Sylvester James Pussycat, Sr.,
Sylvester the Cat or simply
Sylvester, or
Puddy Cat, is a
fictional character, a three-time
Academy Award-winning
anthropomorphic Tuxedo cat in the
Looney Tunes and
Merrie Melodies repertory, often chasing
Tweety Bird,
Speedy Gonzales, or
Hippety Hopper. The name "Sylvester" is a play on
Felis silvestris, the scientific name for the
wild cat species (domestic cats like Sylvester, though, are actually
Felis catus). The character debuted in
Friz Freleng's
Life With Feathers (1945). Freleng's 1947 cartoon
Tweetie Pie was the first pairing of Tweety with Sylvester, and the
Bob Clampett-directed
Kitty Kornered (1946) was Sylvester's first pairing with
Porky Pig. Sylvester appeared in 103 cartoons in the golden age. He appeared fourth most frequently in films behind
Bugs Bunny,
Porky Pig, and
Daffy Duck respectively. Three of his cartoons won Academy Awards, the most for any starring Looney Tunes character: they are
Tweetie Pie,
Speedy Gonzales, and
Birds Anonymous.