Rick and Morty creators address viral Reddit theories about season four’s talking cat

The show’s writers and creators have given different explanations for the plotline

The creators of Rick and Morty have addressed a viral Reddit theories concerning a talking cat in season four of the hit sci-fi animation.

The recent episode “Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktim’s Morty” featured Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) as a mysterious talking feline, prompting a wave of speculation from fans.

Popular theories posted on the Rick and Morty Reddit forum posited that the cat could in fact by a different incarnation of Morty, an evil cosmic entity, or a “victim of unspeakable violence”. 

However, series creator Dan Harmon have poured cold water over most of the theories, insisting that the cat was simply a joke.

“The cat subplot was an attempt to just have fun,” Harmon told Decider. “The cat represents that voice in your head in the writers room that you’re overthinking it.”

Rick and Morty writer Jeff Loveness claimed that the idea for the cat originated in movies like Oliver and Company. 

“They didn’t really explain why the cats can talk,” he observed.

However, Chris Parnell, the actor who voices Jerry on the series, speculated that the cat could have a more sinister backstory.

Speaking to Digital Spy about the reason Jerry and Rick recoiled in horror at the cat’s mind, he said: “I guess it would be [the cat] just eviscerating other people, or maybe a sort of Hitler kind of ruler overseeing the death of millions, or – I don’t know – doing horrible sexual acts.”