What type of animal is Tom?

Tom is a cat, specifically an anthropomorphic domestic shorthair who stars in the Tom and Jerry cartoons. Jerry, the other title character, is a mouse, making their rivalry a classic cat-and-mouse chase.

Tom was originally called Jasper in his debut short, Puss Gets the Boot, released in 1940. He became known as Tom in his next appearance, The Midnight Snack. His full character name is often given as Thomas Jasper Cat Sr., though most stories simply call him Tom.

The cartoons frequently place Tom in the role of a house cat trying to catch Jerry, but he rarely attempts to eat him. His motives usually involve protecting his home, earning a reward, getting revenge, or simply competing with Jerry. A common mix-up is confusing Tom with Jerry because both characters sometimes behave like pranksters, but Tom is the feline and Jerry is the small brown mouse.