Cats make great book characters. They have a reputation for being mysterious, aloof, cunning, mischievous, and occasionally irritating. All of those traits lend themselves to compelling, memorable personalities.

Here are eight cats from children’s literature that stand out in my reading and writing history.

Gareth. High on my list of all-time favorite books is Lloyd Alexander’s Time Cat. Gareth has the ability to live nine lives across space and time, and he takes his boy Jason along for the adventure after Jason gets sent to his room. They explore history in Egypt, Rome, Ireland, Japan, and more.

Cheshire Cat. This one is a glaringly obvious choice. What list of fictional cats would be complete without literature’s most vexing grinning feline?

Picky-Picky and Socks. One of my go-to authors as a kid—and still an author I advocate today—is Beverly Cleary. Picky-Picky is the grumpy cat who lives with the Quimby family in the Ramona books. I have a soft spot for cranky cats, and who could forget Picky-Picky with his unusual name? The other famous cat from Cleary’s books is the title character in Socks. The book, told from Socks’ point of view, follows the changes in his home and family dynamics (and his jealousy and desire for attention) when a baby enters their lives.

Pete the Cat. My nieces were toddlers when James Dean’s and Eric Litwin’s Pete the Cat books first hit bookshelves. That’s how my parents’ lovable but annoying barn cat earned the name of Pete. Since Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes was released in 2008, dozens of picture books, story books, and I Can Read books have featured the optimistic and cheerful bluish-black cat.

Pete the Barncat. The original cat named Pete from my childhood was Pete the Barncat from John R. Erickson’s Hank the Cowdog series. Pete lives on the same ranch as main character Hank, a cowdog who is the self-appointed “Head of Ranch Security” and thinks his IQ is quite a bit higher than it actually is. Pete and Hank fit the cats vs. dogs trope—Pete can be a petty trickster, and Hank can be a humorous combination of arrogant and dense.

Bad Kitty. Mischief and shenanigans happen everywhere Kitty goes in Nick Bruel’s Bad Kitty books. This humorous series including a mix of picture books and chapter books is fun for kids and entertaining for adults who read aloud to children (or just read it for themselves).

Scrap. Not many readers have met Scrap yet, but he’s a memorable character among my circle of family and friends. Scrap is the angry, half-feral, one-eared cat in The Mountain of Dempsey Molehill. He despises most humans but tolerates the affection of Bandi, the youngest Molehill sibling who has a feral streak of her own. He plays a significant role in two chapters—his mischief is especially prominent in Chapter 9: Scrap Versus the Young Homesteaders Club:

One moment the crowd was peering into the box. The next moment, a hissing, spitting, fur-covered, one-eared cannon ball erupted out of the cardboard, right into Hannah’s lap. […] Flashes of fur and claws barreled between everyone’s legs. The crowd broke, stampeding toward the furniture pushed against the walls. YH members climbed onto the couch and piano and armchairs as if playing The Floor is Lava. Screams filled the living room. Somewhere near the circle of folding chairs I heard Anthony yell, “There’s no way that thing’s a cat! It’s a Tasmanian devil!”

Who are your favorite literary cats? Drop them in the comments below!