h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"Why aren't there any TV shows with a cat as the main character? If Lassie and The Littlest Hobo can be successful, why hasn't anyone made Fluffy the Wondercat?"

There's always Salem from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, one of my favourite TV cats

... and Salem is the classic example of why there's never been a 'fluffy the wonderkitten'. You can't train cats. Which is why Salem is an extremely dodgy animatronic puppet that just sits on Sabrina's bed all day because the puppet can't move.

A well trained dog, or more likely a number of well trained dogs used in rotation, can star in the TV series. Judicious use of treats and the presence of the trainer just off camera means the dog will sit, go where it's supposed to, bark, growl, fetch something, whatever. Try to shoot a series starring a cat and you'd be there all day just trying to shoot the title sequence.

Dogs are a lot easier to train, that's why there's more of them on TV. Cats are adorable, but they're more independant, and will often do what they want, not what you want.

There is a real stand in cat who plays Salem, his name is Elvis, oh the delights of having a child

But I bet it's only function is to run out a door every fourth ep.

That and being picked up and cuddled

there are, or at least used to be cats on tv. there was/is (anyway it hasn't been shown for years on regular tv) a cartoon called "Top Cat" it was about a gang of cats who used to live in the city and annoy the police chief. It was made by Hana Baberra (sic) around 1954ish.

but aside from cartoons I can't really think of any others.

Top cat was a Bilko for kids, I liked TC anyway.

There's Arthur (if you're old enough to remember him) and the Bacardi Breezer Cat, My cat Emma's a silver tabby like that cat

"You can't train cats"

Possibly not in the same way, but I saw an advert that I thought was camera trickery - a cat opened a bolt, but it had been trained to do it. So why can't they be trained to sit and stay, like dogs?

Even rats can be trained, what is it about cats?

Wasn't there a Disney movie: "The Cat from Outer Space" or some such...?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077305/

You're not wrong!

Cats and Dogs was also a film with cats in it, but they were just runing in and out a lot.