Why Can the Cat Talk in 'Rick and Morty'? Inside the Theories Behind the Cartoon Character

If you're a fan of the cartoon Rick and Morty, you've been captivated by the fourth season. The popular series is filled with bizarre storylines and captivating characters, and the latest is the Season 4, Episode 4 appearance of a talking cat... a talking cat who won't explain why he can talk, that is. So, why can the cat really talk in Rick and Morty? Here's everything we know!

Unfortunately for fans, the cat won't explain why he can talk in the show. In fact, all that the cat asks Jerry is that he be taken to Florida and not be questioned on why he can talk. And whenever his talking abilities would come up during the pair's mysterious trip to Florida, the odd cat just didn't want to talk about it. Hmm...

Throughout the scenes, the cat almost hints that he's running away from something. When asked why he wants to go to Florida, he responds: "Because they don’t ask questions. They play volleyball, they party, and they have fun.” And when he notices the suspicion in Jerry's eyes, he says: "You’re overthinking it! The point of a talking cat is to have fun!"

But since Rick wasn't interested in that vague answer, he took it upon himself to read the cat's mind. And after the sounds of a baby wailing and people screaming, the reactions from Rick and Jerry is what put fans in a frenzy. Rick almost killed himself and Jerry threw up before Rick erased the memory for him. Interesting...

Of course, though, fans have some theories about why the cat, voiced by popular actor Matthew Broderick, can talk... and they took to Reddit to voice them (pun intended). 

"The cat (a character we are supposed to dislike) repeatedly says lines to the effect of 'stop asking questions and just have fun.' My interpretation is that this is a jab at the creators of other shows who have complained about so-called 'toxic fandom,'" one user said. 

"It’s meant to be like Rick’s fear of the everything-on-a-cob planet. It’s funny because there’s never an explanation, implying that the explanation is so wild it can’t even be communicated to the viewer because of the trauma it causes the characters," another said, adding that it could be "a dark twist on the Garfield characters involving unnerving and disturbing depictions of a colossal, demonic Garfield consuming souls and the matter that mankind consists of." 

However, they did not kill the cat, which has viewers also questioning if he will return in future episodes, especially because he's now bonded with the dragon. And since the cat has said that he's ashamed of the reason why he can talk, viewers are wracking their brain to really try and figure out what he did. Here's hoping Episode 5, which airs on Sunday, Dec. 15 on Adult Swim answers some of our questions!