Line #53 Main/Catapult


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cat_gun_9127.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: [[http://glooh.deviantart.com/art/Catgun-345258360 Image]] by [[http://glooh.deviantart.com/gallery/ glooh.]]]]
3	CatsAreMean. Not only that, but they're also little balls of teeth and claws in a relatively small size, and a propensity to cling to objects, possibly while scratching it as best they can. And they tend to get very angry when handled roughly.
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5	All of this makes them a wonderful projectile weapon. Forget the BeeBeeGun, terrify your enemies with the Cat-apult![[TradeSnark ™]]
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7	Expect to see AmusingInjuries in the form of [[DeathOfAThousandCuts tiny cuts]] to the face, where the cats will [[FaceHugger inevitably attach themselves]]. Variants include swinging a cat around like a melee weapon, or using a cat that can launch its own weapons.
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9	A primarily comedic subtrope of AbnormalAmmo. Related to ThatPoorCat. When an actual catapult is involved, it's usually a VisualPun.
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11	----
12	!!Examples
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14	[[foldercontrol]]
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16	[[folder:Comic Books]]
17	* ''ComicBook/GorskyAndButch'', in its Asian cinema parody episode has the protagonists witness a battle where one of the combatants uses a "Cat's Claw" attack, which consists entirely of tossing a cat at the opponent's face.
18	[[/folder]]
19
20	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
21	* In the film version of ''WesternAnimation/{{Coraline}}'', the title character throws a cat at the Other Mother in order to buy herself time to run away. The cat makes it out alive, but he gives Coraline a cross look when they meet each other again in the human world.
22	[[/folder]]
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24	[[folder:Literature]]
25	* In ''[[Literature/WheresWally Find Waldo Now]]'', "The End of the Crusades" has a cat loaded onto the [[VisualPun rightmost catapult]].
26	* ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'s Christmas Tales'': In the second chapter, "The Great Snowball Fight", Garfield comes to ComicStrip/USAcres for the holiday season, only to find Orson, Roy, and Wade [[SnowballFight being pelted with snowballs]] by Gort, Wart, and Mort, Orson's three mean older brothers. When one of the pigs pelts Garfield with a snowball, he vows revenge and teams up with Orson, Roy, and Wade to build a catapult, with which to take down Gort, Wart, and Mort. When Garfield's team runs out of snowballs, they resort to launching Garfield, allowing him to easily take down the pigs.
27	* In the Literature/{{Discworld}} book ''Literature/LordsAndLadies'', Magrat takes out an [[TheFairFolk elf]] by stuffing Nanny Ogg's amazingly dangerous cat Greebo into a box and having the victim open it, upon which Greebo "went off like a claymore mine".
28	* In the Creator/RaymondChandler story "Finger Man", when the villainous corrupt politician has the protagonist[[note]]Carmady originally, changed to the more famous Literature/PhilipMarlowe in some reprints[[/note]] taken to his turf in order to threaten him, the protagonist tosses the villain's pet cat into his face and uses the distraction to grab his revolver and hold him at gunpoint.
29	[[/folder]]
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31	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
32	* A variant: the ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' Digital Short "Lasercats" and its sequels are about a pitch for a sci-fi series where cats can shoot lasers, and thus have replaced guns.
33	* In the TV adaptation of ''Literature/{{Gormenghast}}'', Flay throws one of Gertrude's cats at Swelter.
34	* A sketch in ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'', where a grotesque, played by Creator/MichaelPalin, boasts to a sceptical TV interviewer, played by Creator/JohnCleese, that he owns an amazing flying cat. When pressed for specifics, Palin reluctantly admits
35	-->I fling her....
36	[[/folder]]
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38	[[folder:Pinball]]
39	* In ''Pinball/MedievalMadness'', a cat is one of the things that can be fired from the catapult after you hit the ramp three times (the others are a cow, a chicken, a bowling ball, and the No Fear skull).
40	[[/folder]]
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42	[[folder:Toys]]
43	* The toy of Soundwave from ''Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen'' has a missile that's based on his [[PantheraAwesome jaguar minion]], Ravage.
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45
46	[[folder:Video Games]]
47	* In ''VideoGame/PostalIII'' your character can throw vicious cats at opponents. Once the cat hits it holds on and continues to attack the victim.
48	* ''VideoGame/{{Awesomenauts}}'' brings us Derpl Zork, [[TheDitz astoundingly dim-witted]] heir to Zork Industries. When asked what form of devastation should be issued forth from his mighty combat walker, he simply drooled and said "I wuv cats". Thus came the holo-cat cannon. Yes, holographic cats.
49	* With ''VideoGame/SecondLife'' having tons of user created stuff, it wasn't long before a Cat Cannon was built.
50	* ''[[http://www.kittencannon.us/ Kitten Cannon]]'' is, well... [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a game where you shoot kittens with a cannon.]]
51	* One of [[BadBoss Yukari]]'s attacks in ''VideoGame/TouhouHisoutensokuChoudokyuuGinyoruNoNazoOOe'' is [[FastballSpecial throwing Chen]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YosO0My6Qzs#t=00m24s to the enemy.]]
52	* In ''VideoGame/MeltyBlood'', Len can throw out cats to attack the opponent.
53	* One of the many, many improbable weapons that can be shot in ''VideoGame/ShellshockLive''.
54	* In the second level of ''VideoGame/TheSimpsonsHitAndRun'', one of the level gags is a catapult that can launch cats.
55	* In ''VideoGame/UminekoGoldenFantasia'', one of Bernkastel's attacks is to use her cat minions as projectiles. She kind of does it in ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' too, although they "fly" rather than being thrown.
56	* A Bullet Soul called Student Witch in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaAriaOfSorrow'' and ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'' allows Soma Cruz to throw out black cats that run across the screen and damage any enemies in their path.
57	%%* From '' Super VideoGame/{{Scribblenauts}}'' onwards, the adjective "Catshooting" lets you do this with your weapons.
58	* In the ''WesternAnimation/BlazingDragons'' LicensedGame for the [[Platform/PlayStation PS1]] and Platform/SegaSaturn, Flicker can partake in a royal cat-a-pult target range, where knights practice launching cats at enemy soldiers.
59	* the man, one of the various {{Lethal Joke Item}}s in ''VideoGame/ItemAsylum'', lets you do this by throwing a cat to deal damage to your enemies and ragdoll them.
60	[[/folder]]
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62	[[folder:Webcomics]]
63	* The aptly named Cat-A-Pult from ''Webcomic/LeagueOfSuperRedundantHeroes'' has the power to levitate cats. This was his go-to attack, until he got [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower more creative]].
64	* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' #520, Belkar suddenly throws a cat into the face of the evil cleric he has been talking to. Turns out he was ''really'' looking forward to flinging an angry cat into someone's face.
65	* Used as a FunnyBackgroundEvent in [[https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2003/07/09/catapult this]] ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'' comic.
66	[[/folder]]
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68	[[folder:Western Animation]]
69	* Mayor [[AdamWesting Adam West]] defends his home in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' with a crossbow that fires cats, which he stores in a large sack on his back.
70	* The CrazyCatLady in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' ends any conversation she doesn't like by throwing some of her innumerable cats at someone.
71	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': In one episode where Fry is leading an army of Neanderthals against Zapp Brannigan they catapult a saber-toothed cat through his flagship's windshield.
72	* ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'': Soundwave will sometimes eject Ravage out of his chest directly onto an Autobot.
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75	[[folder:Real Life]]
76	* A RealLife example: During the siege of Pelusium in 525 BC, the Persian general Cambyses was known for hurling live cats over the walls of the Egyptian fort to demoralize the defenders (to whom the cats were sacred). He also instructed his men to drive cats before the army, and tie cats to their shields to further deter the Egyptians. He was not a nice person.
77	* Cats, and other dead animals (as well as occasional dead ''people'' or parts of their bodies), were flung over walls during various medieval sieges. The goal was to spread disease inside the walled city, as a sort of early bioweapon. Remember: MedievalMorons is ''not'' TruthInTelevision. The attackers may not have known ''why'', but they knew that close contact with dead bodies wasn't good for you.
78	* Kunoichi (female {{ninja}}) who kept cats would sometimes use them as surprise weapons, throwing them into the faces of their enemies.
79	[[/folder]]

Context Main / Catapult