| Claude Cat | |
|---|---|
| Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies character | |
 Claude Cat (left) withPussyfoot and Marc Antony inFeline Frame-Up (1954) | |
| First appearance | The Aristo-Cat (1943, early design) Mouse Wreckers (1950, official redesign) |
| Created by | Chuck Jones |
| Voiced by | Mel Blanc (1949–1962) John Kassir (2017–2020) Eric Bauza (2021–present) |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Cat |
| Gender | Male |
| Nationality | American |
Claude Cat is ananimatedcartoon character in theLooney Tunes andMerrie Melodies series of cartoons fromWarner Brothers.[1]
Claude Cat had his origins in several othercat characters used byanimatorChuck Jones from 1943 to 1946. These cats were mostly similar in appearance and temperament, with black fur and anxious personalities. For example, in the 1943 filmThe Aristo-Cat, Jones paired his unnamed cat against the mind-manipulatingmouse duo,Hubie and Bertie. In the 1943 filmFin'n Catty, the same cat has a manipulation with water and agoldfish in the style ofSylvester andTweety. He also appeared inOdor-able Kitty (1945; the debut ofPepé Le Pew), and in the 1946 filmRoughly Squeaking (this early version of Claude was his last appearance with Hubie and Bertie before his official redesign in 1949).[2]
Jones redesigned the neurotic feline for the 1949 filmMouse Wreckers (perhaps to distinguish him fromFriz Freleng's popular puss, Sylvester).[3] The short is another Hubie and Bertie vehicle, only this time, the antagonistthey antagonize is Claude, drawn as he would appear in all future cartoons: yellow, with a red shock of hair and a white belly (his exact markings, however, would vary from cartoon to cartoon). In this, as in all future Claude Cat cartoons, Jones' careful attention to personality is easily evident. Claude is a nervous and lazy animal. His attempts to protect his home from the manipulative mice Hubie and Bertie prove futile as the rodents torment him by (among other things) putting upside down and sideways landscape paintings and an aquarium in the windows or by nailing the furniture to the ceiling. Jones set the mice on Claude once more in the 1950 filmThe Hypo-Chondri-Cat. This time, the miniatureMachiavellis convince the neurotic Claude that he is dead. Claude would run afoul of the mice once more in 1951'sCheese Chasers and against another mouse duo inMouse-Warming in 1952.
Jones added another idiosyncrasy to Claude'sid in another 1950 film,Two's a Crowd. Here, Claude is scared out of his mind by a diminutive dog named Frisky Puppy, newly adopted by Claude's owners. The main theme, however, isjealousy, as Claude's attempts to oust the intruder repeatedly fail due to the cat's intensecowardice - a running gag has Claude repeatedly leaping up and clinging to the ceiling, shivering in fear, after the puppy playfully comes up behind him and barks. At the end, however Claude gets revenge by sneaking up behind Frisky and barking, causing the puppy to leap up and cling to the ceiling, also shivering in fear. Jones repeated the scenario with slight variations inTerrier-Stricken in 1952 andNo Barking in 1954 (the latter changing the color of Claude's fur from full yellow to orange and yellow and featuring a cameo byTweety at the end).
In future cartoons, Jones recast Claude as a silent villain, still possessing his full set ofneuroses. This stage of the character's evolution is best exemplified by the 1954 filmFeline Frame-Up and in the 1958 filmCat Feud. In the first cartoon, Claude convinces his owner that fellow petMarc Antony is trying to eat the precious kitten Pussyfoot. Marc Antony is tossed out, allowing Claude the run of the house; that is, until Marc Antony outwits the cat and makes him sign a confession admitting to his crimes. The second cartoon contains a similar, unnamed, cat character.
Claude's final cartoon was in 1962'sLouvre Come Back to Me! where he is depicted as aFrench cat (named Pierre) that lovedPenelope Pussycat, when he is insulted byPepé Le Pew.
Claude was played by voice actorMel Blanc using a quirky, strangulated voice similar to that ofMarvin the Martian.
One of the versions of Claude Cat was planned to be made as a cameo in the deleted scene "Acme's Funeral" from the 1988 filmWho Framed Roger Rabbit. He appears with other animated characters scared whenCasper appears at the funeral.[4]
Claude appears in the episode "Mr. Popular's Rules of Cool" ofTiny Toon Adventures.
Claude appeared as one of the spectators in the basketball game of the 1996 filmSpace Jam.
In the 2006Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas, Claude Cat has a very brief cameo as a Lucky Duck Superstore employee going home for Christmas.
Claude briefly appears inThe Looney Tunes Show opening.
Claude appears in several episodes ofNew Looney Tunes, voiced byJohn Kassir.
Claude also appeared with Hubie and Bertie in theLooney Tunes Cartoons short "Frame the Feline", where he is voiced byEric Bauza.[5]
