In the world ofPokémon, creatures come in various forms, colors, and shapes. Many of these creatures share similarities or their designs were inspired by real animals. Thankfully there are more than a handful of Pokémon that strikingly resemble members of the cat or feline family. Cats aren’t as universally beloved as dogs, but they’ve made their way into everyone’s hearts via the internet. Let’s now take some time to look at the ten best cat Pokémon and rank them from worst to first.
RELATED:Pokémon: Brock’s First 10 Pokémon, Ranked
10Meowth
Meowth has earned a lot of goodwill over the years with fans as the sly talking member of Team Rocket in thePokémonanime series. That specific Meowth became so popular and synonymous with that Pokémon species overall that it ruined the idea of people wanting to evolve their own Meowth into a Persian over the years.
RELATED:Every Pokémon Water Starter, Ranked
The leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni, couldn’t even change the perception ofPersianbeing lesser to Meowth, as it was his main Pokémon.
9Litten
Excuse the terrible pun for a name that this base fire starter Pokémon has, and see it for what it is. Litten isn’t only an adorable kitten, but it happens to be the closest design to a real kitten in the franchise. On top of being an adorable fire-type baby kitten, it evolves into one of the most extreme and coolest starter Pokémon named Incineroar. It turns out that if you’re in need of a cute partner in crime that happens to be a kitten you simply need to make your way over to the Alolan Islands.
8Espeon
In many ways, Espeon carries the same energy as siamese cats. They tend to be very mysterious and proud, as most cats are, but also move with true elegance. Espeon on the surface is designed with the shape of a cat in mind but the more and more you look at it the alien it becomes. The eyes seem empty and devoid of sincerity and the surface of its skin doesn’t read as fur. Espeon isn’t the cute kitten your friend just got, but rather it’s the weird hairless cat your neighbor purchased on the internet.
7Pyroar
Pyroar automatically has some interest due to it being one of the few Pokémon whose form differs depending on what sex it is. Male Pyroar has large red and yellow manes whereas the females sport a sleek ponytail of hair. The great thing about the design is that the females were given their sense of flair and weren’t left as the ones looking like regular female lions. Its bright hair strongly contrasts the tans and browns of its coat and gives the often-overlooked creatures a real sense of personality.
6Umbreon
Despite being directly related to bad luck, black cats have bee cool since the dawn of time. Umbreon is in many ways the black cat of the Pokémon world.
RELATED:Pokémon: The 10 Best Water Type Moves, Ranked
If you were watching an anime about magic and witches and one of the characters had a pet cat that looked exactly like Umbreon no one would bat an eye because it would fit in perfectly. It was previously discussed how Espeon looks pretty alien in design, whereas Umbreon looks like a Build-A-Bear creation made inside of a Hot Topic.
5Solgaleo
Why is this legendary Pokémon not in the Top 3 of this list you might ask? Well, the truth of the matter is that for a Pokémon inspired by the cosmos and based on a male lion, the design isn’t the best. It happens to be really busy and yet lackluster at the same time. On the surface, the idea sounds cool, but it never came together in the end. When comparing it to Lunala, a bat and moon-inspired creature, it just isn’t as interesting or unique design. It does have the cosmos in its eyes, which is pretty cool.
4Liepard
Despite how great they are as pets, there’s a large contingent of cat haters in the world who think they’re unkind, cruel, and selfish creatures. Liepard may not be the fiercest or interesting Pokémon around but it sure does embody the spirit of what people who dislike cats think they are. Liepard is known as the Cruel Pokémon and carries the sassy and arrogant personality often associated with cats. Liepard takes all of the worst slanders against house cats and brings it to life in a tiny purple and yellow body disguised as a cat.
3Raikou
Is Raikou one of the 3 beasts often referred to as the “Legendary Dogs”? Yes, that is the case. However, one purposeful look at Raikou will show you that it’s meant to embody the spirit and design of a saber-tooth tiger. This means that since it resembles an animal in the cat family then the logical conclusion is that it is a cat Pokémon. The creature was resurrected by Ho-Oh and was sadly considered to be the one who ignited the fire that ended up consumingBrass Towerleading to the death of the 3 legendary beasts.
2Mew
Mew is a legendary Pokémon and due to it being uncatchable in the early games it was the center of numerous playground theories, lies, and myths. Though it flies through the air, one glance at Mew will show you just how eerily familiar its head shape is to a cat’s. Whether you’re searching for it under an abandoned truck or using the glitch method to interact with the mystical beast you’ll have to fight back the urge to want to pet it on its head. Don’t forget that Mew is very powerful and dangerous.
1Incineroar
Incineroarhas a lot going for it in terms of design and overall personality. It’s a professional wrestler persona mixed with a cat and sporting the element of fire. It also happens to be the final evolution of a starter Pokémon which in and of itself boosts the popularity of the creature. It happens to be bipedal which is always odd for Pokémon based on real-world creatures who walk on all fours. If you’re a fan of the WWE and also pocket monsters then it’s in your best interest to build a friendship with an Incineroar.
