Is "Garfield" based on a real cat?

Question

i love the comic strip "Garfield". I'd like to know if he's based on a real cat.

Answer 1

Yes it is based on a real cat.

"Garfield was born June 19 1978 in the kitchen of Mama Leone's Italian restaurant. He was 5 pounds 6 ounces-that's big for a kitten!-and ever since then he loved Italian food. The restaurant owner, forced to choose between Garfield and closing his doors for lack of pasta, sold Garfield to a pet store. Garfield thought he was a goner until Jon Arbuckle walked in the door.".....

see this link :

http://www.ipdnet.com/garfield/history.h...

Answer 2

Yes, and no.

Jim Davis grew up on a farm with 25 cats, so he had gotten to know what a cat's personality is like.

Unfortunately his wife is allergic to cats, so he doesn't own any of his own.

After working for Tom Ryan, the creator of the "Tumbleweeds" comic, Davis began a comic strip of his own featuring an all-bug cast called "Gnorm Gnat."  Unfortunately it never really got off the ground.  Jim then began sketching cats, drawing on memories of his childhood.  One cat in particular was a real grouchy cat he had named Garfield, after his very opinionated grandfather, James Garfield Davis.

Originally, Garfield was supposed to be a sidekick to the comic strip's main character, Jon Arbuckle.  But Davis soon realized that the fat cat was the real star of the show.  He then rewrote the strip to have it centered around the lasagna lover.

Answer 3

I used to live in Muncie, IN, where Jim Davis lives.  I remember seeing something there about Garfield being based on many cats Davis knew in his lifetime.  According to Wikipedia, he choose the cat because it was marketable and readers could relate.  So I guess the answer is yes and no!

Answer 4

Yes, it said on Wikipedia.