We’ve all seen the classic Kliban Cats on T-shirts, mugs, calendars, and greeting cards. You know the ones: the cat with the guitar singing about mousies, or the wide-eyed Momcat with her baby. But when I asked my readers to name their favorites, the results were a little more surprising.
Here are their Top 10 Picks. Some strange, some sweet, all unmistakably Kliban.
Kliban Cat art prints make a perfect gift for cat lovers – especially those from the baby boomer generation, who remember seeing these illustrations when they first appeared in the 1960s and ’70s. The playful striped cats are always caught in the act of doing something odd… and yet, somehow, it always feels exactly right. Because, as every cat person knows, they do what they want.
About the Artist B. Kliban – Cat Cartoonist Extraordinaire
B. “Hap” Kliban (pronounced Klee-ban) was the original artist behind the iconic Kliban Cats, a beloved series of vintage cat illustrations that gained popularity through Playboy magazine in the early 1960s. A skilled cartoonist with a quirky style, Kliban once described cats as “a hell of a nice animal frequently mistaken for meat loaf.”
Originally from Connecticut, he moved to San Francisco, California, where he adopted a laid-back, beatnik lifestyle and continued to draw his famous humanlike cats in imaginative, offbeat, and unexpected situations, many of which are now considered collectible retro cat art.
Hap Kliban passed away in 1990 at the age of 55 from a heart condition.
The Charm Lives On
Decades later, Kliban’s cats are still making people smile. With their blank stares, absurd settings, and uncannily accurate cat behavior, they feel just as relatable now as they did in the ’70s. Whether you’re a longtime fan or just discovering them, these odd little creatures have a way of sticking with you. They may be ridiculous – but somehow, they always manage to land on their feet.