June 19th is National Garfield Day! This grumpy orange cat has won the hearts of millions with his sarcastic, unimpressed puns and lovably gruff ‘purrsonality.’ A vet discusses this lasagna-loving feline below.

History

Why is June 19th National Garfield Day? It’s his birthday! Way back in 1978, a (then) little orange ball of cynicism was born in the kitchen of Mamma Leoni’s Italian Restaurant. As you may have guessed, baby Garfield immediately developed a lifelong lasagna craving. In fact, he ate so much that the restaurant owners were faced with going out of business. They had to sell the food-loving feline to a pet store, where he was soon adopted by cartoonist (and lifelong nerd) Jon Arbuckle. The two have been best buddies ever since.

Friends And Enemies

Although Garfield has always been the star of his universe, he’s had a variety of co-stars over the years. Some of the most popular ones include Arlene, his crush; Odie, Jon’s slobbery, eternally gullible pooch; a little mouse named Floyd; Nermal, the World’s Cutest Kitten, and one of Garfield’s archnemesis; Pooky, Garfield’s beloved teddy bear; and his veterinarian, Liz, whom Jon is hopelessly in love with. The fluffy (okay, he’s actually just fat) orange furball also has some formidable enemies. This list not only includes Nermal and Odie, but trees, raisins, the occasional spider, screen doors, several dogs, and, of course, every Monday ever.

Rising Star

Garfield was a worldwide comic sensation by the early 80’s. He soon made the kitty leap from comic strips to TV, starring in such classics as The Garfield Show, Garfield Originals, and Garfield’s Halloween . The larger-than-life feline released his first book, Garfield at Large, in 1980, and made it to the silver screen in 2004 with Garfield: The Movie. The flabby tabby has also been voiced by the esteemed actor Bill Murray, and was once the subject of the biggest Macy’s parade float ever . In the ‘90s, he even got his own amusement park ride at Kennywood in West Miffin, PA. In 2011, he launched his own musical! Currently, the lovably lazy kitty holds the Guinness World Record for being the world’s most syndicated comic strip. Not bad for a cat that spends most of his time napping and poking fun at his human!

Is your kitty obese, lazy, and/or orange? Does your feline buddy love lasagna, torment innocent house spiders, or enjoy cuddling teddy bears? Reach out to us, your pet clinic!