Red Dwarf/The Cat

The Cat
Red Dwarf
Actor	Danny John-Jules
First Appearance	1x01 - The End
Last Appearance	8x08 - Only the Good...
Series Billing	Series: Billed
Episode Count	—
Notable Episodes	—

Basic Information

The Cat (everyone just calls him "Cat") is a selfish, narsissistic, humanoid who is always preoccupied with either his personal appearance or his personal needs. Despite all this, he is actually a nice person and gets along with other people quite well.

Although he looks human, he actually evolved from Lister's cat, Frankenstein, in the hold of the ship over a period of three million years. While Lister was in stasis, generation after generation of cats lived in the hold, evolving, until they reached their present form. His people left the ship in search of "Fuscha" (the promised land) leaving him behind. Although his people were followers of the cat religion, he himself is not a devout follower.

He will frequently go through the ship marking his territory using a spray bottle containing what is presumably perfume or pheromones, saying "this is mine, and this is mine ...".

He has an obsession with fashion that obviously derives from his preoccupation with his personal appearance. He will frequently make use of fashion analogies, when trying to make a point.

Character History

Over time the Cat becomes less self-centered and gains some useful skills. In season 6 he becomes a competent pilot with a nose that can sense trouble across the void of space.

Memorable Moments

• In the episode Stasis Leak, when he and Lister have been shut out of the bridal suite by Lister's future self, he reveals that he has taken a bottle of wine from the bridal suite.
• In the episode Gunmen of the Apocalypse, Sherrif Kryten is trying to leave the Western town of Existence. Leaving town will destroy him, so the Riviera Kid (the Cat) does a little dance, draws his guns, and confidently fires a single shot. The shot ricochets off a tin bath, across the street to a bell, where it ricochets again. The bullet ricochets again and again until it finally cuts one of the ropes holding the town's sign up. The sign swings downward knocking out Kryten.

Trivia

• He had very little formal education, growing up virtually alone on Red Dwarf.
• The Cat's girlfriend in the TIV game Better Than Life was Miranda: half woman, half fish ... fish on top and woman on the bottom!
• He uses hot wax hair removal on his legs, his crotch, and probably elsewhere as well.
• His heartbeat and pulse are more rhythmicaly musical than a regular human heartbeat.
• He has six nipples.

Quotes

• Cat often calls Rimmer "alphabet head", "goal-post head", or "grease stain".
• "This looks like a job for the Riviera Kid" ... 6x03 - Gunmen of the Apocalypse
• "Swirly thing alert!"
• He will often refer to Kristine Kochanski as "officer Bud-Babe" or something similar.