From the Vault: Orangey the Cat

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Well before Grumpy Cat took the Internet world by storm, another notoriously bad-tempered cat was stealing the limelight. From 1952 – 1964, a red tabby named Orangey appeared in a number of films and TV shows.  He is the only cat to have won two Patsy Awards – the animal kingdom’s equivalent of the Oscar. He was known for his ability to stay for long periods, but behind-the-scenes, also for his volatile nature. A movie executive once called Orangey “the world’s meanest cat”.

Orangey’s first Patsy award winning role was as Rhuburb in the film of the same name. This screwball comedy tells the story of cat who inherits a fortune from his millionaire owner – and a baseball team.
 

You may remember Orangey in his other Patsy award-winning role as Holly Golightly’s companion “Cat” in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. In an interview Audrey Hepburn once said that the scene where she has to throw “Cat” out of a car into the rainy street was the most distasteful thing she ever had to do on film.
 

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Orangey also played a small but important role in the 1950’s sci-fi classic The Incredible Shrinking Man. He also played Minerva for six years in the television series Our Miss Brooks. According to the book Cats’ Most Wanted by Alexandria Powe Allred, once a scene was a wrap he would often flee, shutting down production until he could be found again. His trainer Frank Ocean was known to places guard dogs at the studio’s entrance to prevent Orangey from running away.

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