10 Cat Movies Set in Space

Do you like cats and sci-fi? You’re in the right place. I put together the ultimate list of cat movies set in space (or with cats from outer space).

You’ll find both old and new releases, well-known hits and deep-cut oddities, and space movies that will surprise even the biggest genre fan. Let’s dive in.

1 Lily C.A.T. (1987) 

In this animated mix of sci-fi and horror echoing Alien (1979) and The Thing (1982), a deep-space crew wakes from cryosleep, during which a foreign organism came on board and infected a cat named Lily.

Strange events follow: crew members die under mysterious circumstances, bodies vanish, and paranoia spreads as impostors manipulate the ship’s systems.

🐱 Read next: Lily C.A.T. (1987): An Alien-Inspired Japanese Sci-Fi Anime

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2 The Cat from Outer Space (1978)

This classic Disney film introduces an alien feline named Zunar-J-5/9, “Jake” for the friends, who crash-lands on Earth. 

Jake teams up with three human scientists to repair his ship and return home, all while dodging government agents. His telekinetic collar turns him into both a helpful ally and the center of every joke. 

Even after almost five decades, The Cat From Outer Space is still one of the best space movies for kids.

🐱 Read next: The Cat From Outer Space (1978): Alien Fun From Disney’s Golden Age of Live-Action.

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3 Zombie Cats from Mars (2015)

This indie horror-comedy is pure camp and chaos. A UFO crash outside a small town sets off bizarre behavior among local cats, and several turn violent. 

A teenage film nerd uncovers the truth: the cats come from Mars. 

He rallies a group of neighbors to stop the feline invasion before things get worse.

🐱 Read next: Zombie Cats From Mars (2015): The Weirdest Alien-Cat Apocalypse Movie You’ll Ever See.

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4 Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space (2002)

This avant-garde anime follows Tamala, a cat-girl mascot who becomes a cultural icon on the dystopian world of Cat Earth. 

She escapes her artificial hometown in a small spaceship and drifts through surreal encounters, corporate conspiracies, and cult symbolism. 

The film mixes sharp social satire with cosmic imagery and a loose, dreamlike structure. 

It also inspired several short OVAs that expand Tamala’s strange universe and explore her cycles of rebirth and strange relationships. 

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5 Night on the Galactic Railroad aka Ginga-tetsudô no yoru (1985)

This philosophical fantasy places two cat protagonists, Giovanni and Campanella, on a mystical train that travels across the Milky Way. 

The story explores friendship, grief, and the search for meaning as the cats journey past constellations and cosmic wonders. 

🐱 Read next: Night on the Galactic Railroad (1985): A Deep-Dive Into Kenji Miyazawa’s Spiritual Classic.

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6 The Cat aka Lo Mau (1992)

An extraterrestrial black cat lands on Earth and teams up with a young flying girl and the adventure novelist Wisely to battle a murderous alien that possesses people. Director Lam Ngai Kai blends rubber-practical effects, action set pieces, and moments of surreal humor while the cat remains the film’s mysterious, heroic focal point.

🐱 Chris Hewson unpacks all the weirdness and behind-the-scenes facts from The Cat (1992) here.

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7 The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About Space! (2017)

The Cat in the Hat takes Nick and Sally to planets, stars, and other parts of the universe to learn about space and celestial phenomena. Through fun experiments, songs, and humor, the Cat helps the kids (and viewers) understand basic astronomy in an entertaining, kid-friendly way.

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8 Mouse Into Space (1962)

This 7-minute Tom & Jerry short plays with the idea that “there are no cats in space.” 

Jerry volunteers for a space mission to escape Tom, but Tom accidentally ends up on the spacecraft too. Their rivalry erupts in zero gravity and turns the mission into pure slapstick chaos.

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9 Cats in Space (2012)

This 3-minute indie short features a feline starship crew that sets out to “boldly go where no cat has gone before.” 

The film leans into playful sci-fi humor and fits perfectly within the wave of small festival animations focused on cute animals in cosmic settings.

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10 Space Cat Hob (2014)

In this 6-minute CG animated short, an astronaut cat named Hob crash-lands on an alien world and meets a strange bee-like creature. His attempt to survive triggers a fight against a growing swarm. 

Bonus Cats 

Space Cats aka Spacecats (1991–1992), a short-lived Saturday-morning TV series of 13 episodes mixing puppetry and animation. It follows alien cats on missions to protect Earth. Each episode delivers a new sci-fi scenario with plenty of playful humor.

Space Kid and Cat (2018–), a Nickelodeon digital series in which a spirited 12-year-old and his nervous talking cat travel through outer space in a cardboard spaceship, on a quest to find their way back to Earth.

There are also a few animated YouTube minis (often AI-generated) about space cats if you want to check them out. Look for such titles as Paws in Space and Astronaut Cat.

Final Thoughts

Which cat-centric space movie is your favorite, and which title surprised you the most? Do you know any hidden gems we missed? 

Share this list of cat movies set in space with your friends and on social media, and let other fans join the cosmic feline fun!