokemon is full with furry felines. With plenty to be found as a trainer embarks on their journey to catch ’em all, feline fans will have the pick of the litter from Meowth to Purrloin to Litten.
While many Pokemon are modeled on fantasy creatures like the dragon Charizard, or even inanimate objects like the ice cream Vanillite, there are plenty of creatures that take design cues from real-life animals that can be found in the wild or even in our homes.
Advertisement
Cats, in particular, have been a big source of inspiration throughout the past 25 years of catching ’em all. Whether you’re a cat person or a dog person, there’s no denying our feline friends make a good base for a Pokemon design.
The first cat-based Pokemon trainers were introduced to were Meowth and its evolution Persian, way back in Gen 1 games Red and Blue. Since then, plenty more have been added, such as the lion-inspired legendary Solgaleo.
Advertisement
So how do you define a cat Pokemon? Well, some are explicitly described as such in their Pokedex entries. Meowth is the ‘Scratch Cat’ for example, while Gen 7 starter Litten is listed as the ‘Fire Cat’.
Others aren’t so obvious, but have enough cat-like features that they’re considered part of the pack. Raikou is a good example of this: While it contains many fantasy elements, it’s clearly based on a saber-tooth tiger, which belongs to the cat family.
Advertisement
How many cat Pokemon are there?
We’ve looked at all 898 Pokedex entries, from the Gameboy’s Red and Blue all the way through to the Nintendo Switch’s Sword and Shield, to find out just how many Pokemon are based on cats – there are 25!
You can see the full list of all cat-type Pokemon in the game, which includes all sorts of lions and tigers, below:
Advertisement
- Meowth
- Alolan Meowth
- Galarian Meowth
- Persian
- Alolan Persian
- Raikou
- Skitty
- Delcatty
- Shinx
- Luxio
- Luxray
- Glameow
- Purugly
- Purrloin
- Liepard
- Litleo
- Pyroar
- Espurr
- Meowstic
- Litten
- Torracat
- Incenoroar
- Solgaleo
- Zeraora
- Perrserker
So there you have it: Every cat Pokemon that’s appeared in the games and anime since 1996.
This list only contains the Pokemon that are clearly based on cats. There are arguments to be made for other creatures like Eevee, Mew, Entei, and Absol, but they aren’t exclusively cat-based creatures.
Advertisement
- Read More: The creepiest Pokedex entries of all time
Mew, for example, is said to carry the DNA of all other Pokemon, and arguably looks more like a mouse anyway. The legendary Entei, meanwhile, has elements of a lion but more closely resembles a dog.
We haven’t included Eevee or any of its Eeveelutions into this list, as they’re largely considered to be modeled on foxes rather than cats.
So, there you have it. All of the catlike Pokemon in the Pokedex. For all Pokemon news, head over to our dedicated hub.