The Rick And Morty Season 4 Gag That Was Inspired By A Disney Classic

Rick and Morty is a series that explores outlandish science fiction scenarios in every episode. Naturally, many of these mysteries have led to fans positing some interesting theories about their deeper meaning. For example, what's the deal with the clock in Rick's garage laboratory? It remains to be seen if all of the big questions will be answered. However, fans can rest assured knowing that one of the Adult Swim series' most perplexing conundrums can finally be scratched off the list.

Per Digital Spy, Talking Cat's speaking abilities have intrigued viewers since the feline first appeared in "Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktim's Morty." In the episode, Jerry finds the kitty in his house and wonders why it's there. When he learns that it can talk, he assumes that it's one of Rick's experiments, but that's not the case at all. As the story progresses, the characters keep asking the animal how it's able to speak fluent human, but Talking Cat keeps changing the subject. At the end of the episode, Rick uses fancy technology to find out the truth, but he's shocked and appalled by what he discovers.

The episode doesn't share the information that Rick learns with fans, but Reddit users have tried to fill in the gaps. For those seeking more concrete information, though, there's a simple answer.

As Decider pointed out, Rick and Morty writer Jeff Loveness opened up about the mindset that went into Talking Cat's creation in the season 4 DVD commentary. According to the scribe, the writers wrote the character as a response to some of the family-friendly felines in the Disney cannon.

"That came from like those movies like Oliver and Company and all that. They didn't really explain why the cats can talk."

No one really questions why the animals can speak in animated children's classics. It's simply accepted as the rule of the land. Given that Rick and Morty has a propensity for addressing pop culture topics, it's unsurprising to learn that the House of Mouse informed its bizarre storytelling to some degree.

However, it's worth noting that Talking Cat was never supposed to be a significant character who caused confusion and spurred debate. Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon elaborated on the matter in the same commentary, revealing that they just wanted to create some good old-fashioned silliness.

"The cat subplot was just an attempt to have fun. "The cat represents that voice in your head in the writer's room that you're overthinking it."

Talking Cat might be little more than a throwaway character and season 4 gag in the grand scheme of things, but the response to the mysterious feline has provided some interesting food for thought among Rick and Morty's most die-hard aficionados.

A Reddit thread proposed that the cat was really Morty or an evil cosmic entity from another dimension. Collider elaborated further on the latter theory, suggesting that Talking Cat could be the Lovecraftian god Cthulhu. As the article highlighted, Rick and Morty's creators have teased Cthulhu's arrival in the past, but the dragon-like octopus has only really been mentioned in passing on the show itself.

That said, it's evident that Cthulhu exists in Rick and Morty's universe, and the creators haven't ruled out doing something substantial with the cosmic being down the line. Perhaps the Great Old One will be revealed as Talking Cat at a later date? Only time will tell.