Katnip the Cat Headcanons
-Is on the lower end of the Autism spectrum. He knows a lot of things come harder to him than most people and thus, is VERY sensitive about being seen as "stupid".
-Katnip works as a cleaner. The difference between him and Victoria (his coworker, aka Gal Cat in the 1956 short Blue Cat Blues) is that Katnip genuinely enjoys being a cleaner and took it willingly. Also, the employers tend to pay him more due to his more agreeable personality, much to Victoria’s rage.
-In fact, Katnip genuinely likes cleaning things and making areas and objects spotless. It's part of the reason he took the job as a cleaner.
-Katnip knows he and Herman are obscure. He knows they're largely forgotten in the public mind. Katnip especially feels this because his Toonforce gets weaker with every passing day.
-Katnip often feels insecure when in the presence of cats like Tom and Sylvester. It's not of envy for their success...it's that he knows he is often compared as a "clone" of them and he wants to be seen as his own person.
-Being based on Tom Cat, Katnip feels…hesitant around Tom specifically. He wishes he could be more like Tom but at the same time, he harbors a degree of resentment against Tom for essentially being the standard Katnip himself never can be or reach.
-Katnip is VERY sensitive about his voice. He knows it's not the most smooth or smart-sounding voice (Katnip's voice has often been compared to a dullard tone, which he hates), but it's still his.
-Many viewers have noted that on rare occasions when Katnip has the upper hand, he is depicted as enjoying his advantage. There's a reason for this. This wasn't Katnip genuinely enjoying it, but what he was told to do by the directors.
-Katnip himself is mixed on his general cartoon filmography. On one hand, it introduced him into the HarveyToons cast and he genuinely liked meeting the other HarveyToons stars (like Casper). On the other hand...he felt that the shorts were never truly fair towards him and framed him into something he wasn't.
-Katnip was often portrayed as "sickly" in his early cartoons with Buzzy the Crow. As a Toon, he can't get sick from human diseases. In fact, Katnip didn't know what diseases were at first. He often had to learn from watching humans how to act "convincingly" sick. This didn't always work but he tried.
-Katnip KNOWS that he and Herman don't have much time left before they disappear (being that Toons that are completely forgotten vanish from existence). He struggles to accept this but tries to make the best of his remaining life.
-Despite everything Herman's done to him (both on-screen and off), Katnip can't find it in himself to truly bring himself to hate Herman.
-Katnip doesn't have many friends. He tends to keep to himself. However, he IS good friends with Tom's cousin George (from the 1954 short Timid Tabby). The two often meet up at George's place just to talk and hang out.
-Katnip doesn't really know Jerry well. He does, however, know of Herman's very public (and very persistent) crush on Jerry. Sometimes, Katnip will discreetly help Jerry escape from Herman when Herman gets to be too over-the-top. Jerry himself is aware of Katnip's help...he's grateful for it but never makes it a big deal, as he is aware of Katnip's desire for privacy. Herman himself has NO idea Katnip's been helping Jerry.