Plenty of Pokemon are based on real-life animals, with some of the cutest being part of the feline family. For all cat lovers, here’s every cat Pokemon in the franchise, from the iconic Meowth to Sprigatito, and part of the Eevee family.
Every Pokemon is unique and their designs are inspired by a range of different things including real-life animals, inanimate objects, and fantasy creatures like the iconic Fire-type Charizard.
The cat-like Meowth was first introduced to trainers in the Gen 1 Red and Blue games, and fans have been able to catch plenty more feline Pokemon over the years, including the adorable Grass-type Sprigatito who is one of the Pokemon Scarlet & Violet starters.
Below, you can find a list of every single cat Pokemon available to find in the Pokedex as of 2024.
How many cat Pokemon are there?
We’ve looked at all of the Pokedex entries, from the Game Boy’s Red and Blue all the way through to the most recent titles, Pokemon Scarlet & Violet and its Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC, to find out just how many are based on cats — there are 34!
You can see the full list of all cat Pokemon in the game, which includes all sorts of creatures in the cat family like lions and tigers, below.
Every cat Pokemon in the Pokedex – Full list
Gen 1
| NUMBER | POKEMON | TYPE | SPRITE |
|---|---|---|---|
| #0052 | Meowth | Normal | |
| #0053 | Persian | Normal |
Gen 2
| NUMBER | POKEMON | TYPE | SPRITE |
|---|---|---|---|
| #0196 | Espeon | Psychic | |
| #0197 | Umbreon | Dark | |
| #0243 | Raikou | Electric |
Gen 3
| NUMBER | POKEMON | TYPE | SPRITE |
|---|---|---|---|
| #0300 | Skitty | Normal | |
| #0301 | Delcatty | Normal | |
| #0335 | Zangoose | Normal |
Gen 4
| NUMBER | POKEMON | TYPE | SPRITE |
|---|---|---|---|
| #0403 | Shinx | Electric | |
| #0404 | Luxio | Electric | |
| #405 | Luxray | Electric | |
| #0431 | Glameow | Normal | |
| #0432 | Purugly | Normal |
Gen 5
| NUMBER | POKEMON | TYPE | SPRITE |
|---|---|---|---|
| #0509 | Purrloin | Dark | |
| #0510 | Liepard | Dark |
Gen 6
| NUMBER | POKEMON | TYPE | SPRITE |
|---|---|---|---|
| #0667 | Litleo | Fire/Normal | |
| #0668 | Pyroar | Fire/Normal | |
| #0677 | Espurr | Psychic | |
| #0678 | Meowstic | Psychic | |
| #0700 | Sylveon | Fairy |
Gen 7
| NUMBER | POKEMON | TYPE | SPRITE |
|---|---|---|---|
| #0052 | Alolan Meowth | Dark | |
| #0053 | Alolan Persian | Dark | |
| #0725 | Litten | Fire | |
| #0726 | Torracat | Fire | |
| #0727 | Incineroar | Fire/Dark | |
| #0791 | Solgaleo | Psychic/Steel | |
| #0800 | Dusk Mane Necrozma | Psychic/Steel | |
| #0807 | Zeraora | Electric |
Gen 8
| NUMBER | POKEMON | TYPE | SPRITE |
|---|---|---|---|
| #0052 | Galarian Meowth | Steel | |
| #0863 | Perrserker | Steel |
Gen 9
| NUMBER | POKEMON | TYPE | SPRITE |
|---|---|---|---|
| #0906 | Sprigatito | Grass | |
| #0907 | Floragato | Grass | |
| #0908 | Meowscarada | Grass/Dark | |
| #1002 | Chien-Pao | Dark/Ice |
This list only contains the Pokemon that are clearly based on cats. There are arguments to be made for other creatures like Eevee (and some of its Eeveelutions), Mew, Entei, and Absol, but they aren’t exclusively cat-based creatures.
Mew, for example, is said to carry the DNA of all other Pokemon and arguably looks more like a mouse. The legendary Entei, meanwhile, has elements of a lion, but more closely resembles a dog.
What are the best cat Pokemon?
The overall best cat Pokemon in the franchise based on their design, lore impact, type combination, and stats are Meowth, Espeon, Raikou, Incineroar, and Solgaleo.
Meowth
The most popular cat Pokemon in the franchise is without a doubt Meowth, the iconic Gen 1 feline known as Team Rocket’s talking mascot.
Despite not being very powerful, Meowth earned a place on our list because of how its story impacted all those who watched the anime and know the real reason why this tiny villain learned how to talk.
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As a Normal type, it has only one weakness toward the Fighting type and it can resist the elusive Ghost-type Pokemon, which can come in handy. Even though its total base stat is 290, this mischievous creature has a pretty decent Attack and incredible Speed.
Espeon
Espeon’s sleek and elegant design is very representative of felines, but don’t let its purple fur and gem-like red eyes fool you, this Psychic-type eeveelution can tear opponents apart very easily.
As a Psychic-type Pokemon, Espeon has access to some of the best moves in the franchise, such as Psychic, Psybeam, and Future Sight. Plus, it has a very high Sp. Attack and Speed, so it’s set to deal some heavy damage from the get-go.
Additionally, this fierce feline can help Pokemon Go players take down Giovanni‘s mighty Nidoking, as it is weak against Psychic-type attacks.
Raikou
Even though Raikou is not specifically described as a ‘cat’, it’s pretty obvious it’s based on both the sabertooth tiger and the Japanese Raiju, so it’s only natural this Legendary got itself a place on our top 5.
The Electric-type member of the Legendary Beasts has a wonderful and intimidating design, very representative of its typing thanks to the yellow fur and black details that resemble lightning bolts.
Raikou is not only resistant to the very exploited Steel type, but it can also hold its ground against its own kind and Flying-type creatures too. It has a base stat of 580 and an incredible Sp. Attack and Speed, ideal to hit anyone with power moves such as Electro Shot, Zap Cannon, and Thunder.
Incineroar
The Fire/Dark-type starter from the Alola region quickly became a fan favorite thanks to its intimidating design, which is based on a very muscular wrestler with feline details.
It has appeared in the anime and other video games like Super Smash Bros. More so, it has been widely used in competitive battling thanks to its versatility, as it can work as a physical attacker as well as support with moves like Parting Shot.
Incineroar’s dual typing makes it immune to Psychic-type moves and resistant to plenty of types, including Ghost, Steel, and Dark, so this Pokemon is a must-have in any well-rounded team.
Solgaleo
The ultimate cat Pokemon is Solgaleo, another Legendary creature, but this time from Gen 7’s Alola region.
Based on both a lion and the sun – as it is Pokemon Sun’s mascot – Solgaleo’s design is majestic, with bright white fur, a huge mane, and colorful details.
This intimidating beast is not only a great physical attacker with a whooping 137 Attack stat but benefits from 10 resistances thanks to its dual Psychic/Steel typing, making it quite hard to take down in battle, which is why is often banned from competitive battling.
Additionally, it can fuse with Necrozma to create Dusk Mane Necrozma, taking its stats even further.
How are cat Pokemon categorized?
The tricky part of categorizing Pokemon is how to define them, as some may be a mixture of two or even more species. For cat Pokemon, 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 sabertooth tiger, which belongs to the cat family.
Those are all the cat Pokemon in the franchise. You can also check out our list of all Dog Pokemon, the Cutest as well as the Creepiest ‘mons, and the 40 top Legendaries of all time.