The series "Tom and Jerry," features comedic fights between an iconic set of enemies, a house cat and mouse. The plots of each short usually center on Tom's numerous attempts to capture Jerry and the mayhem and destruction that follows. Tom rarely succeeds in catching Jerry, mainly because of Jerry's cleverness, cunning abilities, and luck. However, there are also several instances within the cartoons where they display genuine friendship and concern for each other's well-being. At other times, the pair set aside their rivalry in order to pursue a common goal, such as when a baby escaped the watch of a negligent babysitter, causing Tom and Jerry to pursue the baby and keep it away from danger.

In the 1940 Disney film Pinocchio, the Fox and the Cat are given the names "Honest" John Worthington Foulfellow. The pair differ from their original counterparts in the Collodi novel in a number of ways, in that they do not feign disability, and it is they who tempt Pinocchio to go to Mangiafuoco's theatre (named Stromboli in the film) and coax him to Pleasure Island. The Cat is portrayed as completely mute but has 3 hiccups as his only line in the film. Though portrayed as scoundrels, they never go as far as attempting to murder Pinocchio. Foulfellow is portrayed somewhat as bombastic ham actor, whereas Gideon's mannerisms resemble those of Dopey from Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the title character as the circus elephant Dumbo

Figaro is probably best known as the pet cat of Mister Geppetto and Pinocchio. He has also starred independently in a number of Disney shorts, as the pet cat of Minnie Mouse, which was a common theme for Disney characters to be juxtaposed from movies to cartoon shorts. Three of the cartoons he appeared in were his own cartoons; "Figaro and Cleo" (1943), "Bath Day" (1946) and "Figaro and Frankie" (1947). Similar to Pluto, Figaro is one of the few Disney characters who is not anthropomorphized, but just a normal cat.