Plenty of Pokemon are based on real-life animals, and some of the cutest are arguably part of the feline family.
While each ‘mon is unique, some of their designs are inspired by a range of things, from inanimate objects to fantasy creatures like the iconic dragon-like Charizard, and even animals you’ll see in day to day life.
The first cat-like ‘mon of the franchise takes the form of Meowth, which was first introduced to Trainers in the Gen 1 Red and Blue games. Over the years, more cat Pokemon have appeared, including the adorable Grass-type Sprigatito — one of Scarlet & Violet’s starters.
How many cat Pokemon are there?
After looking at all Pokedex entries, from Game Boy’s Red and Blue through to Scarlet & Violet and its Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC, we’ve found that there are currently 34 cat Pokemon. You can see all of these, broken up by Generation, in the list below.
Every cat Pokemon in the Pokedex
Gen 1
Gen 2
Gen 3
Gen 4
Gen 5
Gen 6
Gen 7
Gen 8
Gen 9
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.
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.
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 five.
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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 and the creepiest ‘mons, and the top Legendaries of all time.