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The mice make cameo appearances in the comic strip and the television series. They are often portrayed as living their own social lives in their mouse holes. For a gallery of mice, click here

Although Jon Arbuckle wants Garfield to get rid of the mice, this rarely happens. This is either because Garfield is too lazy to chase them, considers the act of eating them to be abhorrent or has befriended the mice living in his house. Jon always blames Garfield if he sees any mice or holes in the wall. On one occasion, there were enough holes on the wall to be easily-recognizable. On at least four occasions, the mice have been given names: Squeak appeared in the mid-1980s, Tommy in 2009, Stretch in 1983 and Herman Vermin in the late 1990s.

There is also one mouse named Stretch (not to be confused with Garfield's rubber chicken), who only appeared in one strip. In the September 9, 2004 strip Garfield was seen celebrating one of the mice´s birthday. They often annoy and mock Garfield; on one occasion three mice dove into Garfield's mouth and jumped back out repeatedly in succession, because Garfield was too lazy to attack them. Another occasion was when the mice gave Garfield a cake for his birthday that was meant to have a mouse pop out of it. Garfield then ate the cake without realizing this, eventually spitting out a mouse named Shirley.

Garfield considers earing mice

Garfield considers eating mice, but his friend talks him out of it.

On the January 15, 2006 strip, Garfield actually considers the idea of eating mice, explaining that, "If I ate mice, I wouldn't have to wait around for Jon to feed me." Squeak puts him off the idea by pointing out the appearance of the various mice in the house, all of which are ugly enough to make the cat lose his appetite.

Despite the general peace between the mice and Garfield, they have pressed their luck with him with an unflattering song about him and on one occasion using him for a bounce house. They once voted to decide on letting Garfield stay in the house. When Jon issued an ultimatum that either the mice go or he goes, they proceeded to move Jon's suitcase down the stairs.

Appearance[]

Much like Garfield himself, the mice have also undergone an evolution of sorts since their first appearance.

Mouse Appearance 1

The first appearance of a mouse in the comic strip. June, 1978

The first mouse appears in the strip mere three days into the strip's existence, on June 21, 1978. It looked like a typical, cartoon mouse: oval body, round ears, pointed nose, thin legs and a long, thin tail. It ran by on all fours, and had gray fur. There would be several changes throughout the early years of the strip.


Mouse Appearance 2

The mouse gets an Odie-like shape. April, 1979

The April 19, 1979 strip shows Garfield chasing a mouse with a similar body shape to Odie at the time: round-ish body, long neck, round ears, thin legs and a long, thin tail. The mouse also has a less pointy snout and round eyes. The snout, and head in general, would remain a lot more round, though it does come to a point at the nose. It also had black fur, as well as the mouse that would appear a few months later, on June 24.


Mouse Appearance 3

A mouse begins to get a rounder body. July 1979

July 22, 1979 saw the mice return to their starting gray fur, except with a much rounder body, and it was the first time they would be shown with pink ear flesh. Future mice would lose this feature, though this would make a reappearance later.


Mouse Appearance 4

The mouse's eyes become dots. March 1981

Another major change would come on March 12, 1981, when the mice would get dots for eyes. This lasted for a few months, until October 12, 1981, when the mice got their round eyes back. They would alternate between round eyes and dot eyes until September 13, 1983, when the dot eyes would become a fixture for mice, and it was also at this time that the pink ear flesh made a comeback and then, stuck.


Mouse Appearance 5

A periwinkle blue-furred mouse would appear. November 1981

While mice are usually depicted as gray or black, the first unnatural fur color for mice came in November 29, 1981, when a few light blue mice appeared. Odd colors of mice would be sprinkled in throughout the years, but gray has always been the typical color.


Mouse Appearance 6

Squeak would set the trend for bipedal mice. October 1984

As Garfield became bipedal in the mid-1980s, the mice did the same, and this started with a mouse that would later be named Squeak, on October 30, 1984. Squeak was also quite often depicted with a mouth. Some mice before him have been seen with a visible mouth, while others have not, but starting with Squeak and continuing throughout the rest of the 1980s into the '90s, mice have been shown with mouths.

Mouse Appearance 7

This general shape for mice would stick. April 1995

As the years passed, (that is, 1984 and the years afterward) the mice began to be depicted more and more on two legs, until it became a staple in the strip, and like Garfield, they managed to get bigger feet and shorter arms when standing idle. Eventually, their general shape began to stick in the mid 1990s, and mouths began to fade out around that time, though they would still appear when necessary. Ever since, any appearance changes have been minor.


Comic Strips[]

Casual Conversation[]

Garfield and mice have interacted like casual friends at times.

Mice CC 1981-10-14

10/14/1981 Garfield asks a mouse what is does for a living.

1978 - 1989[]

  • 10/13/1981 Garfield and a mouse chat about rumors about the opposing species.
  • 10/14/1981 Garfield asks the mouse what it does for a living. It poses for anti-vermin posters, and it makes its ferocious face.
  • 10/15/1981 The mouse and Garfield devise a scheme to keep the balance in the house. Garfield will chase it around the house while the mouse will wear different wigs for each chase.
  • 10/17/1981 The mouse wonders why they can not raid the kitchen. Garfield replies that Jon will not let them. The mouse then desires to kill Jon, but Garfield shoots him down. As an alternative, the mouse wants to nibble the toes out of Jon's socks.
  • 8/12/1982 Garfield demands that something growling in a stump reveal itself. It was a mouse with great acoustics.
  • 8/13/1982 Garfield threatens to pound a mouse for scaring him in the stump. A hairy arm grabs him before he can, though. The mouse tells "Guido" to back down.
  • 11/29/1982 Garfield hears a snap and squeak. He goes to investigate, but sees what he thinks is a dead mouse in a mousetrap. The mouse, however, is alive and blames him for the mess.
  • 12/3/1982 Garfield frees the mouse again and tells it to run off. The cat tosses the mousetrap over his shoulder, and it gets the mouse again, much to Garfield's frustration.
  • 9/14/1983 A mouse wishes he was a cat. Garfield tries to cheer him up, but the mouse replies that he's on the wrong end of the food chain.
  • 10/30/1984 Garfield welcomes a mouse and tells him to make himself at home, but after stealing Pooky and Garfield's food bowl, Garfield lays down some rules.
  • 10/31/1984 The mouse asks for a drumstick. Garfield tosses him one, which crushes him.
  • 11/1/1984 Garfield asks for the mouse's name, but the mouse does not have one. When asked what people say when they see him, the mouse claims his name to be Eek.
  • 11/2/1984 Garfield himself decides to give the mouse a name. Despite his desire for a mean-sounding name like Crusher or Cat Killer, Garfield names him Squeak.
  • 11/3/1984 Garfield straps a key to Squeak's back. Jon thinks Squeak is a toy, and Squeak is appreciative.
  • 11/6/1984 Garfield gives Squeak the game plan: appear every now and again, get chased away, and everyone is happy. Squeak thinks it is odd, but those are the rules.
  • 11/10/1984 Garfield introduces Squeak to a mousetrap, and give specific instructions to never to activate it. Squeak, however, touches the trigger anyway and gets his head caught.
  • 2/18/1985 While vacuuming under the chair, Jon accidentally sucks up Squeak. Garfield sees him inside the vacuum.
  • 2/19/1985 Garfield lets Squeak out of the vacuum, and Squeak is furious about what happened. When he rhetorically asks what the odds of that happening again are, Garfield replies, "Getting better all the time, I'd say." as Jon sucks him back up.
  • 2/21/1985 Garfield asks Squeak why people are afraid of mice. Squeak replies, "Bad press, I guess." but Garfield figures it is because of the Black Plague that wiped out half of Europe in 1348.
  • 2/22/1985 Squeak rants about a mousetrap that's baited with processed American cheese, which he calls, "an insult to [his] palate".
Mice CC 1999-1-25

1/25/1999 Garfield formally meets Herman Vermin, the mouse.

1990 - 1999[]

  • 3/9/1996 A mouse tells Garfield how much Jon hates the mice. Garfield explains Jon's thing with mice, which the mouse knows involves standing and screaming on a chair.
  • 7/31/1998 While getting the paper, Garfield spots, "Herman stinks!" scrawled on the front door. He then talks to the mouse about their across-the-street neighbor.
  • 1/25/1999 Garfield meets a new mouse who introduces himself as Herman Vermin. Garfield then asks Jon what to bring to a hole-warming party.
  • 12/13/1999 A couple weeks before Christmas, Jon suggests that Garfield rethink the letter he is planning on sending. Garfield considers removing the part about winning a Nobel Prize, and a mouse, who had just walked up, asks to shake Garfield's paw.
Mice CC 2005-1-9

1/9/2005 Garfield comments about how easy mice have it.

2000 - 2009[]

  • 2/6/2000 A mouse is chatting with Garfield when he sees Jon coming. Thinking fast, Garfield stuffs the mouse in his mouth. Jon, seeing Garfield in front of the mouse hole, gives him an appreciative slap on the back, causing him to swallow out of reflex. He asks if the mouse is still in there, and the mouse replies that it is holding onto Garfield's uvula for dear life.
  • 4/6/2001 Jon gets trapped repeatedly in mousetraps. Garfield tells a mouse that Jon will give up soon, and the mouse asks for the bait.
  • 6/24/2001 Garfield lies on his back, enjoying the peace and quiet, when a mouse arrives with the elephant that followed it home, irritating the fat cat.
  • 1/26/2002 A mouse tells Garfield that it has to go back to its job as a pest. Garfield sighs and goes, "All the good jobs are taken."
  • 11/17/2003 A mouse tells its mouse friend that cats are dangerous. They then see Garfield yawning and scratching himself, making the first mouse reconsider.
  • 9/10/2004 A mouse is tired, so Garfield tells it to take a seat. The seat the mouse takes is on top of Garfield, prompting him to perhaps set a few more rules.
  • 1/9/2005 Garfield notes how easy mice have it, since they are easily pleased. Cats, however, need more than that. Specifically, naps. This confuses the mouse Garfield is talking to.
  • 1/15/2006 Garfield tells a mouse that he is considering eating it and the other mice, but the mouse talks him out of it by showing him how disgusting the mice are.
  • 9/11/2006 Garfield asks a mouse what's going on, and the mouse is very testy. Garfield notes that it has not had its morning cheese and that is why.
  • 6/14/2007 A mouse asks how Garfield is doing, and the cat replies that he is starving. The mouse, feeling sorry, asks if Garfield's diet is getting to him, and Garfield sees the rodent as a piece of cake.
  • 3/1/2008 A mouse asks Garfield what being a cat is like. Garfield is unsure, since he has not been awake long enough to know.
  • 3/23/2009 A mouse asks Garfield if he would eat it if it was the last mouse on Earth. Garfield declines, and instead, he would force it to cook for him.
Mice CC 2017-4-1

4/1/2017 A mouse tells Garfield that it is going to scurry across the table.

2010 - 2019[]

  • 4/29/2010 A mouse asks Garfield if he has seen its brother, who was right where Garfield was sleeping. It turns out the mouse was still there, under Garfield.
  • 8/13/2010 A mouse begs Garfield to do something, and although reluctant at first, Garfield complies and feigns fear of the mouse.
  • 11/3/2011 A mouse asks Garfield how he got fat. Garfield answers, "Eating chubby mice," scaring the mouse.
  • 3/31/2012 A field mouse greets Garfield and another mouse. Garfield and the mouse are surprised, wondering how the field mouse can get pizza.
  • 11/16/2012 Garfield tells a mouse that Liz is a vet, so the mouse goes to her and tells her that its knee hurts.
  • 9/12/2013 Jon plans to set a mousetrap up. Garfield counts down from three and then Jon gets himself caught in it. Garfield tells a mouse to sound the all-clear.
  • 7/22/2014 A mouse tells Garfield that his girlfriend is from another country. When questioned, the mouse elaborates that she is from the basement. Garfield wonders if she can speak English.
  • 11/21/2014 A mouse tells Garfield that the rat in the basement is leaving. Garfield celebrates, until he learns that the reason the rat is going is because of Garfield's constant whining, though he does not seem to care too much.
  • 12/29/2014 A mouse tells him that he got his wife a treadmill for Christmas. Garfield replies, "That's nice," and then asks why he is standing in the snow. The mouse reiterates the fact that he got his wife a treadmill for Christmas.
  • 1/2/2015 A mouse tells Garfield that its New Year resolution is to no longer be vermin. The mouse then turns around and asks if Jon's going to finish his donut.
  • 5/2/2015 Garfield asks how many mice are in a hole and the mouse replies that 4,732 mice are in there. Garfield wonders where the other mice are.
  • 7/30/2015 A mouse tells Garfield that it is moving. Garfield says that he'll miss it, but the mouse is not moving far, just a hole a few inches away.
  • 8/12/2016 A mouse walks past Garfield, whistling a song called Dogs Are Dumb. Garfield whistles it himself.
  • 8/25/2016 A mouse asks Garfield if he wants to go gnaw on the woodwork. Garfield declines, and the mouse leaves to do just that.
  • 4/1/2017 A mouse shows Garfield how it scurries across the table. Garfield finds mice odd.
  • 4/18/2018 A mouse tells Garfield to scurry on the floor. Garfield replies that cats stroll instead of scurry.
  • 3/9/2019 Garfield tells a mouse that he can speak many animal languages, but he's not so good at speaking squirrel. A squirrel walks up to him, and Garfield is confused as to what it is saying.
  • 3/30/2019 A mouse tells Garfield about its uncle, who died after eating so much cheese he exploded.
  • 8/22/2019 A mouse tells Garfield that mice are sneaky. Garfield is skeptical, but the mouse suddenly appears behind him, surprising the fat cat.
  • 10/3/2019 After mistaking Garfield's burp for thunder, a mouse asks him to imitate lightning next.
Mice CC 2020-5-7

5/7/2020 A mouse tells Garfield about its job interview.

2020 -[]

  • 5/7/2020 A mouse tells Garfield about its job interview. Garfield asks what job it could get, and the mouse is attempting to be a maze tester at a lab. Garfield gives it a thumbs-up.
  • 1/14/2021 A mouse tells Garfield how hard it is being a parent. Garfield asks how many kids it has, and the mouse replies, "Forty-seven."
  • 7/15/2021 Garfield tells a mouse that he could catch it if he wanted to. The mouse then runs off, with Garfield claiming that he needs a head start.
  • 2/22/2022 A mouse asks Garfield what cats do when they retire, since sleeping all day is their job. Garfield tells it to scram.
  • 6/27/2023 Garfield stares at a small box, and a mouse pokes its head out of it. It tells Garfield that it fails to see the appeal of being inside of it, and Garfield claims that it is because it is a mouse and not a cat.

Anthropomorphic Mice[]

The mice, having human-like qualities, often do many things that humans do. As such, they use various human items differently to fit their needs, or doing other things humans do.

Mice 1985-2-20

2/20/1985 Squeak drives a makeshift car he made.

1978 - 1989[]

  • 11/8/1984 Garfield brings Squeak a toy log cabin for him to stay in, but Squeak wonders if it is in a good school system.
  • 11/9/1984 The day after getting his cabin, Squeak thanks Garfield for having a place to call his own. Garfield, in response, stumbles upon his bed and kicks it, presumably out of jealousy.
  • 2/20/1985 Jon tells Garfield that he's missing spools of thread and a button. Squeak had used them to build and drive a car.
  • 7/7/1987 Seeing Garfield gone, the mice begin partying and playing music, until Garfield pokes his head out in a houseplant and scares everyone.
Mice 1998-10-11

10/11/1998 Garfield gives the mouse bride away during her wedding.

1990 - 1999[]

  • 2/20/1992 Garfield finds an inner tube in his water bowl. A mouse appears and asks him if the pool is closed.
  • 8/6/1992 Garfield sits with his food bowl surrounded by barbed wire to keep the mice out. The mice are a step ahead and parachute down upon him from above.
  • 9/29/1992 Garfield follows an electric cord from the wall leading into a mousehole. Jon asks where the TV is, but Garfield replies, "You don't want to know."
  • 10/2/1992 A mouse gives Garfield a piece of cheese, which the fat cat calls, "Rent"
  • 6/13/1993 While Garfield sleeps on his back, three mice bounce off of his tail into his mouth when he snores. He spits them out and then the mouse bounce on his toes to leap into his mouth again. Garfield awakens and calls them, "Thrill seekers".
  • 8/16/1993 Garfield receives a shirt from mice that reads, "I Heart mice"
  • 1/13/1994 Garfield and a mouse have a snowball fight. Garfield wins easily and calls the mouse a wimp "when it comes to snowball fights"
  • 11/3/1994 Garfield, on the fence, presents his co-stars, a sextet of mice, to his feline audience. The cat audience devours the mice. "Tough crowd," Garfield notes.
  • 2/1/1995 A mouse tosses a standard lease agreement out of its hole.
  • 3/4/1996 Jon saw a mouse using a shopping cart in the kitchen.
  • 7/24/1996 While doing his laundry, Jon notices squares cut out of his sheet. Garfield tells the mice that they cannot have any more toga parties.
  • 10/19/1996 Garfield spots a "Room for rent" sign and wants to know what room. The mouse replies that it is the room they are standing in.
  • 4/17/1997 A mouse had gone on vacation to Hawaii, and has now returned just as Garfield was telling Jon how close he was to catching it.
  • 11/7/1997 A mouse uses Garfield as a screen to show its vacation slides. Garfield notes to himself that it is time to go on a diet.
  • 11/28/1997 Garfield says that Jon caught mice in a cage. This does not bother him, but the banging of their tiny tin cups on the bars does.
  • 1/30/1998 A mouse in a nightcap and pajamas walks by Garfield, and they wish each other good night. Jon then appears in his own pajamas, with holes shaped like a shirt and cap that the mouse is wearing.
  • 1/31/1998 Jon is looking weird because he lost a contact lens. It turns out a mouse was using it as a salad bowl.
  • 2/1/1998 As Jon does his daily chores, he notices mouse-sized household things everywhere, from tiny trash cans to a tiny plate with silverware to a tiny chair. Jon complains to Garfield, who talks with the mouse about it.
  • 10/6/1998 Garfield hears whirring coming from a mousehole. He looks inside, and then whines to Jon that they do not have an electric coffee grinder.
  • 10/9/1998 Two mice stand of Garfield's belly, admiring the view. They ask Garfield to take their picture, and the cat begrudgingly does so.
  • 10/11/1998 Jon is drinking his morning coffee when he sees a mouse in a tuxedo walking toward him. Four more tux-clad mice follow, and then a smaller mouse carrying a pillow with a ring on it, confirming that this is a mouse marriage. The bridesmaids walk up, followed by Odie playing the part of the flower girl, and finally Garfield, who is giving the bride away. Jon yells at his cat.
  • 1/28/1999 While checking his mail, Jon finds a small letter addressed to "H. Vermin". Garfield talks to Herman about it, asking not to give out their home address.
  • 2/20/1999 Garfield and a mouse complain about how slow their snowball making is going. The cat decides to grab an ice cream scoop, and the mouse asks for a melon baller, annoying Garfield.
  • 7/25/1999 Garfield sees a mouse standing around. He learns that it is waiting for its carpool. Garfield shrugs it off as a joke, but when questioned by Jon about a pair of tiny tire treads on the table, he opts not to answer.
  • 11/2/1999 A mouse introduces its mouse friend to Garfield, saying that he is "[its] pet cat". Offended, Garfield demands that the mouse use his name.
  • 11/4/1999 Garfield tells to the mice that their ballet is off after Jon ordered him to "get tough with them!"
  • 12/11/1999 A mouse asks to borrow three marshmallows. Garfield agrees, and the mouse uses them to make a snowman, frustrating Jon.
Mice 2002-9-4

9/4/2002 A mouse gives its victory speech for the mouse-of-the-year award.

2000 - 2009[]

  • 5/18/2000 Garfield sees what he thinks is a chocolate donut. He takes a bite, and it pops. A mouse then appears, wearing swim trunks and holding a towel, asking where its inner tube is.
  • 7/9/2000 A tree tries to get Garfield to climb it. His breaking point is an elevator in the tree with a mouse serving as the elevator operator.
  • 7/17/2000 Jon smells hamburgers, and asks Garfield about it. A mouse it barbecuing outside of its hole.
  • 11/8/2001 Garfield asks a mouse for a cup of sugar for Jon's cookies. He gets a mouse's version of a cup: a thimble.
  • 9/4/2002 A mouse presents its "Mouse of the Year" award in front of Jon, which irritates him.
  • 9/7/2002 Jon reads Garfield an odd bedtime story. It turns out the book belongs to a mouse parent for its kids.
  • 12/15/2002 A mouse is going out for Christmas, using a Christmas train decoration to get to its hole.
  • 11/18/2003 A mouse walks by Garfield and Jon, yawning, burping, and scratching itself. Jon tells Garfield that he is a bad influence on them, offending the fat cat.
  • 1/12/2004 A mouse runs by in a panic, telling Garfield that Jon is drinking his hot tub. The hot tub described is a bowl of soup.
  • 9/6/2004 Jon walks by a sleeping Garfield in bed, complete with construction cones, a "Cat at work" sign and a flag mouse.
  • 9/9/2004 Garfield flees from a mouse while both of them wear party hats. This is Garfield's birthday present to the mouse.
  • 9/14/2005 A mouse wonders where its slippers are. Garfield says that it left them in his food dish, and the mouse demands them. Garfield spits them out directly at the mouse's head.
  • 4/25/2007 A mouse does a high dive off of Jon's head into a coffee cup, garnering a score of 5.9 from Garfield.
  • 2/27/2008 A mouse rides a mechanical bull inside its hole.
  • 2/28/2008 A mouse decides to build a cabin on Jon's head for its retirement.
  • 1/18/2009 A mouse yells at Garfield because Arlene ate its friend Dave, and now the mouse can no longer play the accordion for him. The mouse leaves, weeping, and Garfield decides to talk to Arlene about it. He gets to the fence, where she is sitting, and thanks her for eating Dave.
  • 2/2/2009 A mouse gives Garfield a sack, and the cat orders it do its own laundry.
  • 3/24/2009 Jon tells Garfield that the mice are getting brazen. Garfield shrugs it off, but then a mouse reprimands Jon for using all the hot water.
  • 3/27/2009 Garfield tells a mischief of mice to keep it down. They are having a slumber party under his blanket, which Garfield knew was a bad idea.
  • 8/25/2009 Jon complains that he could not sleep last night. Garfield goes to investigate a mouse playing the trombone in its hole.
Mice 2012-9-26

9/26/2012 A professional stuntmouse drives its motorcycle over various food.

2010 - 2019[]

  • 4/6/2010 Jon smells peanut butter cookies, and Garfield checks the mousehole. A mouse was baking them, and luckily for Garfield and Jon, she had extra and was willing to share.
  • 5/9/2010 Two mice present a rather insulting song about Garfield, singing and strumming on a guitar. After they finish, Garfield throws them in the trash.
  • 8/9/2010 A couple of mice dressed like tourists walk past Garfield and Jon, unimpressed with their house since the brochure they read about it made it seem better.
  • 8/23/2010 A mouse wearing a swimsuit and sunglasses tells Garfield that it is done checking the chemicals. Contented, Garfield lounges in his kiddie pool on a hot summer day.
  • 2/6/2011 A mouse sees Garfield lying on his back and bounces on his belly. Another mouse joins the first, until Garfield growls, scaring the mice away.
  • 5/8/2011 Garfield's laptop pings. He reads something and laughs. He types a reply and sends it, and someone else laughs. He and a mouse are exchanging funny replies or emails on their laptops.
  • 6/1/2011 A mouse plays the blues on its saxophone during a rainy day.
  • 7/3/2011 Jon sees the sun shining outside and goes to wade in his kiddie pool, only to realize his pets have beaten him to it. They tell him to use the other pool, and Jon complies, squeezing himself into a kiddie pool for an irritated mouse.
  • 7/4/2011 Jon sees a lifeguard mouse sitting in its chair overlooking him. Jon claims to have felt safer.
  • 8/21/2011 Garfield lounges in his pool when he is surprised by a noise above him. He looks up and sees something bouncing off his belly. A mouse was doing high-diving practice and has bounced into a tree, and no one had told Garfield about it.
  • 8/24/2011 A mouse gives Garfield the news: cheese is good.
  • 11/19/2011 A mouse declares the house property of the Mice Empire. Garfield walks up, advising Jon to keep quiet.
  • 3/28/2012 Odie hops up to Garfield and opens his mouth, revealing a mouse on his tongue. Garfield compliments its entrance, but the mouse is bummed since its sparkler went out.
  • 3/30/2012 Garfield laughs at Jon for drinking out of the former's coffee cup, and a mouse laughs at Jon for drinking out of its hot tub.
  • 9/24/2012 A mouse looks around at a beach, and then returns, unaware of what it was vacation from, something Garfield has done before.
  • 9/26/2012 Jon hears the revving of an engine, and then sees a mouse riding a tiny motorcycle over several food items like a daredevil. Jon glares at a cheering Garfield.
  • 9/28/2012 Garfield reads a story of the cheese fairy to three mice. He reads that the fairy flew out of the mousehole into a cat's mouth, scaring the listening mice.
  • 9/29/2012 Jon asks Garfield where the mousetrap he laid out was, and Garfield replies that the mice have it and are using it as an end table.
  • 8/11/2013 A trio of mice do synchronized swimming in the bathtub, while Jon is taking a bath.
  • 11/7/2013 Garfield says that the mice wanted to go camping. Jon shrieks in the distance, and Garfield explains that he allows the mice to camp in Jon's slippers.
  • 11/17/2013 Jon hears a ringtone and sees a tiny cell phone. He presses a button, and the messages replay; the first one consisting of squeaking. Jon shouts for Garfield, who is next to the mouse that lost its phone.
  • 8/4/2014 Garfield and the mice have dinner together, complete with silverware, plates, and napkins around their necks.
  • 12/22/2014 Garfield sings Christmas carols with a trio of mice.
  • 2/15/2015 Jon sees a tiny snowman in the window. He then sees more and more snowmen in different windows in the house, resulting in him screaming and fleeing from the house. Garfield tells a mouse, the builder of the dozens of snowmen, to stop.
  • 7/30/2015 A mouse moves to a hole mere centimeters away.
  • 9/28/2016 Garfield walks past a spider-shaped mousehole. The mouse tells Garfield that it used a chainsaw for the first time.
  • 2/15/2017 As Garfield walks by a mousehole, the mouse complains that the pictures are falling off the walls every time he passes.
  • 4/23/2017 A line of mice enjoy tiny popsicles from the ice cream truck.
  • 6/25/2017 Jon and Garfield sit in the pool on a hot day. Jon mentions he could use a drink, and Garfield decides to do that. He snaps his fingers, and a mouse serves him a cool drink.
  • 7/10/2017 Garfield has a cup of coffee, the only good thing about Monday morning, and notes how it has tints of soap and cheese. A mouse was inside the coffee pot, trying to bathe.
  • 1/1/2018 Garfield walks the mousehole and sees what is left of a New Years party.
  • 1/12/2018 A mouse uses a smartphone.
  • 3/27/2018 A mouse texts Garfield sad emojis due to lack of cheese.
  • 5/3/2018 A couple of mice return from vacation.
  • 5/15/2019 A mouse drives a car.
  • 9/17/2019 A mouse attempts to swat a spider with a magazine, but it loses its balance under the heavy magazine and falls on its back.
  • 11/7/2019 Jon got a robot vacuum, and watches the mice using it as a shuttle.
Mice 2021-4-1

4/1/2021 A mouse complains to a shedding Garfield that it just raked.

2020 -[]

  • 4/2/2020 Garfield and a mouse run through a script about Garfield intimidating the mouse, but the rodent desires to add some laughter to the script. Garfield, however, is not approving.
  • 5/7/2020 A mouse had a job interview to essentially be a lab rat.
  • 7/8/2020 A mouse uses a GPS to reach its destination, though it is unclear where that is, exactly.
  • 8/4/2020 A mouse took dozens of vacation pictures on its cell phone.
  • 8/23/2020 A mouse sees something cute on its phone.
  • 9/8/2020 Jon tells Garfield he cannot find his new phone. The cat goes to the mice, demanding it be returned, but the mice were in the middle of a movie when the cat asked.
  • 11/1/2020 A mouse gets its blanket stolen by a shivering Garfield during a chilly November night. It, Jon, and Odie demand to speak with the cat.
  • 2/21/2021 A mouse with a pick walks up to a snowman and begins scaling it like a mountain climber. After struggling a bit, it reaches the top and yodels, surprising Garfield.
  • 2/27/2021 Garfield tells the reader about the mouse's birthday party in their hole. The mice rented a bounce house and are having fun with it.
  • 4/1/2021 Garfield walks past the mousehole, shedding as he goes. A mouse complains, claiming to have just raked there.
  • 9/14/2021 A mouse is feeling down, when it stumbles upon Pooky. It takes it into its hole, where Garfield finds the bear's legs sticking out.
  • 12/27/2022 A mouse sees a smaller hole next to its hole. Panicked, it runs to Garfield, telling him to call pest control.
  • 5/9/2023 A mouse calls himself king of the hill while standing on Garfield's belly. Garfield tells him to beat it, and the mouse does, putting a "Keep off the cat" sign on him.

Cheese, Please[]

Mice have a common stereotype about eating cheese. This remains in the strip.

Mice Cheese 1989-1-19

1/19/1989 Garfield uses a cheesy technique to rid the house of mice.

1978 - 1989[]

  • 10/16/1981 Jon yells at Garfield after spotting a mouse eating cheese. Garfield slowly chases it, but despite the mouse being too full to run, he can not catch it. Garfield urges it to hurry up.
  • 12/1/1982 Garfield feeds a trapped mouse a piece of cheese. The mouse wonders how it can swallow with a metal snare stuck on his neck.
  • 9/13/1983 Garfield finds talking cheese. He wonders why he has not seen talking food. The cheese replies that it is because he's dumb. Garfield soon realizes he's talking to cheese, and a mouse, hiding inside, does the same thing.
  • 11/29/1988 Garfield is watching TV when Bowling for Cheese comes on. He is instantly surrounded by mice who want to watch.
  • 1/19/1989 Garfield solves his the mouse problem by giving a group of seven mice a giant piece of cheese. The plan is to make them explode.
  • 4/30/1989 Garfield shoves a piece of cheese into a mousehole. When he hears chewing on the other end, he uses billows to pump air into the mouse, inflating it like a balloon.
Mice Cheese 1992-10-16

10/16/1992 A mouse carries a piece of cheese into an arrow-shaped hole.

1990 - 1999[]

  • 5/24/1990 Garfield and his mouse friends lie around even fatter than usual after the first annual cheese festival.
  • 11/6/1991 Garfield beats a mouse to a piece of cheese and then promptly eats it, making Jon annoyed and the mouse mad.
  • 2/19/1992 Jon gives Garfield a piece of cheese to bait the mouse out of the hole. Garfield eats it and notes that the cheese is not working, frustrating Jon.
  • 10/2/1992 A mouse pushes a piece of cheese out of his hole in front of Garfield as a rent payment.
  • 10/16/1992 A mouse carries a piece of cheese into its hole.
  • 8/18/1993 Jon points out a mouse stealing cheese. Garfield would chase it, but wants to know what type of cheese it is first.
  • 8/20/1993 An exterminator Jon hired is disguised as cheese to coax a mouse out of a hole.
  • 11/20/1994 Garfield uses a wind-up cheese toy to bait the mouse out of its hole. In response, a wind-up mouse pops out of the hole and follows the cheese, surprising Garfield.
  • 4/19/1995 Garfield pulls out a piece of cheese from a mouse's refrigerator in a hole.
  • 10/28/1995 Garfield blows a mouse whistle that seemingly makes no sound, but a mouse comes out salivating because the sound is of cheese aging.
  • 5/10/1996 A mouse takes its payment of cheese after helping Garfield create a chase scene in front of Jon.
  • 7/23/1996 Garfield goes fishing for mice using cheese as a lure, but gets a mouse-sized boot instead.
  • 11/7/1997 A mouse uses Garfield as a screen to show its vacation slides, one of which is the cheese festival in Wisconsin.
Mice Cheese 2009-8-28

8/28/2009 A mouse quickly gets full on cheese.

2000 - 2009[]

  • 5/23/2000 Jon yells that cats and mice are enemies. Garfield decides to think about it, and the mouse invites him over to enjoy some cheese.
  • 4/2/2001 Jon tells Garfield about three mice carrying suitcases through the front door. Garfield tells him that the cheese expo is in town.
  • 4/3/2001 A mouse within its hole gives Garfield cheese as a "bribe".
  • 11/14/2002 Jon hears squeaking from inside Garfield's blanket. It is mice feeding the cat cheese while being babysat, as explained by Garfield.
  • 1/13/2004 A mouse runs by, carrying cheese, and then returns with a stack of crackers, impressing Garfield.
  • 7/2/2004 Garfield declares the house free of mice, but then a piece of cheese walks by, a mouse carrying it.
  • 1/9/2005 Garfield notes how easy mice have it, since all they need is a piece of cheese to be happy.
  • 3/23/2005 A mouse tells Garfield and Jon that it is going to eat some cheese, and do other things. Garfield tells it not to overwork itself.
  • 9/11/2006 A mouse is very grumpy to Garfield since it has not had its cheese.
  • 4/27/2007 Jon wonders what happened to the cheese puffs. Garfield finds a fat, trying-to-act-casual mouse and demands to see its fingers.
  • 3/26/2009 A mouse tells Garfield that it has switched to low-fat cheese. Garfield considers this another reason to not chase it.
  • 5/30/2009 A sombrero-wearing mouse is known for its cheese quesadilla, so Garfield claims.
  • 8/28/2009 A mouse eats a chunk of cheese and quickly gets full. Garfield devours the rest.
  • 8/29/2009 Jon dumps a bunch of tiny slips of paper onto the floor, saying that he found them in the cheese drawer. Garfield tells the mouse to stop putting I.O.U.s in there.
Mice Cheese 2014-5-25

5/25/2014 Jon posted this photo on the Internet.

2010 - 2019[]

  • 6/3/2011 Jon sees a sleeping mouse and a sleeping Garfield. He sticks the mouse in the cat's open mouth. Garfield tastes cheese and the mouse smells tuna.
  • 8/24/2011 A newscaster mouse gives Garfield the news: cheese is good, and the accompanying film at 11:00.
  • 11/19/2011 The Mice Empire's flag is simply a piece of cheese.
  • 9/25/2012 A mouse tells Garfield that someday, mice will rule the world, live in people's homes, and eat cheese; this prompted Garfield to reply, "You don't say."
  • 9/28/2012 Garfield reads a story to a trio of mice about the cheese fairy.
  • 3/6/2014 A mouse refuses to give Garfield the TV remote unless it gets cheese in exchange.
  • 5/25/2014 Jon takes pictures of the animals in his house, including one of a mouse, and posts them on the internet. The mouse gets a caption reading, "I steal cheese"
  • 2/10/2016 A mouse looks over some cheese with cheese on it and grins at Garfield before enjoying it.
  • 9/30/2017 Jon asks what the greatest invention of all time is, and a mouse tells Garfield that it is cheese. Jon continues with "The wheel," but Garfield is more intrigued by the type of cheese.
  • 11/4/2017 A mouse runs to Garfield in a panic because their out of cheese. Garfield tries to help it by offering it cake and ice cream, but the mice is still stressed about the lack of cheese.
  • 3/27/2018 After Jon and Garfield run out of cheese, a mouse texts Garfield sad-face emojis.
  • 6/9/2018 A mouse asks Garfield whether or not its breath smelled like cheese, to which Garfield replied "Yes, it does." This impressed the mouse, who then told Garfield "That's what the ladies like."
  • 9/18/2018 Garfield tells three mice that he loves lasagna. The mice are not impressed, until he tells them that cheese is an ingredient.
  • 2/9/2019 A mouse tells Garfield that it knows where there is cheese. It returns with some cheese for the two of them.
  • 2/21/2019 A line of mice, and Garfield, race to get half-priced gouda wheels at Cheese World.
  • 3/30/2019 A mouse's uncle Iggy blew up after eating too much cheese.
  • 9/29/2019 A gigantic mouse eats a piece of cheese.
Mice Cheese 2023-3-1

3/1/2023 Garfield, Odie, and a mouse agree that cheese is really tasty.

2020 -[]

  • 2/6/2020 A mouse chews cheese-flavored gum and blows a bubble in front of Garfield, which Garfield claims will never catch on.
  • 3/16/2020 During a mouse party over the weekend, cheese got in the chandelier. After Garfield points this out to a mouse, the rodent tries playing it cool.
  • 4/16/2020 A mouse notes the impending cheese festival on its schedule.
  • 5/13/2020 A mouse, while sitting in cheese, tells Garfield that without mice, the world would be overrun with cheese. Garfield notes that we all have a role to play.
  • 7/30/2020 A mouse shows Garfield a cheese inspector business card and then demands to see their cheddar.
  • 8/4/2020 A mouse shows Garfield pictures of its vacation to Cheeseworld from its cell phone.
  • 12/29/2020 A mouse tells Garfield that it always gets cheese for Christmas every year. Garfield asked the mouse "So life's good, huh?" to which it replied "You bet your Brie it is".
  • 2/2/2021 A mouse asks Garfield if they have any cheese, and Garfield goes to check. He returns with bulging cheeks and replies, "Nope." This makes the mouse suspicious of him.
  • 3/13/2021 A mouse advises Garfield to add a bunch of cheese to his shopping list.
  • 5/6/2021 Garfield watches a mouse walk toward him, its fat belly wobbling. Garfield asks it how the cheese festival was, and the mouse gives him a thumbs-up and burps.
  • 8/5/2021 Garfield asks the mice why Swiss cheese has holes. The mice answer that the holes are for them to play hide-and-seek, prompting Garfield to switch to cheddar.
  • 8/19/2021 Mice ooh and ahh while watching a cheese-making documentary with Garfield.
  • 10/14/2021 A mouse tells Garfield it has 1,000 pictures on its cell phone; 999 pictures of cheese and one picture of its mother.
  • 11/25/2021 After Garfield once told a mouse that cheese comes from milk, the mouse then tried in vain to convert a glass of milk into cheese.
  • 12/13/2021 A mouse uses several pieces of cheese as makeshift Christmas ornaments.
  • 10/18/2022 Three mice burp in front of Garfield. Garfield is able to tell what cheese they ate just by smelling their breaths.
  • 3/1/2023 Garfield, Odie, and a mouse burp, agreeing that cheese is delicious.
  • 6/16/2023 A mouse gives Garfield cheese for a birthday gift.
  • 12/9/2023 Garfield is surprised to learn that a mouse used cheese to decorate for the Christmas holidays.
  • 12/24/2023 A mouse receives a piece of cheese from Garfield.
  • 12/28/2023 Garfield shows the mice a trophy made of cheese. He awards it to himself.
  • 5/7/2024 A mouse tells Garfield to hold its calls, unless the call is about cheese. Garfield is well aware of this.
  • Taking a picture of a piece of cheese with its cell phone.

Cruel Mice[]

Mice are not always Garfield's friends.

  • 11/29/1981 Garfield flicks a mouse off the table and then goes to sleep. For revenge, a small squad of mice set a stand of a cat being hanged in front of him, frightening Garfield.
  • 2/23/1985 Squeak tells Garfield that he is lazy and lacks ambition. Garfield replies that he could be the world's greatest mouser, which changes Squeak's tune.
  • 7/9/1986 A parent mouse insults Garfield by calling him fat and ugly. Garfield considers ending the peace between them.
  • 12/18/1986 A couple of mice demand cheese from Garfield, or else neither the mice nor Garfield will be able to sleep. The fat cat begrudgingly gets them some, but when they ask for tiny forks, Garfield decides to turn vicious.
  • 3/22/1987 Two mice confront Garfield about a mousetrap in front of their hole. Garfield does not care, but the mice declare war. Once again, Garfield shrugs it off, but when confronted with a toy gun, a matchbox cannon, a wind-up tank, and a small squad of army mice, Garfield recalls when he used to like mice.
  • 5/8/1987 A mischief of mice gives Garfield a slice of pie. At first, Garfield is quite appreciative, until the mice spill that without him, "Jon might get a real cat!", which rubs Garfield the wrong way.
  • 10/18/1987 Garfield finds his food eaten and a trio of fat mice. He calls them out, but the mice protest and call him a tyrant. Garfield angrily leaves, but then the mice ask to hold the taco sauce, prompting the cat to wish them to explode.
  • 4/19/1988 A mouse pokes Garfield's tummy and calls him fat. It calls the other mice to show Garfield off, but Garfield crushes it with his belly.
  • 2/17/1992 A teacher mouse shows a sleeping Garfield to its students, and how it is a lion that has devolved into that. Garfield gets the urge to murder something.
  • 10/14/1992 A mouse in a mousehole drops Garfield through a trapdoor for using the wrong password.
  • 7/22/1996 Garfield says how disgusting mice are, and a mouse insults Garfield as it walks by.
  • 5/10/1997 A mouse changes the channel to a mouse-friendly show while Garfield was watching Ed, the Wonder Cat.
  • 8/17/1997 A mouse tiptoes out of its hole and draws something on the wall. When it sees Garfield coming, it bolts, because it was drawing an insulting picture of the fat cat.
  • 1/29/1998 Garfield looks at the mice around him and wonders which of them has been stealing his chocolate. He points out one fat mouse with zits.
  • 11/10/2001 Garfield explains his deal he has with the mice: He does not eat them and they do not booby-trap the litter box.
  • 7/1/2004 Garfield walks up to Jon in a mouse costume and proclaims that mice rule, a result of losing a bet with a mouse.
  • 5/31/2011 A mouse reads Garfield a bedtime story about mice beating up a cat. Garfield calls it "sick".
  • 3/6/2014 A mouse greets Garfield, disappointed, and then returns to its hole. Garfield demands the TV remote back, but the mouse refuses to give it unless Garfield gives it cheese in exchange.

Garfield's Revenge[]

While mice often prank or insult Garfield, the fat cat himself has gotten back at them a handful of times.

  • 4/21/1995 An odd sound gets Jon's attention and he asks Garfield about it. He is playing paddleball, using a mouse as a ball.
  • 4/30/1995 Garfield grabs a mouse, wraps a string around it, and spins it like a top. The dizziness aftermath causes it to throw up in Jon's coffee cup.
  • 11/29/1997 Garfield uses his remote to change the channels on the mouse's TV as part of what he calls, "a taste of [his] wrath."
  • 2/16/1999 Garfield is making a snowcat, when a mouse walk up, thinking that it needs something. Garfield stuffs the mouse headfirst into where the snowcat's mouth would be.
  • 5/9/2010 A couple of mice are thrown in the trash by Garfield after they sing a song insulting him.

Family Matters[]

The mice mentioning their family is a relatively common theme.

  • 10/12/1981 A mouse wanders up to Garfield and proclaims to be caught. He wants Garfield to eat him, the cat declines, and the mouse calls him a monster for forcing him to go home to "seven screaming kids".
  • 9/15/1983 - 9/17/1983 A mouse tells Garfield that its mother was a lemming. When Garfield asks what a lemming is, the mouse replies, "A gerbil with suicidal tendencies." After telling Garfield that it is half lemming, the mouse then throws itself off the table and tries to drown itself in Garfield's water bowl.
  • 11/30/1982 Garfield feels pity for the mouse in a trap. The mouse says it is fine, as it is "the first peace and quiet [he's] had in years."
  • 12/2/1982 Garfield frees the mouse, only for his wife and kids to appear in front of him. When the wife demands he come home, the husband traps himself.
  • 7/9/1986 A parent mouse introduces its son to a cat, Garfield. After getting insulted, Garfield considers ending the treaty between him and mice.
  • 10/16/1996 A mouse tells Garfield that his wife kicked him out of the hole for eating a garlic bulb. This prompted Garfield to kick the mouse out of the house entirely.
  • 9/7/2002 Jon reads Garfield an mouse-themed bedtime story. The mouse parent and its kids appear, demanding the book back.
  • 3/29/2012 Garfield walks by a large mousehole and two smaller holes next to it. A mouse proudly tells Garfield that it and the partner had twins, which Garfield had figured out.
  • 9/27/2012 Garfield walks by a large hole and many smaller holes after it. Garfield calls it, "Day care."
  • 11/2/2016 A long-legged grumpy-looking mouse walks past Garfield. One of the parents appears, asking where its teenage son is, and Garfield points out where it went.
  • 1/14/2021 A mouse tells Garfield that it has 47 children. This prompted Garfield to remark, "That's a lot of school plays."

Garfield Chasing Mice[]

Garfield has had several cases of chasing, and even catching, mice. Often, however, he does nothing at all.

Garfield does nothing[]

Garfield often lets mice run by, lets them go, or something of that nature. Jon is not a fan of this.

1978 - 1989[]
  • 6/21/1978 Jon yells at Garfield to catch a mouse, but Garfield equates a good mouser to a cat with bad breath.
  • 1/18/1979 Jon points out a mouse to Garfield, who screams and lands on Jon's head.
  • 6/24/1979 Jon feeds Garfield liver, and even tastes some for him. When a mouse passes, Jon becomes angry that Garfield does not do anything about it. Garfield will only consider it if Jon eats one first.
  • 3/11/1981 Jon hears a squeaking sound. Garfield tries ignoring it, but Jon wants him to do something. The cat oils the mouse.
  • 3/13/1981 Garfield wonders why people expect cats to eat mice. It could be a mom, or a deacon in church, or it could get lodged in Garfield's throat. This last reason is enough to toss the mouse away.
  • 3/14/1981 Jon orders Garfield to kill the mouse. Garfield says that he has too much respect for his "warm-blooded brothers and sisters". He instead kicks Odie up into the air.
  • 8/16/1981 A mouse walks up to Garfield. The cat pets it, but seeing Jon coming, he quickly hides it under his coffee cup. After Jon leaves, the cat lets it go.
  • 8/5/1983 Jon demands that Garfield get rid of all the mice. The cat crosses his legs and demands that Jon call the former's attorney and give the mice an eviction notice.
  • 8/7/1983 Jon demands that Garfield catch a mouse scurrying by. When he does not, Jon demands to know why Garfield refuses to eat mice. The fat feline does not like hurting mice, and does not understand why Jon does not understand that. A nearby typewriter gives Garfield an idea. He writes out a letter to Jon explaining that he and the mice agree not to hurt each other, but while writing his name, he cannot get the "E" key to work. Frustrated, he punches the typewriter, unintentionally injuring a mouse that was stuck inside. Garfield apologized to it.
  • 11/5/1984 Garfield tells Squeak to hide because Jon wants the cat to eat the mouse. Garfield gags at the thought of that.
  • 11/7/1984 While Jon pours Garfield his dinner, a mouse sprints out of the box. Garfield figures that was the surprise at the bottom of the box.
  • 12/14/1984 After finding his old home, and his family, Garfield decides to become a mouser with help from his granddad. Grandpa tells him to eat a passing mouse, and Garfield instantly begs not to, preferring to "swallow [his] pride than that mouse."
  • 9/19/1985 Jon tells Garfield that there is a mouse in the house. Garfield shrugs it off, because he thinks that mice do not eat much, but after seeing a mouse dragging the refrigerator off, he asks to talk with it.
  • 7/26/1988 Garfield wishes Jon would stop nagging him about pulling his weight. He does not believe so, but mice are everywhere around him.
  • 9/3/1988 Jon points out a mouse and demands Garfield to "Act like a cat." Garfield falls asleep in response.
1990 - 1999[]
  • 4/22/1990 Jon does not think Garfield is pulling his weight. After mice, squirrels, and armadillos run over the apathetic cat, Garfield figures that the armadillos are what pushed Jon over the edge.
  • 6/6/1991 Jon points out a mousehole and tells Garfield to do something about it. Garfield claims he cannot since he is not a carpenter.
  • 11/4/1991 A mouse runs by Jon. Garfield runs up, asking which way it went. When Jon points it out, Garfield loses interest.
  • 11/7/1991 Jon sees Garfield "running" after a mouse. He tells them how much more convincing they would be if they were moving.
  • 1/15/1992 Jon asks Garfield is he thinks the mice situation is getting out of hand. Garfield asks him to clarify, despite being surrounded by dozens of mice.
  • 2/18/1992 Jon points out a mousehole and tells Garfield to "get" the mouse. The cat responds by insulting it.
  • 2/19/1992 Garfield eats a piece of cheese Jon gave him to coax the mouse out of a hole.
  • 2/21/1992 Jon points out a mouse, and Garfield reaches for it, straining his shoulder in the process. Jon sarcastically calls him "The mighty hunter."
  • 8/16/1993 Jon asks Garfield what mice are doing in the house. Garfield returns with a shirt that reads, "I Heart Mice" and replies, "They're giving away T-Shirts!"
  • 8/17/1993 A mouse runs by. Jon tells Garfield that cats are supposed to chase mice, but Garfield responds that he is confusing mice with tuna.
  • 8/18/1993 Jon sees a mouse stealing cheese and Garfield wonders if he should chase it. The type of cheese determines that.
  • 8/19/1993 Jon yells at Garfield for letting a mouse pass, but Garfield replies that he knew the password: "Squeak".
  • 1/7/1994 Jon tells Garfield that if he was a cat, he would chase the mouse that just ran by. Garfield looks at the mouse and simply barks.
  • 1/8/1994 Jon tells Garfield to "Be ferocious!" Garfield walks over to the mousehole and casually says, "Shoo."
  • 5/21/1994 Jon orders Garfield to kill the mouse, while pointing at the hole. Garfield offers to get the mouse hooked on bungee jumping and wishing for something to go wrong.
  • 1/15/1995 Jon tells Garfield to imagine him as a mouse running across the room. When asked how he would react, Garfield demands cheese.
  • 4/17/1995 Jon and Garfield watch a mouse walk by. Jon tells Garfield that cats chase mice, and Garfield reacts by wanting to know more about cats.
  • 4/18/1995 Jon orders Garfield to chase a mouse, but Garfield rolls his eyes and replies that he cannot since the mouse is not moving.
  • 4/20/1995 Jon signs a petition from Garfield asking the mice to move. Jon complies, and then sarcastically comments how cruel nature is.
  • 10/23/1995 Jon tells Garfield that he saw a mouse and says that he's not doing his job. Garfield thinks that he is not needed in this conversation.
  • 10/24/1995 Jon tells Garfield that he is a cat and shows him a mouse. The cat and mouse meet each other and shake paws, frustrating Jon.
  • 10/26/1995 A mouse runs by and Garfield notes how nature says he should chase it. After a moment, he calls for a taxi.
  • 10/27/1995 Jon walks through the door, followed by Garfield through the pet door, followed by a mouse through a smaller pet door. Jon says, "This has gone too far!"
  • 3/4/1996 Jon yells at Garfield because he saw a mouse with a shopping cart in the kitchen. Garfield asks if this will involve getting up.
  • 3/5/1996 A mouse runs by Garfield and Jon and demands to know why he saw that. Garfield replies that he usually would not, "But Fat Eddie's pretty slow."
  • 3/6/1996 Jon complains to Garfield because there are mice everywhere. He claims that Garfield calls himself a cat, to which Garfield moos.
  • 5/6/1996 A mouse runs by, and Jon points it out. Garfield responds by pointing at the chair Jon is sitting in.
  • 5/8/1996 Jon tells Garfield to get the mouse, but instead, the cat and mouse have to set the date and time first.
  • 5/11/1996 A mouse runs by, and Jon asks why Garfield does not chase mice. The cat says it is too noisy and lists off various noises he makes while chasing them.
  • 6/11/1996 A mouse in a snowsuit walks by Jon and Garfield and then walks back with an ice cream cone. Jon finds the hole in the freezer and yells at Garfield.
  • 7/26/1996 Garfield shows Jon the mouse he caught, even if it wandered into Garfield's paw.
  • 10/17/1996 Jon tells Garfield about a mouse sleeping in his bed. Garfield wanders into the bedroom and sleeps with it.
  • 4/14/1997 Jon tells Garfield that a mouse ate the strawberries off his cereal. Garfield licks his lips, and goes to get some strawberries.
  • 4/16/1997 Jon complains to Garfield about the sheer number of mice, and "either they go or [he] go[es]!" The mice respond by dragging Jon's suitcase down the stairs.
  • 11/24/1997 Garfield tells Jon he is feeling unappreciated for his hunting ability. When a mouse skips by, Garfield yells at it for its bad timing.
  • 11/26/1997 Jon tells Garfield that he has not seen him chase a mouse. Garfield explains that that is his plan: lull them into security, and then do nothing.
  • 11/27/1997 Jon tells Garfield that he is not much of a cat. Garfield objects, and so does the mouse next to him.
  • 1/26/1998 Garfield watches a TV show about how cats are great hunters. Jon mocks this, and the mice surrounding Garfield wonder what's wrong.
  • 10/5/1998 Jon yells at Garfield to chase the mouse, but when Garfield tells the mouse, it replies, "Tough." Jon is angry at Garfield, and the mouse demands that Garfield tell him that mice have rights, leaving Garfield annoyed.
  • 1/26/1999 Jon sits down to watch some TV, when he hears a click below him. A mousehole is in the chair itself, infuriating him.
  • 1/29/1999 Jon glares at a mouse leaning against a wall and demands that Garfield do something. The cat puts a "No loitering" sign up.
  • 8/23/1999 Jon tells Garfield that he is aware of their mouse problem. This is proven when Jon leaves his chair and several mice are behind him, though Garfield tells them to dial it down.
  • 8/24/1999 Jon tells Garfield that he dreamt about the cat catching mice. Jon finds it silly, but Garfield casually sips his coffee.
  • 8/26/1999 Jon angrily threatens to ground Garfield if he sees another mouse. After a pause, Jon tries to backtrack, but Garfield likes the idea.
  • 8/27/1999 Jon complains about how out of hand the mice have gotten. Garfield promptly organizes a group hug with the mice.
  • 11/1/1999 Jon tells Garfield what cats do with mice: eat them, catch them, play with them, and eat them (emphasis added). Garfield replies that there is not enough ketchup (catsup) in the world.
  • 11/4/1999 Jon demands that Garfield lay the hammer down on the mice. Garfield then breaks to the mice that their ballet is cancelled.
  • 11/5/1999 Jon uses signs around Garfield's and a mouse's neck, showing their roles as hunter and prey respectively. When asked what the hunter does, Garfield puts a "Dork boy" sign on Jon and leaves with the mouse.
2000 - 2009[]
  • 5/23/2000 Jon yells at Garfield that cats and mice are enemies. Garfield finds it fascinating and the mouse invites him over as they go.
  • 7/19/2000 Garfield declares the house mouse-free. When a mouse walks up, he declares it a hamster.
  • 2/6/2001 Jon hears something in the basement. He thinks it is a rat and tries to get Garfield fired up, but the cat goes to hide in the car.
  • 4/4/2001 Jon shows Garfield a food chain diagram, and points out that cats eat mice. Garfield questions where pizza is.
  • 4/5/2001 A mouse walks by Jon and Garfield and barks. Garfield states that dogs are getting smaller.
  • 11/5/2001 Jon spots a mouse, who grins wide at him. Jon asks to talk to Garfield, but the latter claims to be chasing the mouse.
  • 11/6/2001 A mouse walks by Garfield, who then notices Jon glaring at him. He wags his finger at the mouse, but Jon says it is too late.
  • 11/7/2001 Jon and Garfield see a mouse wearing a ten-gallon hat, bandana, and boots with spurs. Garfield notes that they are infested with cowboys.
  • 11/9/2001 Jon yells at Garfield because there's a mouse between them. Garfield does not understand what Jon wants, and neither does the mouse.
  • 1/22/2002 Jon asks Garfield what he is going to do about all the mice walking around. Garfield suggests that they get them name tags.
  • 1/24/2002 Garfield has the mouse chase itself, which he calls, "delegating authority."
  • 1/25/2002 Jon points out a mouse going by and asks Garfield if he will chase it. Garfield considers it if the mouse is going to the beach.
  • 9/2/2002 Jon tells Garfield to catch a mouse, but Garfield lets it go get its running shoes first.
  • 9/5/2002 Jon asks Garfield why he does not chase mice, and what power they have. Garfield replies, "Tiny little incriminating photographs."
  • 11/11/2002 A mouse tells Garfield and Jon that it is going to gnaw the woodwork. After getting a dirty look from Jon, Garfield wishes that the mouse gets a splinter.
  • 11/12/2002 Jon calls a mouse a filthy vermin. Garfield agrees and tells it to take a shower.
  • 11/13/2002 A mouse wearing glasses walks by and Jon asks Garfield why he is not chasing it. Garfield says that he did not recognize it with the glasses on.
  • 12/15/2002 Jon yells at Garfield for allowing a mouse to ride in the Christmas tree train.
  • 5/20/2003 A trio of mice walk up to Jon, who is eating, and asks if he's going to finish his food. Jon yells at his cat.
  • 1/14/2004 The mice agree to keep Garfield around, but Jon glares at him for not chasing them. Garfield shouts at them in response.
  • 1/15/2004 Jon sees a mouse running and looking over its shoulder. It is reading a cue card that Garfield is holding.
  • 6/28/2004 A cute mouse asks Jon how his day was. Jon calls Garfield, and the mouse wants to ask him how his day was.
  • 6/29/2004 Garfield and a mice say things as if they were chasing each other, though Jon is not buying it. Garfield then has the mouse turn around so that they face the same direction.
  • 6/30/2004 Jon chases a mouse to show Garfield, but the fat cat notices that Jon did not catch it.
  • 9/8/2004 A mouse runs back and forth in front of Jon and Garfield. Jon asks Garfield is he could chase him, but Garfield is planning on the mouse pulling something.
  • 9/11/2004 Jon tells Garfield to catch the mouse as it runs by. Garfield, being a good sport, decides to give it a two-week head start instead.
  • 3/23/2005 A mouse tells Garfield and Jon that it is going to eat some cheese, and chew some socks, since it is done gnawing the furniture. Garfield tells it to pace itself.
  • 4/23/2007 Garfield presents a mouse as his interpreter so now Jon can understand him. Jon wonders what is happening.
  • 4/24/2007 A mouse hugs Jon, and he asks Garfield why it did that. Garfield replies, "I gave him your lunch."
  • 4/25/2007 A mouse dives off of Jon's head into his coffee cup. Garfield gives it a score of 5.9.
  • 2/25/2008 A mouse runs in fear of Garfield, who is initially proud, but when the mouse flees from a lamp, Garfield sighs.
  • 2/26/2008 Garfield wears a sweater that reads, "I Heart Mice." Jon asks him why he's wearing that, and Garfield answers that he was cold.
  • 2/28/2008 A mouse sits on Jon's head, planning on building a cabin. When Jon tells Garfield to do something, Garfield replies that he recommended the beach.
  • 9/8/2008 A mouse runs by, and Jon shouts, "A mouse!" Garfield confirms, and tells Jon that he knows his rodents.
  • 9/9/2008 Garfield sees a mouse and whispers to it that in case anyone asks, he is chasing it. The mouse tells this to Jon.
  • 9/13/2008 A mouse greets Jon and Garfield as "fellow mice." When asked what he's going to do about it, Garfield offers to take it to an optometrist.
  • 2/2/2009 A mouse gives Garfield a sack of dirty clothes. When prompted by Jon, Garfield yells at it to do its own laundry.
  • 3/24/2009 Jon yells at Garfield for not doing something about a mouse that was bathing.
  • 3/25/2009 Jon shouts at Garfield for being wrong about cats chasing mice. A mouse pats Jon on the back and applauds him for admitting he's wrong.
  • 5/30/2009 A mouse wearing a sombrero greets Garfield and Jon, and Jon demands Garfield explain himself. The cat does so by claiming the mouse makes a mean cheese quesadilla.
  • 8/24/2009 Garfield plans on putting Jon shrieking due a mouse sighting on his blog, as opposed to actually chasing it.
  • 8/26/2009 Jon talks to Garfield about the mouse problem. Garfield looks down and a large group of mice surrounds him, waiting for what Jon has to say.
  • 11/6/2009 A mouse sits in Jon's bed when Jon walks up with a cup of milk. The mouse asks where its milk it, prompting Jon to yell for Garfield.
2010 - 2019[]
  • 8/9/2010 Jon glares at Garfield for not chasing a couple of mouse tourists.
  • 8/12/2010 Jon shouts at Garfield, demanding that the mouse get caught, unaware that the mouse was behind him, mocking him, which amuses Garfield.
  • 8/14/2010 A mouse chases another mouse after Garfield sold it his franchise.
  • 5/30/2011 Jon and Garfield see a mouse wearing a fancy hat. Garfield concludes that they're drawing in high-class rodents.
  • 6/2/2011 A mouse sees Jon and feigns fear, saying "Eek! A man!" and then asking how he likes it. Jon shouts at Garfield.
  • 6/3/2011 Jon puts a mouse into a sleeping Garfield's mouth.
  • 6/4/2011 A mouse runs in fear, and Garfield claims that he is going to catch it. The mouse gets frustrated, since it is doing everything and Garfield is nonchalantly reading the paper.
  • 7/2/2011 Jon sees a mouse and shouts, "Mouse!" Garfield, irritated, says that now everyone will want one.
  • 9/7/2011 Garfield greets Squeak as he walks by. Jon glares at him, and then Garfield acts like Squeak just barely escaped.
  • 11/19/2011 After the Empire of Mice claims the house for itself, Jon glares at Garfield for doing nothing.
  • 3/26/2012 Jon yells at Garfield for allowing a mouse to sleep on his stomach. Jon shouts them to at least fake it, and the two comply by thinking about a chase.
  • 3/27/2012 Jon shouts that mice are good for nothing. A mouse whispers to Garfield that he ate 5,000 cheese cubes at once.
  • 9/26/2012 Jon glares at Garfield after a mouse rode a motorcycle like a daredevil over food.
  • 8/11/2013 A trio of mice do synchronized swimming in the bathtub. Jon, who is taking a bath at the time, demands Garfield do something, but he is the mice's coach.
  • 8/20/2013 Garfield notes how displeased Jon will be because a mouse got into the latter's stamp collection. A mouse runs up to him covered with stamps.
  • 11/17/2013 After finding a mouse's phone, Jon shouts for Garfield.
  • 2/20/2014 Jon complains when he sees three mice sleeping on Garfield. He sarcastically offers to knit them blankets, and a mouse agrees, but Garfield tells them to ignore him.
  • 2/21/2014 Jon is dealing with the mice problem by dressing up as a mouse and posing for a picture with them, a picture Garfield takes.
  • 4/3/2014 Jon sees a mouse walk by and demands Garfield kill it and eat it, but the cat prefers to thaw and microwave his food.
  • 8/4/2014 Jon demands Garfield do something with the mice. Garfield complies by having dinner with them.
  • 12/22/2014 Jon shouts at Garfield, who is singing an alto for a trio of caroling mice.
  • 1/2/2015 Jon glares when a mouse asks if he's going to finish his donut.
  • 1/20/2015 A mouse asks Jon if he wants to chase it. After getting no response, it goes back to Garfield and tells him that Jon refused. Garfield angrily accuses Jon of making him do the work.
  • 3/26/2015 Jon watches a mouse walk by. Jon yells at Garfield and points at the mouse, with Garfield rebutting that it is impolite to point.
  • 8/11/2016 A mouse walks by Garfield and Jon. Garfield tells Jon to go get it, and then Jon tells Garfield to go get it, but Garfield replies, "Beat you to it."
  • 12/3/2016 Jon sees a mouse sipping from its cup. He shouts for Garfield, who instead goes to brew a new pot of coffee.
  • 2/23/2017 Garfield tells the mice a story about a powerful wizard summoning a rainstorm. As he mentions the storm, water pours down on the mice. Jon was about to take a shower and demands that the animals leave.
  • 4/23/2017 Music plays in the distance, and a line of mice races past Jon after it. Jon shouts for Garfield, who seemingly gives chase, but it turns out they were all after the ice cream man and they all got popsicles.
  • 7/9/2017 Jon witnesses a mouse installing an A/C unit in its window and yells at Garfield.
  • 9/6/2017 A mouse runs back and forth. Jon asks Garfield what the mouse is doing, and Garfield replies that it is running from him, and he'll chase it later.
  • 12/20/2017 Jon and Garfield watch a mouse carry an egg past. Garfield promotes the mouse's homemade eggnog, or "mousenog," as he calls it.
  • 1/12/2018 Jon yells why a mouse is in the house. The mouse whispers to Garfield, who replies, "For the free Wi-fi."
  • 5/3/2018 Jon congratulates Garfield because he has not seen a mouse in a week. However, the couple mice were on vacation and are now back.
  • 1/15/2019 Jon asks what mice are doing in the living room. Garfield replies that they are doing the Hokey-Pokey and then dance in a conga line.
  • 1/31/2019 Jon asks Garfield the kitchen is filled with mice. A mouse walks by, and Garfield concludes that they're having a lodge meeting.
  • 2/21/2019 Jon sees a line of mice running by and demands to know what is going on. Garfield and the mice are racing to Cheese World to get gouda wheels, which are half price.
  • 5/15/2019 A mouse drives a car past Garfield and Jon, the latter of whom demands his cat do something. Garfield puts a "SLOW" sign up.
  • 7/2/2019 Jon tells Garfield that they have a mouse problem. The mice appear behind Garfield, arms folded, claiming to have a Jon problem.
2020 -[]
  • 2/20/2020 A mouse runs by Jon and Garfield. Jon shouts that the mouse is lucky they do not have a cat and frustratedly asks if Garfield agrees.
  • 4/16/2020 Jon asks Garfield when he's going to chase the mouse, and the cat and mouse try to work out a time that works for their respective schedules.
  • 5/26/2020 Jon demands to know what Garfield is going to do about the mice. Garfield whips out a restraining order and the bill for his attorney.
  • 6/23/2021 Jon holds a mouse by its tail, showing to Garfield how to catch mice. Garfield tells him that he'll start on Monday.
  • 9/9/2021 Garfield does not feel like chasing a mouse, so he lets it leave.

Garfield gives chase[]

Garfield sometimes chases mice, even catching them at times.

  • 4/19/1979 Garfield chases a mouse back and forth in front of Jon. Jon cheers, but the mouse and cat reveal it was an act.
  • 7/22/1979 Garfield chases a mouse and unintentionally crushes it. He quickly revives it with artificial respiration, and saves his job.
  • 2/24/1980 Garfield catches a mouse, and then three more under his paws. When a fifth mouse walks by, Garfield lets the other four mice free to get the other one. "It's not the getting, it's the having."
  • 5/25/1980 Garfield grabs a mouse and shoots it like a rubber band. He then bounces off the chair and flies after it.
  • 3/12/1981 A mouse runs into Garfield's paw. After grabbing it, he asks Jon what to do with it. Jon orders him to eat it, to which Garfield is repulsed.
  • 2/23/1982 Garfield chases and catches a mouse. He then tosses it away, claiming to stay in shape in case he got hungry.
  • Distracting Garfield with various foods while being chased by him.
  • 4/4/1989 Garfield chases a mouse to its hole. Jon appreciates this, but when Garfield runs away as part of a game of tag, Jon is not impressed.
  • 2/28/1990 Garfield slowly pursues a mouse and then they both fall asleep. Jon sarcastically calls it, "One of the great chase scenes."
  • 3/21/1991 Garfield chases after a mouse that stole a cookie. He then returns with a cookie for himself, much to Jon's frustration.
  • 8/21/1993 A mouse runs toward a ladder leading into a hole. When the cat arrives, the mouse is already recoiling the ladder, and Garfield realizes that the mice are getting smarter.
  • 3/7/1996 Garfield chases a mouse, saying that it will die, possibly by old age.
  • 5/10/1996 Garfield chases a mouse, catches it, and prepares to eat it in front of Jon, but it is revealed that it is an act when the mouse takes his payment--cheese--into its hole while discussing when to do it next.
  • 10/14/1996 Jon tells Garfield to catch a mouse, or else he will not get dinner. This is enough to cause Garfield to go on the hunt.
  • 10/15/1996 Jon tells Garfield to get tough with the mice. He approaches the hole and grounds the mouse from video games for a week.
  • 10/18/1996 Garfield tells Jon that he caught the mouse, and then tagged it and re-released it.
  • 4/15/1997 Garfield, while chasing a mouse, rhetorically asks it what is going to happen when he catches it. When the mouse does not know, the two decide to ask Jon.
  • 4/17/1997 Garfield tells Jon how close he came to catching a mouse. It turns out that the mouse had gone on vacation to Hawaii.
  • 11/25/1997 Garfield chases a mouse with a baton, only for it to hand the baton to another mouse like a relay race. Garfield notes, "They're getting smarter."
  • 1/28/1998 While Garfield chases a mouse, the mouse points out a banana cream pie. By the time Garfield realized the mouse was fibbing, it was too late.
  • 4/5/1998 Garfield chases a mouse past Jon and corners it against a wall. Jon praises his cat, and both he and the mouse bow, irritating Jon.
  • 8/14/1998 Garfield is about to swat a spider, to which the spider agrees to do anything for him. This gives Garfield pause, and after a moment, he has the spider chase a mouse, which surprises Jon.
  • 8/19/1998 After catching the mouse, Garfield is asked what happens next. Garfield is unsure, so the mouse suggests that they sing a song. The cat agrees and they meow and squeak in song, something Jon does not want to know.
  • 10/7/1998 Garfield chases an invisible mouse in front of Jon, who notes how strange cats are. The invisible mouse agrees.
  • 1/27/1999 A mouse casually walks past Jon, with Garfield tailing him slowly. Jon is not impressed.
  • 1/30/1999 Jon wonders why Garfield is not chasing the mouse any more. The cat remembered that they had popcorn and chows down on that.
  • 8/25/1999 Jon cheers Garfield on as he chases a mouse. It turns out he was gunning for the last cookie, instead of the mouse.
  • 11/3/1999 Garfield chases a mouse, seemingly calling it food. He catches his food, but it is just a sandwich, and the mouse got a burger, which they plan to devour in front of the TV.
  • 3/3/2002 Garfield sees Herman Vermin for and the two strike up a conversation. Jon appears behind Garfield, and he tries chasing Herman slowly. Jon calls them both pathetic.
  • 11/15/2002 Garfield tells a mouse to hurry up, since he almost caught it during their chase.
  • 11/14/2003 Garfield announces to Jon that he caught the mouse, and then the mouse walks up to finish the story, irritating him.
  • 9/10/2008 A mouse presents Garfield to Jon, who casually walks behind it. When Jon glares at him, Garfield replies that he is chasing the mouse slowly.

Hole Sweet Hole[]

The mice have decorated/updated their holes in a variety of ways. Other times, Garfield stalks the hole.

Hole Improvements[]

Mice have often decorated their holes, like people do with their homes.

  • 3/25/1988 Garfield calls a mouse outside to question it about the canopy and palm tree it set up outside its hole.
  • 4/7/1989 Garfield notices several holes one over another and notes that they have built condos.
  • 10/1/1992 Garfield sees a mousehole and picks it up, curious. A mouse then runs into the wall since Garfield took its hole away.
  • 10/12/1992 Garfield sees a window above a mousehole and demands the mouse explain itself. But, when he sees the mouse in the window and its feet in the hole, he flees, unaware that it was actually three mice on each others' shoulders.
  • 10/13/1992 The window from the day before comes into play when the mouse drops a flowerpot on Garfield's head.
  • 10/15/1992 Garfield sees a mousehole split in half from top to bottom. He calls this a "Duplex."
  • 10/16/1992 Garfield sees a mousehole shaped like an arrow. He then sees a mouse carrying cheese over its head, fitting perfectly into the hole.
  • 5/9/1996 Garfield walks by several holes, and stops when he sees a super tall hole with a basketball net above it. Evidently, this is the hole of a basketball-playing mouse.
  • 7/25/1996 Garfield hears some clicking and peers into a mousehole. He notes that the mouse has more channels than he does, thanks in part to a new satellite dish installed above the hole.
  • 7/29/1998 Jon sees something and shouts at Garfield. The mouse had built a bay window over its entry hole, and Garfield does not approve.
  • Installing an air conditioner in a window next to its mouse hole.
  • 8/28/1999 A mouse tells Garfield that it is moving out. The cat tells Jon of how proud he'll be, only to learn that the mouse is moving into a hole approximately six inches away.
  • 11/6/1999 Garfield sees two holes next to each other. A mouse tells him that one of them is a servant's entrance.
  • 7/20/2000 Garfield is surprised by something and knocks on the wall. A mouse had put up aluminum siding, which Garfield disapproves of.
  • 1/23/2002 Jon asks Garfield to explain a mousehole decorated with fancy architecture. Garfield sees the arch and thinks that the new mouse is quite well-off.
  • 8/4/2002 Garfield walks by a variety of mouseholes and explains the mice who live in them: fat, skinny, and tall. He stops when he comes to a mousehole with an odd shape. A mouse pops out wearing a cowboy outfit, explaining the odd shape for its cowboy hat.
  • 4/26/2007 Garfield stumbles upon a sideways mousehole. When asked about it, a grumpy mouse says that it is not happy with its contractor.
  • 8/27/2009 Garfield walks by a couple of holes, which he calls, "urban sprawl".
  • 9/28/2016 Garfield walks past a mousehole that just experienced chainsaw damage from within.
  • 7/9/2017 Jon sees a window next to a mousehole, and then sees a mouse carrying something inside, opening the window, and sticking an air conditioner in the window. He shouts for Garfield.
  • 4/4/2019 Garfield walks past a half a mousehole, with a mouse standing outside. The mouse tells him that its hole is not done yet.

The Mighty Hunter[]

Garfield occasionally wait outside of a hole for a mouse.

  • 12/5/1983 Jon tells Garfield that there is a mouse in the house and there is cheese. Garfield proceeds to eat the cheese.
  • 12/6/1983 Garfield shoves the cheese into the hole since he prefers a happier ending to killing the mouse.
  • 12/7/1983 Garfield does not want to kill the mouse, but has a change of heart after being threatened by Jon.
  • 12/8/1983 Garfield is demeaned by his reduced role as a mousetrap and secretly demeans Jon, calling him his "kitty litter changer".
  • 12/9/1983 Garfield does not want to catch the mouse, as he has named him Stretch, mostly because the mouse's arm can stretch to reach the cheese.
  • 12/10/1983 Garfield waits for the mouse, only for a giant paw to reach out and grab the cheese. Garfield decides to let it live.
  • 4/8/1989 Garfield reaches into a hole to try and catch a mouse, only for it to have "Cats stink" get written on his arm.
  • 11/9/1991 Garfield sticks his head into a hole, only to come out wearing a bushy wig and make-up on his face.
  • 10/3/1992 Garfield crouches in front of a mousehole. Jon thinks he's ready to strike, but in reality, Garfield wants the cake the mice are baking.
  • 10/13/1992 Garfield waits for a mouse outside its hole, but the mouse drops a flowerpot on his head from a window.
  • 10/14/1992 Garfield wears a mouse costume to "show those stupid mice." He gives the password, only to fall into a trapdoor for using last week's password.
  • 3/17/1994 Garfield is sleeping near a hole. Jon praises him for being on the job, but Garfield wonders where that hole came from.
  • 11/20/1994 Garfield uses wind-up cheese to capture a mouse inside the hole, but instead gets a wind-up mouse.
  • 4/19/1995 Garfield reaches into a mousehole. He can not reach the mouse, but can reach the cheese in its fridge.
  • 4/23/1995 Jon sees Garfield stalking the mouse hole. He praises Garfield for it and then leaves. Once Jon is gone, Garfield and the mouse play Go Fish.
  • 4/19/1997 Garfield sits outside the hole, saying that the mouse within will regret coming outside. When questioned why, Garfield answers that it is very boring out there.
  • 9/10/2000 A mouse begins sawing a hole in the wall. Garfield hears this and walks over, holding a tennis racket to give the mouse a warm welcome. To his surprise, the entire wall collapses on him, save for his ears, paw, and feet, and the mouse seems just as shocked.
  • 2/7/2001 Garfield takes a seat next to a hole with a "Reserved" sign next to it. He considers that it is possible that the element of surprise is gone.
  • 4/3/2001 Garfield wonders what to do about a new mousehole. He decides to take the cheese the mouse within gives him as a "bribe".
  • 5/19/2002 Garfield reaches into a whole, and appears to have a struggle. Jon congratulates what he thinks is Garfield reaching for a mouse, but it turns out he and the mouse were arm-wrestling and the mouse won.
  • 9/3/2002 Garfield reaches into a hole. Jon asks if he is any luck, and Garfield has a chip, but can not reach the dip.
  • 1/16/2004 Garfield sits outside a mousehole, asking what the mouse is doing in there. When the mouse replies that it is doing the same thing Garfield is, they pity each other.
  • 1/17/2004 Garfield says that a mouse is trapped, but the mouse replies that it has cookies. Garfield then wishes that he was trapped.
  • 7/3/2004 A mouse in a hole rudely asks Garfield, "Do you mind?!" Garfield covers his eyes, since the mouse was showering at the time.
  • 9/7/2004 Garfield sits outside a mousehole. Jon congratulates him, but Garfield is reading over a mouse's shoulder.
  • 4/28/2007 Garfield reaches into a mousehole, begging the mouse within to let go. When he sees Jon over him, Garfield quickly feigns dominance, which pleases Jon.
  • 2/27/2008 Garfield stalks outside the hole, and sees a mouse riding a mechanical bull inside of it. He asks Jon why they do not have one.
  • 2/29/2008 Garfield sees a train coming from the mousehole. He runs away, unaware that the "train" was a whistling mouse wearing a lit miner's helmet.
  • 3/28/2009 Garfield stalks a mousehole, but then the mouse puts a sign reading, "Next mousehole, please." Garfield reluctantly complies.
  • 11/16/2010 While on the hunt, Garfield dozes off. After waking up, he realizes the mousehole he was watching has gotten much bigger, big enough for him to fit.
  • 1/18/2012 Garfield is shown stalking a mousehole, but Jon tells him that that's just a drawing on the wall. The real Garfield appears behind him, asking what is drawn on the wall.
  • 9/29/2012 Garfield watches mice in a hole use a mousetrap as an end table.
  • 6/7/2014 Garfield stalks a mousehole, but sees a tentacle creep out of it. He quickly walks away as other giant creatures try forcing their way out of it.
  • 5/2/2015 While guarding the hole, Garfield asks how many mice are in there, and the mouse tells Garfield that 4,732 mice are in there.
  • 2/27/2018 Garfield reaches into the hole. Jon cheers him on, but Garfield is getting a manicure from the mouse within.

Holiday Happenings[]

Mice have appeared for various holidays and events. Most often it is for Christmas and Garfield's birthday, but every so often they celebrate things like New Year's.

Christmas[]

Mice have been seen celebrating Christmas in a variety of different ways.

  • 12/16/1995 Jon sees a string of lights on the wall. He follows it and sees that a mouse has decorated its hole with a wreath and lights above it. He yells at Garfield for it.
  • 12/22/1995 Garfield and Odie sing Christmas carols outside a mousehole. After they finish, the mouse gives them some Christmas cookies, which Garfield calls the best in town.
  • 12/20/1997 Garfield walks by his Christmas tree. He smiles at a mouse's cute little tree, and stops when he sees a spider and its tree.
  • 12/13/1998 Garfield, Jon, and Odie are trimming the tree. They are nearly done when Jon suddenly realizes the top of the tree is missing. It turns out a mouse was using it as its own Christmas tree.
  • 12/11/2001 Garfield asks a mouse about its Christmas traditions, and the mouse tells him about the pine-scented air freshener he is using as a Christmas tree.
  • 12/14/2002 Garfield dresses as Santa Claus, and when a bunch of mice walk by, Garfield calls them "elves".
  • 12/15/2002 A mouses asks Garfield to watch its place, since it is going out. It rented a hole a hole next to the heat register for Christmas, and Garfield agrees. The mouse heads out to catch its train, which gives Garfield pause. The mouse was using a Christmas train decoration to get to its hole, irritating Jon.
  • 12/23/2006 Garfield wishes Herman a Merry Christmas and asks what's up. Herman replies that his brother-in-law is visiting and he asked Santa for Garfield to eat him.
  • 12/4/2008 A mouse takes a Christmas tree light into its hole. The light turns on, nearly blinding the rodent.
  • 12/17/2009 Jon hears the Jonny Mathis Christmas album, and Garfield goes to check it out. A mouse is listing to it, and Garfield tells it to crank the volume up.
  • 12/29/2009 Garfield asks a mouse what he got his wife, and the mouse replies, "A cheese grater." Garfield's unimpressed look is the same one the mouse's wife gave him.
  • 12/20/2011 Garfield glares at a tiny gift addressed to him. He tells Jon not to draw a mouse in a gift exchange.
  • 12/17/2012 Garfield watches a TV show about cute animals during Christmas. The kitten is wrapping the presents, the puppy is singing the carols, and the mouse is trimming the tree. The mice in Garfield's house love that part.
  • 12/22/2014 Garfield sings Christmas carols with a trio of mice since "they needed an alto." Jon is frustrated.
  • 12/29/2014 A mouse stands with Garfield in the snow, telling him that he got his wife a treadmill for Christmas. Garfield calls it, "nice," and then asks why he is standing in the snow. The mouse repeats himself.
  • 12/14/2016 Garfield nails his stocking on the mantle over a roaring fire. A mouse similarly nails its stocking, albeit over a heating vent.
  • 12/22/2016 Jon boarded the mousehole, thinking that the mice will have to stay somewhere else. The mice instead stay in Garfield's bed.
  • 12/23/2016 Jon is feeling guilty about boarding the mousehole up before Christmas. Garfield and the mice in his bed grin, and Jon decides to let the mice back into the hole.
  • 12/24/2016 As a thank you for letting them stay inside, a mouse's wife knitted Jon something. The mouse gives it to Garfield, who gives it to Jon: a tiny, mouse-sized winter cap.
  • 12/20/2017 A mouse carries an egg past Garfield and Jon, about to make some eggnog for the Christmas season.
  • 12/15/2018 A mouse walks past Garfield, its belly sloshing from the eggnog it chugged.
  • 12/23/2019 A mouse gives Garfield a tiny Christmas present and adds, "I hope it fits!" Garfield is unimpressed.
  • 12/29/2020 A mouse gets cheese for Christmas every year. Life is good.
  • 12/12/2021 Garfield sees all of his friends wearing Santa hats, including a mouse, which frustrates him because he's not wearing one.
  • 12/25/2021 Garfield got a toy mouse for Christmas.
  • 12/20/2022 A mouse stands under the mistletoe, arms out, waiting for a kiss from Garfield. He declines, but is persuaded to kiss it by the mouse. After the smooch, Garfield used the remainder of Jon's mouthwash, but is still disgusted.
  • 12/9/2023 A mouse offers to show Garfield its hole decorations for Christmas. Garfield agrees and is shocked by the amount of cheese inside.
  • 12/24/2023 Garfield gives a mouse some cheese for Christmas.
  • 12/25/2023 A mouse appears in Jon's Zoom call with his family, as well as other characters from the strip.

Garfield's Birthday[]

The days leading up to June 19, Garfield's birthday, mice have appeared to contribute in yearly age jokes.

  • 6/17/1995 Two days before his birthday, Garfield reads a tiny birthday card. He thanks the mouse that gave it to him.
  • Attempting to check Garfield's vitals after he told it his age; this frustrated Garfield, who ordered the mouse to go away.
  • 6/16/1997 Garfield tells Squeak that he is feeling old. Squeak is shocked to learn Garfield will be 19, and the cat glares at him in response.
  • 6/12/1998 A mouse walks up to Garfield--who is eating at the time--and asks about his birthday. After Garfield tells it that he will be 20, the mouse offers to cut up his food for him.
  • 6/13/1998 A mouse wonders if Garfield is turning 20, but Garfield does not want to talk. The mouse advises Garfield to try denial, since it is cheaper than wrinkle cream.
  • 6/14/1998 Garfield walks by Jon, Odie, and Pooky, all of whom are wearing party hats. Frustrated, he shouts that he is aware of his impending birthday to everything in the living room, among them is a mouse. (One of the smaller mouse roles, but an appearance nonetheless)
  • 6/17/1999 A mouse tries to comfort Garfield as his 21st birthday approaches. It tells him about its uncle who lived to be 21 and what he used to say: "Who the heck are you?!"
  • 6/15/2000 A mouse asks about Garfield's 22nd birthday. It asks him if he wants to reminisce about his gallbladder.
  • 6/13/2002 A mouse, hearing that Garfield is turning 24, asks him what life was like before fax machines. Garfield replies, "too horrific to describe."
  • 6/14/2002 A mouse asks Garfield what he plans to do for his birthday. It asks if Garfield is going to wheeze out the candles, and Garfield advises it to run.
  • 6/19/2002 A cupcake with legs runs up to Garfield. A mouse pops out from it and wishes him a happy birthday--his 24th--but Garfield is repulsed.
  • 6/18/2005 A mouse asks if Garfield is turning 27. Garfield confirms this, and the mouse thinks louder so that Garfield can hear it.
  • 6/18/2006 Three mice present Garfield with a cake and a surprise. Without waiting, Garfield tosses the cake into his mouth, horrifying the mice. Garfield himself realizes something is amiss and spits the mouse that was hiding inside the cake out of his mouth, looking furious with the rodents.
  • 6/12/2008 A week before he hits the big 3-0, Garfield decides to start thinking about his future and making plans. A mouse walks up and quips that he needs to put a new hip on layaway, irritating him.
  • 6/18/2008 As Garfield prepares to celebrate his birthday in an age-appropriate manner, a mouse gets excited to play Musical Wheelchairs.
  • 6/20/2009 A mouse asks Garfield what it is like being old and feeble, and Garfield replies that it is better than being young and edible. This terrifies the mouse, who reverses and compliments him.
  • 6/16/2010 A mouse wonders why Garfield is upset about his birthday, since the mouse sees aging as natural, "like ear hair and wheezing!" Garfield tells it to leave.
  • 6/13/2012 A mouse asks Garfield how old he's going to be, and Garfield calls that impolite. The mouse understands how old the cat will be.
  • 6/12/2017 A mouse asks Garfield what he's looking at, and Garfield browses his photo album. When asked what that is, Garfield replies that it is where old people post their selfies.
  • 6/13/2017 The mouse is dumbfounded by the concept of printing photos out and putting them in books, citing that it seems like a lot of work. Garfield answers that they had plenty of free time, and only hunted dinosaurs on Tuesdays.
  • 6/14/2017 Garfield shows the mouse a photo of the former's first diet, and him cheating on said diet by stuffing his cheeks with cookies.
  • 6/20/2017 A mouse tells Garfield about its grandmother, who is the oldest person it knows. Garfield asks how old she is, and the mouse answers, "Two!"
  • 6/20/2018 A day after turning 40, Garfield is asked if he remembers disco by a mouse. Garfield replies that it never died in his house.
  • 6/15/2019 A mouse learns that Garfield is turning 41, and wonders if they still let Garfield drive.
  • 6/16/2021 Garfield tells a mouse that he's turning 43. The mouse leaves and returns, offering to check his vitals.
  • 6/16/2023 Garfield gets a birthday present from a mouse. The cat suspects it is cheese, the rodent's grin gives it away.

Other Holidays[]

The mice have appeared for various other holidays, doing the traditions associated with said holidays.

  • 12/31/1994 Garfield lies outside the mousehole. A mouse shoots a noisemaker out of it, signaling the new year.
  • 1/2/2015 A mouse's New Year resolution is to no longer be vermin.
  • 1/1/2018 Garfield walks past the remains of a wild New Years party in front of a mousehole. A mouse tells him about it afterwards.
  • 10/27/2018 Before Garfield can carve a pumpkin, a mouse storms over to him, unable to carve a grape.
  • 10/27/2019 Garfield carries a pumpkin and sets it on the table, about to carve it before Halloween. A mouse, however, beats him to it, carving a small face onto it. Garfield sets the carved pumpkin in the window.
  • 10/29/2023 A mouse spots Garfield sleeping on his back. It climbs onto his belly and draws something on him with a marker. It runs away just as Garfield wakes up and sees what it drew: a jack-o-lantern face. He is not amused.

Mega Mice[]

Garfield has occasionally run into giant mice.

  • 9/20/1981 Garfield shoos mice away from his vitamins. He puts the pills back into the bottle, grumbling that "Somebody should chase them out of here", and wonders why mice want vitamins. He is not sure, but is about to find out. A giant mouse waits around the corner for him.
  • 12/10/1983 A giant paw extends from the hole and grabs the cheese. Garfield decides to leave the mouse alone.
  • 12/18/1984 Garfield still wants to catch mice, but he considers nothing worth his time. His granddad calls in the training mouse, a mouse that's bigger and wider than Garfield is.
  • 11/22/1987 Garfield is in a bad mood, and he kicks a mouse out of the way. The mouse protests and plans to call its sister, Loretta, to fight the cat. Garfield accepts, thinking a good fight will cheer him up, but then sees his mistake when he sees a tail bigger and longer than he is.
  • 4/3/1989 Garfield sees a tiny mousehole and pays it no mind, but when he turns around, he sees a hole his size, which he calls, "a problem."
  • 11/8/1991 Jon tells Garfield to watch out for the mouse. Garfield does not buy it, but seeing a giant hole with two eyes peering out of it causes him to try to persuade Jon to move to Brazil.
  • 7/21/2000 Garfield notices a saw cutting a giant arch in the wall. Garfield decides to move to Switzerland.
  • 11/16/2002 Jon tells Garfield about a fat mouse. Garfield questions him about it, but then sees a giant hole behind him.
  • 2/17/2016 Garfield walks past a mousehole that could fit him and takes a jab at the mouse for gaining weight.
  • 9/29/2019 Garfield goes to get a snack from the fridge and follows a trail of food to a mousehole. He sees the tail of a mouse and pulls it, revealing a gigantic mouse eating a piece of cheese.

Merely Mentioning Mice[]

Mice do not always appear in the strip, but are brought up by Jon or Garfield (usually).

  • 8/3/1980 Lyman thinks he has solved the mouse problem by baiting traps with lasagna. The only one to get trapped was Garfield, who walks up with traps on his paws, ears, nose, and tail.
  • 5/24/1983 Arlene wants to go mousing with Garfield. The latter argues in favor of snatching lasagna off the table.
  • 6/13/1983 Garfield has a box with a singing and dancing mouse. He is about to let it entertain the readers, but after lifting the lid, he sees the poor mouse suffocated due to lack of air holes.
  • 10/29/1984 Jon tells Garfield about a mouse that has chewed the toe out of his sock. He tells Garfield to kill it, which sickens the cat.
  • 8/19/1986 After discovering a hole in the cereal box created by mice, Garfield demands that they get a cat.
  • 2/10/1987 During an "Amnesia Week", Jon tries to jog Garfield's memory with lasagna, but instead he asks for a mouse, as he thinks he'll get lasagna stuck in his whiskers if he eats it.
  • 9/29/1988 After waking up from a nap, Garfield gets told by Jon that the latter caught a mouse. Garfield pats him and replies with sarcastic congratulations.
  • 4/3/1989 Garfield shrugs off a tiny hole, but a bigger one gives him cause for concern.
  • 4/7/1989 Garfield notices several holes above each other. He suspects that the mice have "gone condo."
  • 4/8/1989 Garfield reaches into a hole, only to have "Cats stink" get written on his arm.
  • 1/18/1990 A mouse in the hole sharpens Garfield's tail with a pencil sharpener.
  • 4/19/1991 Garfield walks by dozens of mouse holes. He then asks, "What mice?" to Jon, who is glaring at him.
  • 6/6/1991 Jon demands Garfield do something about a mousehole. Garfield angrily replies that he is a cat, not a carpenter.
  • 11/9/1991 Garfield looks into a mousehole and pokes his head into it. He comes out wearing a wig and make-up and notes that the "strange mice" have returned.
  • 2/18/1992 Garfield insults a mouse inside a hole by saying that its mother dresses it funny.
  • 2/19/1992 Jon tells Garfield to use cheese to lure a mouse out of a hole, but Garfield eats the cheese instead.
  • 9/28/1992 Jon asks Garfield if he's aware of the mouse in the garbage. Garfield responds by singing and dancing.
  • 10/14/1992 Using a mouse disguise, Garfield plots revenge against the mice in the hole, but the mice have the last laugh by dropping him though a trapdoor in the floor.
  • 8/17/1993 Jon points and asks Garfield to find out what mice are doing in the house. Garfield investigates and returns with a T-shirt that he got from the mice.
  • 8/18/1993 A mouse steals cheese. Garfield would chase it, but wants to know what type of cheese it is first.
  • 8/20/1993 Jon hired an exterminator that is disguised as cheese, wearing mouse ears, holding a squeaky toy, and a net. Garfield notes that Jon "went with the lowest bidder."
  • 1/13/1994 Garfield and a mouse engage in a snowball fight. The mouse's throw does nothing, but Garfield whips his snowball at the mouse, drilling it.
  • 5/21/1994 Jon tells Garfield to kill the mouse. Garfield replies by simply getting it "interested in bungee jumping and hop[ing] for an accident"
  • 1/13/1995 Jon tells Garfield to pretend he's a mouse and then asks how he would react. Garfield grabs his collar and demands cheese.
  • 2/1/1995 Jon and Garfield find a new mouse hole. A tied paper gets flung out of it and Garfield notes it is a standard lease agreement.
  • 4/19/1995 Jon asks Garfield, who is reaching into a hole, if he can reach the mouse. Garfield cannot, but is able to get the cheese in its fridge.
  • 4/20/1995 Garfield has Jon sign a petition asking the mice to leave. Jon complies.
  • 4/22/1995 Garfield is leaning against a wall as Jon and Odie walk by. A mouse has him by the tail, and will not let go unless he says, "Pretty please with a cherry on top"
  • 10/23/1995 Jon tells Garfield that he saw a mouse. He yells at Garfield for not doing his job, but Garfield thinks that he does not need to be here.
  • 3/4/1996 Jon tells Garfield because he saw a mouse in the kitchen pushing a shopping cart. Garfield asks if he'll have to get up.
  • 3/6/1996 Jon yells at Garfield because there are mice all over the house. He claims that Garfield calls himself a cat, and Garfield moos in response.
  • 3/8/1996 Garfield knocks on the wall over a mousehole, only to learn that a saber-toothed screaming lemur has moved in.
  • 5/7/1996 Jon asks Garfield if he can talk about the mice. Garfield turns around and sees the many holes in various objects behind him.
  • 7/27/1996 Garfield notes the different types of holes: a mousehole, a rat hole, and a manhole that he fell into.
  • 10/17/1996 A mouse sleeps in Jon's bed. When told this by Jon, Garfield goes into the bedroom and sleeps with it.
  • 4/14/1997 A mouse stole Jon's strawberries off his cereal. When Jon tells Garfield this, the cat goes to get those strawberries.
  • 4/16/1997 The mice drag Jon's suitcase down the stairs after Jon tells Garfield that either they go or he goes.
  • 4/18/1997 Garfield grins while telling Jon that the mouse escaped. He then feigns sorrow and drama, which does not fool Jon.
  • 4/19/1997 Garfield tells a mouse that it'll regret coming outside its hole because of how boring it is.
  • 11/7/1997 A mouse projects a slideshow of vacation pictures from its hole onto Garfield's blanket, much to the cat's frustration.
  • 11/28/1997 Jon caught some mice in a cage. In response, they bang their tiny tin cups on the bars, irritating Garfield.
  • 11/29/1997 Garfield decides to get revenge against the mouse in the hole. He changes the channels on the mouse's TV with his remote.
  • 10/8/1998 Garfield knocks above the mousehole, asking if it is home. The mouse is in the cellar, which is nothing more than a mousehole in the floor a short distance away.
  • 1/30/1999 Jon questions why Garfield is no longer chasing the mouse. The reason: Garfield remembered that they had popcorn.
  • 8/24/1999 Jon dreamt about Garfield catching mice. He tells Garfield about it and how he finds it silly, but Garfield casually sips his coffee and replies that he dreams often.
  • 7/22/2000 Jon asks on the phone a good way to get rid of mice. He sarcastically writes, "Get a cat" on a notepad, irritating Garfield.
  • 1/13/2001 Jon tells Garfield about a cat he had that was a great rat catcher. He says that Garfield would've liked him, but Garfield claims that he was a psycho.
  • 4/2/2001 Jon informs Garfield about the arrival of three mice with suitcases. Garfield replies that the cheese expo is in town.
  • 4/4/2001 Jon shows Garfield a picture of the food chain. He points out that cats eat mice, but Garfield asks where pizza is.
  • 1/21/2002 Garfield tells a mouse a joke, but when the mouse takes the joke in a dark direction, Garfield leaves, scarred.
  • 1/25/2002 Jon points at a mouse and asks Garfield if he will go after it. Garfield ponders it only if the mouse is going to the beach.
  • 9/5/2002 Jon asks Garfield why he does not chase mice. The reason: he does not want their photos of him of get out.
  • 9/6/2002 Jon calls pest control about a huge rat in his trash. Hearing this, Garfield abruptly decides to leave.
  • 11/14/2002 Jon hears the sound of mice squeaking from inside Garfield's blanket. Garfield is babysitting, or mouse-sitting.
  • 11/16/2002 Jon informs the fat cat about a fat mouse. Garfield wonders about it, but then a mouse inside a giant hole defends itself, saying it is "big boned".
  • 8/24/2009 Jon screams in fear of a mouse, and then tells Garfield to get it. Garfield, however, plans on putting this on his blog.
  • 8/11/2010 Jon points out a mousehole to Garfield, getting progressively angry. Garfield starts clapping and stomping his foot, singing a song about it.
  • 6/1/2011 Jon points out a mouse playing the saxophone on the windowsill during a dark and rainy day. Garfield sees this as a good day for the blues.
  • 9/29/2012 Some mice in the hole use a mousetrap Jon laid out as an end table.
  • 11/7/2013 Jon shrieks from the next room after finding mice camping in his slippers.
  • 6/7/2014 Several giant creatures try forcing their way out of a mousehole Garfield was watching.
  • 2/27/2018 Garfield is getting a manicure from a mouse in its hole.
  • 3/27/2018 A mouse texts Garfield sad face emojis because they're out of cheese.
  • 11/9/2018 Garfield is repulsed by a pizza that was supposed to be half-and-half, but is instead all topped with mouse heads. Arlene, however, is willing to pick them off for him.
  • 1/15/2019 Several mice to the Hokey-Pokey and then dance a conga line in the living room.
  • 3/31/2020 Garfield says a mouse joke while on the fence. This gets laughter from the rodent audience.
  • 5/26/2020 Garfield got a restraining order to deal with the mice.
  • 6/9/2020 Jon asks why mice are running around in the kitchen, washing his car, and doing jumping jacks. He then wonders where his energy drinks are, and Garfield replies that he solved the mystery.
  • 7/8/2020 Garfield watches a mouse use a GPS.
  • 2/27/2021 Garfield overhears mice playing in a bounce house.

Practical Jokes[]

Garfield (usually) has often been a victim of pranks from the mice.

  • 11/19/1986 Garfield demands a mouse come out of hiding "with [its] hands up!" But after seeing two giant paws, Garfield flees, unaware that the mouse was using gloves on sticks.
  • 4/5/1989 Garfield looks into a mouse hole only to get his face spray-painted.
  • 4/6/1989 Garfield looks into a hole the same shape of his head. He looks into it, but then gets a moustache drawn onto his face.
  • 4/8/1989 A mouse wrote "CATS STINK" on Garfield's arm when the cat reached into its hole.
  • 10/8/1989 Garfield orders a mouse to come out of its hole or else he'll come in after it. When he tries stuffing his head into the hole, (after getting coaxed by the mouse inside) he gets his head stuck. The mouse slips out the back door and draws a face on Garfield's butt.
  • 1/18/1990 Garfield is taking a nap when he feels pain in his tail. A mouse in a hole sharpened his tail using Jon's pencil sharpener.
  • 11/9/1991 Garfield gets dressed in a wig and make-up after sticking his head into a mousehole.
  • 9/30/1992 A mouse drills a hole in the wall. It then uses a pencil to draw a flower. Garfield sees it and smells it, only to get sprayed in the face by water from the hole.
  • 10/12/1992 Garfield runs when he sees what he thinks is a mouse as tall as he is in a mousehole. In actuality, it is just three mice on top of each other.
  • 4/22/1995 A mouse has Garfield by the tail and will not let go unless the cat demeans himself.
  • 10/25/1995 A trio of mice runs by after pulling Jon's pants down. He blames Garfield for it.
  • 10/10/1998 Garfield wakes up from a nap, only to find his tail has been teased by a trio of giggling mice with a comb.
  • 6/6/1999 Garfield stumbles upon a string leading out from a mousehole and some chipped paint above it. Confused, Garfield follows as the string tightens. The mouse inside uses some cash as a lure to cause Jon to bash his head into the wall.
  • 9/13/2001 Garfield paid a mouse a dollar to run up Mrs. Feeny's leg. He then asks Jon if he can use the video camera.
  • 10/29/2023 A mouse draws a jack-o-lantern face on Garfield's tummy while he's sleeping.

Sports and Games[]

Mice have played a variety of sports, sometimes with each other, sometimes with Garfield.

  • 5/12/1991 Several mice play water volleyball in the birdbath. Garfield notes how crazy their timeshare with the birds has gotten.
  • 11/5/1991 Garfield notes how much of a pain guests are, mainly because a trio of mice want to go waterskiing in Garfield's water dish and need a tow.
  • 4/23/1995 Jon sees Garfield stalking the mouse hole and gives him praise, only for it to be revealed that he and the mouse are playing Go Fish together.
  • 5/9/1996 Garfield sees a super tall hole with a basketball net above it, which is the hole of a basketball-playing mouse.
  • 1/27/1998 A mouse named Floyd (not to be confused with Floyd from Garfield and Friends) hit Garfield with a golf ball. His caddy notes how he hit into a hazard, and Garfield angrily agrees.
  • 5/10/1998 Garfield plays poker with two other mice. One mouse bets two, and Garfield goes to Jon for advice. He shows Jon his hand, to which Jon replies, "Call and raise." Garfield returns to his game, and Jon admits that if Garfield was not winning so much, he would yell at him.
  • 2/28/1999 A mouse plays golf with Garfield. The cat taps his golf ball, which gently rolls between Jon's legs into the mousehole. A mischief of mice golf clap, but Jon screams at his cat.
  • 7/18/2000 Jon complains about how his car's battery is dead again because he forgets to turn off his headlights. Garfield talks to a mouse about its night soccer/football games.
  • 4/7/2001 Three mice need another player for Bridge, and ask Garfield. He insists that they use his cards, because last time he almost went blind.
  • 9/11/2008 Jon sees something and yells at Garfield for it. A mouse was practicing its golf putting, and Garfield tells him to pack it up.
  • 7/22/2012 Jon and Garfield are sitting in the living room when the licks flicker on and off. Jon yells at Garfield, who tells a couple of mice that they can no longer bungee jump from the light switch.
  • 4/21/2021 A mouse once played golf in front of Garfield. The ball fell into Garfield's litter box, which the mouse referred to as a sand trap.

Toy Mice[]

Garfield has often been given toy mice by Jon to play with. Results have been mixed.

  • 6/20/1978 As a birthday present, Jon gives Garfield a toy mouse. Garfield promptly eats it.
  • 5/30/1987 Jon gives Garfield a wind-up mouse to play with, but Garfield immediately smashes it.
  • 10/19/1988 Jon gives Garfield a springy mouse which is supposed to "appeal to a house pet's playful instincts." Instead, Jon plays with it, and Garfield walks away.
  • 8/4/1999 Jon holds a toy mouse in front of Garfield and repeatedly tells him, "Looky!" Garfield, annoyed, responds by stuffing the toy up Jon's nose.
  • 5/9/2004 Garfield walks by a toy mouse with a bow on it. Upon coming to Jon, he hugs him and celebrates the catnip mouse.
  • 10/4/2009 Jon sees Garfield's toy mouse and squeezes it, noting how he likes how its eyes pop out. Garfield walks up to him with his actual toy mouse, and Jon suddenly realizes he's squeezing the life out of an actual mouse. He faints in shock, but the mouse survives.
  • 11/5/2009 Jon gives Garfield a rubber mouse and tells him to have fun, but Garfield does not know to whom he was talking.
  • 5/24/2018 Garfield gets a call, and is asked by a telemarketer if he wants to buy a rubber mouse. He declines.
  • 12/25/2021 Garfield was gifted a rubber mouse for Christmas, something he calls his favorite gift.

Title Panels[]

The mice have been featured on title panels, some more obvious than others.

  • 11/3/1985 Garfield grins at a mouse, who grins nervously while holding the cat's donut.
  • 12/28/1986 Garfield peeks into a mousehole and sees a mouse bathing.
  • 3/22/1987 The mice have opened a restaurant, and offer Garfield a table for five.
  • 11/5/1989 Garfield looks down at a fainted Jon, who had found the cat's rubber mouse in his coffee mug.
  • 11/26/1989 Garfield glares at a few mice, who have a good laugh after writing graffiti insulting him.
  • 1/28/1990 A mouse ties Garfield's arms behind his back while two more mice steal his food. Garfield, who has his mouth taped shut, tells the readers to "never ask others to help you diet."
  • 4/22/1990 A few mice have tickets to see Garfield, who is an exhibit called, "The World's Fattest Cat". Garfield admits that if he was not getting 10%, he would be miffed.
  • 3/3/1991 Garfield sees mouse-sized elevator doors leading from the ground to the shelf with the cookie jar. He notes that this is getting out of hand.
  • 1/12/1992 A mouse races away after scrawling a crude picture of Garfield on the wall.
  • 5/24/1992 Garfield looks into a mousehole. The mouse within holds a pie, ready to throw it in Garfield's face. The spilled fruit filling spells the cat's name on the ground.
  • 3/10/1996 Garfield makes each of the letters in his name. For "E", Garfield reaches for one mouse, and holds another. A third mouse tries running away, but its tail is caught between Garfield's toes.
  • 8/16/1998 Garfield glares at a mouse for startling him with a megaphone while he was writing his name, resulting in the "D" in "Garfield" to come out large, crooked, and janky compared to the rest of the letters. The mouse just grins.
  • 1/31/1999 Garfield advertises his website, www.garfield.com, on a computer, with a live mouse serving as the computer mouse.
  • 2/21/1999 A mischief of mice struggles to hold up Garfield, who himself holds a poster with his name on it.
  • 5/2/1999 Garfield, his animal friends, and Nermal hold up the paper reading, "Garfield". This includes a mouse, who peeks over the edge and waves at the reader.
  • 5/14/2000 A mischief of mice uses large, wooden letters to spell Garfield's name while the fat cat himself watches.
  • 5/28/2000 Garfield, Odie, and a mouse wear T-shirts that combined read, "Garfield.com"
  • 8/26/2001 Garfield glares at a mouse who was writing "Garfield is a big fat" before getting caught, and thus, was unable to finish what it was writing.
  • 11/17/2002 A marching band of mice walks by Garfield, the notes they play spell out Garfield's name.
  • 11/24/2002 The main cast of characters in the strip each wears a winter hat with a letter of Garfield's name on it. A mouse is the one donning the "L" in "Garfield".
  • 3/6/2005 Garfield smiles as several mice clean up their neighborhood of holes, each one with a welcome mat with a letter of Garfield's name and the restricted "R" logo.
  • 5/8/2005 Eight holes in a block of cheese spell out Garfield's name, with a mouse poking out of the "D" in nibbling on a small piece of cheese.
  • 9/4/2005 Garfield feeds a half-dozen alien mice pea-green stinky cheese. One of them holds a flag with Garfield's name.
  • 12/4/2005 A toy mouse has a bow on it and a tag showing its recipient's name.
  • 1/15/2006 Garfield is dressed as a lion tamer, except he tames eight mice on podiums, each one with a letter of Garfield's name on it.
  • 6/3/2018 Two mice tickle the Tubby Tabby's toes and tummy. One mouse stands on Garfield's belly, tickling him there, and the other mouse stands next to him, using a feather to tickle his toes.

Other[]

  • 11/10/1989 While visiting the farm, Jon sees a white mouse in his room. His mom calls the rest of the family to observe a rare albino mouse. Garfield figures that they need a TV.
  • 1/23/2001 Garfield claims that he will not shed anymore. A mouse is now doing the shedding for him.
  • 9/12/2008 Jon gets caught in four mousetraps, which, according to Garfield, is all of them.
  • 8/10/2010 A mouse sees something and makes itself hidden. Jon walks by, and the mouse reemerges from inside Garfield's coffee, which Garfield refuses to finish.
  • 1/26/2014 Jon attempts to take a selfie, but is joined by Garfield, Odie, Nermal, and three mice.
  • 8/5/2018 A mouse, and several other characters in the strip, smell Jon grilling outside.
  • 11/23/2018 A mouse fills in for Garfield to be Arlene's company during a dinner date, and it is tasked with bringing back leftovers.
  • 9/1/2019 Three mice dance with Jon, Liz, and Odie to Garfield's playlist.
  • 7/4/2020 Jon's shoes squeak on the floor. Garfield tells this to the mice, who assumed the squeaking was another mouse.
  • 8/24/2021 Garfield watches a video about how to speak mouse. He follows along, as if learning a language.
  • 11/10/2022 Jon gets rid of a mouse by playing polka music. Both it and Garfield leave, carrying suitcases with them.
  • 9/17/2023 Garfield walks by the main cast of characters--among them is a mouse--and yawns. Everyone immediately falls asleep, as Garfield calls himself an "influencer."
  • 11/20/2023 A mouse and Garfield are sleeping next to each other. While sleeping, Garfield grabs the "Z" above the mouse and switches it with his smaller "Z", making himself smile.

Victories[]

  • Using Garfield's belly as a makeshift mountain top.
  • Converting a tree into a mouse-like tourist attraction.

Trivia[]

  • They have appeared 401 times in the comics, the 5th most.
  • Garfield once was surprised because there was only 4,076 of them.
  • Garfield does not like toy mice or rubber mice.
  • Jon does not like the fact that Garfield never actually chases them, as Garfield does not like chasing mice.
    • Jon once showed Garfield what chasing mice is supposed to look like.
  • Jon once tried in vain to tell Garfield and a mouse that cats and mice are supposed to be enemies.
  • In Here Comes Garfield, Jon suggests chasing mice as a way for Garfield to provide for himself. Garfield turns down the idea due to bad breath.

See Also[]

Certain mice in Garfield media have own names and distinctive features.

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