Publicity Stills of Audrey Hepburn With Orangey the Cat for ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ (1961)

In the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the cat called Cat was described as a “poor slob without a name” by Audrey Hepburn’s character Holly Golightly. But in real life, the feline actor behind the furry role had a totally opposite reputation.

Not only did this cat have a name, Orangey, he was also quite the kitty celebrity. Orangey was one of Hollywood’s most widely demanded feline actors back in the day. A marmalade tabby trained by famous animal wrangler Frank Inn, Orangey already had a decade of acting experience before he became Audrey Hepburn’s onscreen companion.

Orangey made his movie debut in the 1951 film Rhubarb, in which he plays the namesake character, a “millionaire” cat who was gifted an entire baseball team by his late owner. Although that might sound humorous, Orangey also appeared in more serious roles, such as a fugitive cat in the 1959 film Diary of Anne Frank. It’s no question that this kitty had the chops to appear in what would become one of the most famous movies of all time, Breakfast at Tiffany’s in 1961.

One of the reasons why Orangey made such a successful feline actor was due to his ability to “stay” for indefinite hours while a movie was in production. But like some human celebrities, Orangey reportedly exhibited diva behavior after his scenes wrapped up. Once the cameras stopped rolling, Orangey would often run away, shutting down production until he was found again. One unnamed movie executive even called him “the world’s meanest cat” for scratching and spitting on costars after a scene ended.

That said, Orangey’s hard work on Breakfast at Tiffany’s paid off big-time in the long run. He ended up winning his second Patsy award — the animal equivalent of an Oscar — for his role as Cat after the movie was over. (His first Patsy was for his role in Rhubarb.) To this day, he remains the only cat to ever win a Patsy award two times — what an accomplishment!

One might think that after the success of Breakfast, Orangey might’ve gone into kitty retirement. Not so! This fierce feline continued to appear in a variety of movies and TV shows until the late 1960s, including The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Beverly Hillbillies.