Anyone who’s ever had a cat knows their personalities run the gamut: They can be enigmatic and reserved or dramatic or downright goofy. In other words, they’re born performers — and they have the range to show for it.

Just like dogs, cats have proven to be both invaluable pets and compelling screen presences, whether it’s in documentaries or fictionalized stories. So if you’re looking for films or TV series that can give some insight into our feline friends, we’ve collected a few options that can scratch that itch, no claws required. Give them all a round of appawse.

A Whisker Away

This 2020 anime spins a sweet coming-of-age story with a cat curveball. The film follows Miyo, a teenage girl who transforms into a cat in order to get closer to her crush. But, naturally, there are consequences to the magic she uses to change from human to animal and back again. The lush animation and adorable cats are worth tuning in for alone, but the real draw here is a story about growing up and facing down what life throws at you — because as nice as it sounds, becoming a cat won’t magically solve all your problems.

Loin de moi, près de toi

1h 45m   7+   2020

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Cat People

The title says it all. This six-episode series highlights people from different parts of the world who have built their lives around cats. There’s a cat trainer who runs a traveling show, a rapper who writes songs about his five cats, and an artist who uses needle felting to make masterfully realistic portraits of, you guessed it, cats. The glimpses into their lives and their pets are definitely worth the watch and might make you rethink your definition of “cat person.”

Félinomania

Mini-série   10+   2021

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Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Cats have long been associated with witches and witchcraft, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to see Chilling Adventures of Sabrina magic its way onto this list. Introduced as a familiar (spirits who take the form of animals to assist their witch companions) for Kiernan Shipka’s Sabrina Spellman, the role was played by five felines wrangled by animal trainer Ian Doig. (Less magical: Shipka discovering she was allergic to them.)

Les nouvelles aventures de Sabrina

4 Parties   16+   2018

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Exploding Kittens

What if the fate of the universe rested in the hands of two cats? But they’re not just any cats. In Exploding Kittens, God and the Devil are sent to Earth in the bodies of chunky house cats, each on a mission for good and evil, respectively. God (Tom Ellis) hasn’t been doing his best work lately and must prove himself as a worthy heavenly leader by answering the prayers of his believers on Earth. Meanwhile, the Devil (Sasheer Zamata) is falling short in the evil department and is sent to Earth to demonstrate that she can cause more chaos and destruction to the world and live up to her father’s name. It’s a classic tale of good versus evil — just with more hair balls. 

Exploding Kittens

9 Épisodes   16+   2024

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Inside the Mind of a Cat

It’s something every cat owner has pondered time and again: What is that weirdo fluffball that lives in my house thinking? This documentary seeks to answer that very question, via insights from behavioral experts, scientists, and researchers alike into why cats do what they do. There’s historical context about our ancestors’ relationships with cats and answers for why cats always land on their feet and how they use their purrs to make us pay attention to them. Also, the documentary cites a study that found watching cat videos boosts positive feelings, which is all the more reason to watch them (and all those pet videos your friends post on Instagram).

Notre langue aux chats

1h 7m   7+   2022

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The Hidden Lives of Pets

Narrated by Downton Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville, this docuseries devotes four episodes to pets and the interesting lives they lead, from a BASE jumping border collie to a pup that uses buttons to “talk.” For the cat content, tune to Episode 3 to find out more about a cat named Kenny who’s hiked more than 200 miles with his owner, Zac, thanks to his innate feline navigation skills. 

Dans la peau de nos animaux

7+   2022

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The Sandman

Again, cats and the supernatural go together like, well, cats and the supernatural. The series’ surprise 11th episode is an adaptation of Dream Country, an arc from Neil Gaiman’s acclaimed Sandman comics series. It features two of the four stories from that arc — one of them, “A Dream of a Thousand Cats,” gets the animated treatment as it unfolds the story of a Siamese cat who crosses paths with Morpheus, aka Dream. The episode features a stellar voice cast that includes Tom Sturridge (reprising his role as Dream), James McAvoy, David Tennant, Sandra Oh, and Gaiman himself.

Sandman

2 Saisons   18+   2022

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