On May 30, 1990, the world received a new Garfield comic strip. This isn’t a big deal. We’ve been getting daily Garfield comic strips since 1978. We got a new one today! But 35 years ago, a single Garfield comic strip became one of the most infamous in the franchise’s history because a lot of people thought it depicted the lazy cat’s owner drinking dog semen.
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Here’s the Garfield comic strip that appeared in newspapers around the country exactly 35 years ago today:
Image: Paws Inc / Jim Davis / Kotaku
So yeah, that does seem like Garfield’s owner Jon Arbuckle just drank some dog semen that was sitting in a cup while trying to flirt (unsuccessfully) with veterinarian Liz. That would explain why she mentions that Jon should expect a “fine, healthy litter of puppies” and why he appears to have consumed something truly revolting.
And that’s what a lot of people thought after seeing the comic in 1990. For many, many years, Garfield fans and people who like weird facts would spread the story of Jon drinking dog semen around the web as people reacted in disbelief or assumed the strip was altered. And even if you chose to believe that Garfield creator Jim Davis didn’t intend the joke to be about dog semen, there wasn’t a readily available and funny alternative explanation.
In 2017, we finally got some answers. Buzzfeed contacted Davis and asked him about the dog semen comic strip. And to the disappointment of many, the creator behind the famous comic claimed Mr. Arbuckle didn’t drink dog semen. However, his explanation of the strip is still pretty weird and not very funny.
“On the farm, we used to give first-calf heifers a high-protein supplement to help them deliver healthier calves,” Davis told Buzzfeed. “The supplement was provided by our vet. Since Liz is a vet, I assumed that there would be a similar supplement for dogs. There you have it!”
I’m inclined to believe Davis, though it’s still wild to me that nobody involved with the Garfield strip pointed out to the creator how the comic could be misinterpreted. I also find it strange that Davis would assume everyone in the world is familiar with high-protein pre-natal cow supplements and would understand that this random comic was referencing that very specific concept.
Screenshot: Realnutsling / Kotaku
In 2017, however, Davis threw a wrench in the works when someone allegedly bought a signed copy of the infamous strip. And included on the artwork was a message from Davis: “These events are canon.”
You know what, I changed my mind. I think 35 years ago Jon Davis wanted to see if he could get away with making a comic about a dude drinking dog semen, and pulled it off, but can never admit it without destroying Garfield’s brand. But Davis, it’s 2025. The world is weird and loves this kind of shit now. If you admitted it, you could make shirts about it, and make even more money than you already have. So I say fuck it. It’s been nearly four decades. Admit the truth, Jim, and profit.
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