The incredibly popular current movie "Austin Powers, The Spy Who Shagged Me" presents the return of Austin, Dr. Evil, and his evil crony, Mr. Bigglesworth the cat. Mr. Bigglesworth happens to be a cute Sphynx who has earned the status of "Cat of the Year" from Cats Magazine. While his owner, Dr. Evil, is of course evil, the cat doesn't do anything evil himself and is typecast as the bad kitty.
Another popular flick that has not yet been released is the screen version of a children's cartoon: Inspector Gadget. In that movie, the nemeses of the title character are Dr. Claw and his evil cat. The posters that are advertising the movie display Dr. Claw menacingly holding the big white Persian.
Do these kitties sound vaguely familiar to you? The avid filmgoer will recognize the theme originally found in the "James Bond" flick, Goldfinger. Why are cats seen as evil accomplices in popular movies? Is it some veiled reference to cats in their medieval role as a witch's medium? Whatever it is, it's a bad rap.
Another bad cat can be found regularly on the TV comedy and cartoon strip Dilbert. The sinister Catbert is the wicked Human Resources Manager at Dilbert's office. Also on television are quasi-evil cats such as Catwoman from Batman, Salem the black cat of Sabrina, the Teen-aged Witch, and even the old favorite Felix the Cat!
It's time that producers, directors and other creative people in the media start to see the lovable charm of cats. The cuteness factor can be an incredible draw for all kinds of people. While you're at the movies this summer, or catching the reruns on TV, check out some of these star status cats, but don't forget that they really are cats of quality, not criminals.
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