Making his debut in 1978, Garfield was the titular character of what would go on to become the most widely syndicated comic strip in the world. This corpulent, cynical orange tabby shares his abode with Odie, a rather hyper slobbering dog, and Jon, his human with a lonely streak. Garfield's standard feline response to anything? "Feed me." The Monday-loathing feline has a weakness for lasagna.

The shape-shifting Cheshire Cat in Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" can make part of his body disappear at will or vanish altogether — leaving only his trademark grin behind. He also ponders existential matters: "A dog growls when it's angry, and wags its tail when it's pleased. Now I growl when I'm pleased, and wag my tail when I'm angry. Therefore I'm mad."

He performs the most difficult tasks and nabs the vilest culprits. Of noble Spanish lineage, he's swift and his claws are as sharp as glass cutters. He's the unstoppable Puss In Boots — unless he must indeed stop to cough up a fur ball. After brilliant performances — voiced by Spanish actor Antonio Banderas — in Disney's "Shrek" films, he even became the main protagonist of spinoff flicks.

In "Petterson and Findus," a children's book series by Swedish author Sven Nordqvist, a lively kitten named Findus adds a little action to his elderly owner's life. Findus has a mischievous streak, but nobody can stay mad at him long. He has the ability to speak with other animals, but with only one human: "his old man" Petterson. The Nordic cat epic has also been adapted into animated versions.

No guesses as to what this line, often uttered by the quick-witted canary Tweety, actually means. Targeted as a snack by tuxedo cat Sylvester, the feathered fella often outfoxes the feline, prompting the latter to exclaim in his trademark lisp: "Sufferin' succotash!" Both characters belong to the Looney Tunes lineup of animated characters.

Meanwhile, at the house of Hanna-Barbera, Tom and Jerry swept the movie screens from 1940 until 1967 in a series of comedy short films, later becoming TV stars. The storyline couldn't be simpler: Tom the cat pursues the faster Jerry, a mouse. The wild chases have a low violence threshold, with detonations happening frequently. Seven Tom and Jerry movies won Oscars, with six more nominated.

A staple of the kawaii segment of Japanese pop culture, Hello Kitty — whose full name is Kitty White — is a fictional character produced by the Japanese company Sanrio, created by Yuko Shimizu and designed by Yuko Yamaguchi. In the 1970s, a small pink purse was the first product to bear the image of the kitty sporting a pink bow on her head. Pink remains her color.

Choupette, a Burmese cat, was the muse of late designer Karl Lagerfeld. Wherever he went she wasn't far behind, in a custom-designed traveling bag with two ladies-in-waiting, a chef and a bodyguard. Choupette gained fame as a model, has 258,000 Instagram followers and has been living literally in the lap of luxury. After the Chanel and Fendi designer died in 2019, this cat inherited $1.5 million.

Her real name was Tardar Sauce, but she quickly became an internet sensation and rechristened "Grumpy Cat" after a picture of her permanently "grumpy" facial expression was shared online. Caused by an underbite and feline dwarfism, her (in)famous visage became the subject of an internet meme. Though she died in May 2019, Grumpy Cat arguably remains the web's most famous feline.

Remember Jones — or Jonesy — as Sigourney Weaver's character Ellen Ripley calls the ginger cat in Ridley Scott's famous sci-fi film Alien? As an acid-spewing alien systematically kills off the crew of the spacecraft Nostromo, Jonesy and Ripley become the sole survivors who flee in a capsule, but not before Jonesy senses and warns Ripley that the beast was also trying to get on their getaway ride.

And while cats today are said to be "the unofficial mascot of the internet," they also rule onstage in Broadway and the West End. Well, at least with humans playing them. Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Cats" is based on T. S. Eliot's book of poems "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats." The sung-through musical centers around the Jellicle Cats, a group of highly individual junkyard felines.

"Man's best friend" lives in about seven million German households. The arts have provided more than a few iconic canines to remember. This smartly dressed blue dog in the painting "Wendy and Me," created by George Rodrique, is so popular that it was once stolen from an art gallery.

Humans' ties to dogs dates all the way back to ancient Greece. However, they weren't man's best friend back then. With his three heads, the mythological Cerberus was a horrific sight. He guarded the entrance to the underworld. Heroic Heracles, pictured here, managed to overcome the beast.

Nipper, the mascot of the music label EMI Electrola, became famous at the end of the 19th century. He loved the gramophone that belonged to his owner, Francis Barraud. He was a painter and captured the moment in which Nipper got caught up in the music and simply forgot the world around him.

Painter Franz Marc loved his Siberian husky, Russi. He painted him in 1911, as he was getting up close as personal with the freezing landscape around him. It became one of his most famous works and can now be seen in Frankfurt's Städelmuseum.

This faithful dog Hachikō was not a piece of fiction. In the 1920s in Japan, he waited everyday for his master to come pick him up at the end of the day. When his owner passed away, the dog continued to wait - for nearly a decade. In 1934, a memorial was built to Hachikō and in 2009, his story was turned into a movied starring Richard Gere.

Lassie first appeared in a short story in 1938, but her big break came five years later with the film "Lassie Come Home." It was the beginning of unparalleled stardom, even culminating in a star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood. Her star can be found right next to those of the famed German Shepherd Strongheart and comic dog Rantanplan.

Schmaltzy violin music, spaghetti on checkered table cloths and romantic love scenes – "The Lady and the Tramp" (1955) stars two of the most famous animated dogs of all time. They're not the only hounds that Disney has catapulted to stardom, however. In "101 Dalmatians" (1961), just as many spotted puppies take to the screen and "The Fox and the Hound" (1981) features an unusual animal friendship.

In the 1989 Hollywood comedy, Hooch the dog turns police offer Scott Turner's life upside down. The slobbering Dogue de Bordeaux is the only witness in a murder and the cop, played by Tom Hanks, has to give him refuge in his own apartment. It takes a while for the two to get used to each other, which is evident in the film's most famous line: "This is not your room."

Dogmatix is Obelix's loyal companion in the "Asterix" comic series. He follows his beloved obese Obelix around wherever he goes. He doesn't need any magic potions; his canine instincts are enough to save his master from a variety of tricky situations. Just the thought of a dog bone once helped the whole troop out of an Egyptian tomb.

In the world of comic dogs, size isn't a measure of intelligence. Snowy is the clever fox terrier who accompanies reporter Tintin on his exciting journeys around the world. The duo was first created by Belgian illustrator Georges Remi, alias Hergé, in 1929.

French artist Thierry Poncelet portrayed people, but with a catch: He gave them dogs' heads. He came up with the idea while painting a wealthy lady whose face was so ugly that Poncelet thought he'd rather paint his dog. While she likely wasn't thrilled, it was the beginning of his artistic trademark.

A spooky hound kills one person after another in the Baskerville family. Is it a curse? Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are on the case in Arthur Conan Doyle's 1902 novel. A relative is after the family's inheritance and has a motive for getting rid of the whole clan. He starved and tortured the poor dog, which made his appearance so eerie. The book was named one of the best-loved novels in the UK.

"Otto's Pug" was created by Austrian poet Ernst Jandl in 1963. He wrote a short poem about master Otto who sends his pug away, only to miss him terribly. The dog returns and does what dogs do: He pukes. The poem is required reading in many German schools and has entertained children for decades.

A noble dog needs a noble environment. Photographer William Wegman is famous for capturing his Weimaraners in the most luxurious of poses. His images are sold as books and posters.