Who created Heathcliff the cat?

by · May 3, 2020

George Gately created Heathcliff, the strip-cartoon cat, in 1973. He commented:

Before him, cats were depicted as either stupid of sinister, but cats are smart. Heathcliff represented the anti-hero like Humphrey Bogart. He is a tough mug.

I have a feeling that Gately liked cats and I think he had a passing resemblance to his creation:

George Gately the creator of Heathcliff the cartoon cat

George Gately the creator of Heathcliff the cartoon cat. Illustration by PoC from images deemed to be in the public domain.

Heathcliff was named after the character in Wuthering Heights by Emile Brontë. The cartooon cat steadily grew in popularity until by 1981 he was syndicated in more than 700 newspapers. He was the subject of two books: Heathcliff Banquet (1980) and Heathcliff Feast (1981). He also appeared on ABC television on Saturday morning cartoons.

His full name was George Gately Gallagher (December 21, 1928 – September 30, 2001) but was better known as George Gately.

Note: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified.

Tags:

Michael Broad

Hi, I'm a 74-year-old retired solicitor (attorney in the US). Before qualifying I worked in many jobs including professional photography. I love nature, cats and all animals. I am concerned about their welfare. If you want to read more click here.

You may also like...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Click this to send email to Michael Broad, the site's owner and author

Animal Laws