My top 10 Disney Cats

Disney is more than well known for it's lovable animal animated characters. There most recent Oscar winning film was solely dedicated to them. As a true honest to goodness lover of both Disney and animals (and a cat owner myself) I decided to make a list of the some of the feline friends that I have appeared in some of our much loved Disney films. I've only included actual domesticated cats and no lions, tigers or tiggers

10. Rufus from The Rescuers (1977)

I recently watched this movie for the first time in years and I have to say, it truly is a little often forgotten gem, Of course with a movie surrounding 2 little mice, you have to have a cat in there somewhere. Rather than doing the obvious and have a villainous cat to chase the protagonists, the makers decided to have a sweet and lovable old moggy with a taste for napping and ginger snaps

9. Dinah from Alice in Wonderland (1951)

This little lady appears relatively briefly in this surrealistic film, and she is often the least remembered cat featured as most people think of the Cheshire Cat when they think of Alice. Having said that I've always loved Dinah, her cute little flabbergasted reactions at Alice's talk of living in a Wonderland are irresistibly adorable, and she rocked the pink bow long before Marie from The Aristocats came along

8. Lucifer from Cinderella (1950)

Lucifer may be a little fat nightmare of an animal, but he is an unforgettable character from one of Disney's true classics, so I would be nuts not to mention him on this list. He also makes for some of the most comedic moments in the film (his moments of manic glee at being evil) and in my opinion one of the most frustrating moments. That being when he traps Gus Gus under a tea cup right before he gets to give Cinderella the bedroom key. That moment is Hitchcock worthy in terms of how suspenseful it can be and this rotund little fuzz ball helps create that.

7. Sergeant Tibbs in 101 Dalmations (1961)

I must admit I have a personal affection for Sergeant Tibbs as we had a cat in my family as a child that we called Tibbs. So I always look forward to seeing this little guy on the screen. I love the fact that the Sergeant of this bunch of animals isn't the big dogs or the majestic horse, it's the scrawny little cat, I just think that's a wonderful idea and that he is a great little representative for the whisker set in this canine tale

6. Mittens in Bolt (2008)

Bolt is a fantastic film I only watched a few months ago for the first time ever and I adored it. Of course the John Travolta voiced Bolt is undeniably the main reason for the movie being so sweet and cute, but the character of Mittens is also to thank in a big way. She brings tears to even the coldest of people's eyes with the story of how she became homeless. i think it particularly touched me as I worked at an animal shelter with animals who had that exact back story. Thankfully it all works out for her in the end. Phew! or should I say Meow!

5. Figaro in Pinocchio (1940) 

This tiny firecracker of a fluff is so well animated and characterized that you just want to pick him up out of the screen and take him home for a cuddle. He has such a funny little personality and his exasperation at not getting his food or sleep when he wants as well as his reactions to meeting Pinocchio remind me so much of all the cats I've had throughout the years. 

4. Duchess from The Aristocats (1970)

What a doll! I may be a tad bias here as my own cat happens to be a fully white one just like Duchess. I really do wish he had her personality to though! One of the most beautiful and ladylike Disney characters ever and she wasn't even human. I also adore the voice of Eva Gabor as Duchess, such a lovely and refined characterization. 

3. The Kittens from The Aristocats (1970)

I know technically this is 3 different characters, but for the purposes of this list I'm going to group them together in a little trio. Marie, Toulouse and Berlioz are the perfect kids and kittens for any parent/owner. Their cute little individual looks along with their continuous bickering and playful fights are a lot of fun to watch in the movie. I also particular love the kids that voiced them. I have a Marie plushie from the Disney Store and I cannot wait to get the other two kittens as part of my collection. 

2. Oliver from Oliver and Company (1988)

Whenever I mention this movie I always have to say just how underrated it is. It's got some wonderful song numbers and some great comedic moments and is a really unique idea for an animated feature. The stroke of genius of making the character of Oliver into a little ginger kitten is a purrrfect (see what I did there) idea. From the moment this little guy appears on screen in a box full of his siblings to the tune of "Once Upon A Time in New York City" we as the viewer fall in love and completely route for him and his canine companions

1. Thomas O'Malley from The Aristocats (1970)

Abraham De lacy.....Giuseppe Casey....Thomas O'Malley.....O'Malley the Alley Cat. This smooth operator. There are so many aspects of this character that are amazing, from his wonderful entrance song to his velvet voice (courtesy of Phil Harris, the voice of Baloo and Little John as well). My mother has a 17 year old cat called Sparky and if he were made into a cartoon, Thomas O'Malley would definitely be it. He is the epitome of a lovable rogue and his romance with Duchess in the picture is one of the best in Disney history

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My Disney buys this Month, things I keep in my Cave of Wonders

I haven't done a blog in quite a few weeks and that's mainly because I was away in Cork for one of those weeks, with my partner, my sister, her partner and my little baby nephew. Another reason is that I've recently enrolled online in an Event Management course which will keep me busy for several months now. Having said that I have spent the past few weeks shopping around for my Disney bits and bobs at every opportunity. On our trip with went to Penneys (Primark in the UK) which I had been anticipating would have some amazing Disney merchandise. This is purely because most of the UK based Disney fan accounts I've followed on instagram have some amazing Disney things such as Ursula's black handbag and The Little Mermaid accessories of all kinds. Unfortunately the selection in the Penneys I was at wasn't great but I did use my trusty Disney senses to sniff out a few cute little items. These included two night shirts, one with Marie from the Aristocats on it and one with Minnie Mouse on it in a retro style that reminds me of ones I wore in the 90s as a kid. I also bought a pack of Disney villain socks which were probably my favourite purchase there, they have all the usual suspects on them, Ursula, The Evil Queen and Maleficent in pink and silver. I got a pack of three pop socks to wear with flats and pomps that have Ariel, Flounder and Sebastian on them and they are really cool! Lastly I picked up a multicoloured Disney princess pen while I was queuing up to pay, impulse purchasing always works when it comes to Disney. I have to say I was incredibly disappointed with the lack of Disney things in Penneys. Afterall they are owned by the same people as Primark in England so I'm really not certain of why we wouldn't have the same huge Disney selection. I'll be going to another Penneys in Dublin over the summer so perhaps I'll find more things there that I can post about. The material used in the nightshirts is the same as any other cheapish night shirt but I imagine it will last a long time as others I've bought there have, they cost €7 each. The socks costs €3.50 for the pack of 3 and the pop socks were €3.50, the pen cost €1.50 so all in all, less than 15 quid for all that stuff is pretty great!

While on the trip we stopped off in a little town called Youghal for dinner the final day. A very old fashioned Irish main street that contained quite a lot of charity/thrift stores so I knew I was bound to find at least one Disney gem in among the rest of the nick nacks and little did I know it would be something I'd been searching for for a long time. The Disney version of Scene It? I had wanted to get either the Disney version of that or trivial pursuit but I could never justify on my budget paying €40 for them! So I was over the moon when I came across this in absolutely perfect condition for just €3, talk about a deal! We played it the second we got home from the trip and it's lots of fun, I would definitely suggest Disney buffs or even movie buffs to invest in it or find it online for a cheaper price, well worth it for the hours of fun.

There's a website called Qwertee.com which I believe is Irish and it does usually one or two specific t-shirts a day for €11.00 with a €2.50 delivery fee. The t-shirts are often very unique designs involving pop culture and that includes of course Disney. The one I got my boyfriend before our trip was a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 design that I absolutely had to get! Anybody that watched the film will no doubt recognize the scene it represents with my favourite line in the film. He was really excited about receiving it and threw it on the moment we found it in the post box. My partner is 6'5 and quite broad shouldered so he got an XL in the t-shirt which I would recommend unless you're quite thin. They also do women's sizes so if you follow them on facebook, instagram etc... you're bound to come across the odd Disney design every once in a while.



The last of my Disney related finds this month are three awesome little bits I came across in some charity shops yesterday while having a stroll up the main street. The first thing I bought I caught sight of out of the corner of my eye, afterall no Disney item can escape and uber fan as we all know. It was a tiny little blue Disney box with a sweet little Daisy Duck keychain on the inside with a tiny frame for a little photograph to fit into. I'm not sure where they keyring was originally from but it looks like perhaps Disneyland itself! and it only cost €1 and is completely unused. I then on the off chance went into a different charity shop and was delighted to find a 101 Dalmations clothes hanger that can be attached to a wall, my sister happens to have two 101 Dalmations photos on my nephew's bedroom wall so I had to pick that up to go along with them. It only cost €2 and was in great conditions, also looked unused completely. Finally I got myself a Cinderella 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. I have seen quite a few of the kind in charity shops before but this one was brand new and really pretty so I thought what the heck. I have to say, it's really tough! Perhaps it's because I  haven't done puzzles in a long time but holy moly, they definitely keep you occupied.

I hope anyone that read this blog post enjoyed it. I really love seeing what my fellow Disney enthusiasts are able to dig up in various places and so I hope you found it somewhat interesting to see my trinkets and the things that go towards making my collection complete.

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qwertee: https://www.qwertee.com/