Sopranos: What The Finale's Cat Really Means And How It Links To Christopher
One of the questions that remain around The Sopranos finale is whether the ginger cat Tony bonds with was the reincarnation of Christopher (Michael Imperioli.) In season 6, episode 21 «Made in America», Tony (James Gandolfini) and his crew bring a stray ginger cat back to Satriale's Pork Store after bonding with it at Tony's safe house. It's just one of a number of animals that Tony forms a bond with throughout The Sopranos, from the ducks in his swimming pool to Tony's ill-fated racehorse Pie-O-My. One member of the DiMeo family who doesn't take to this new addition is «Paulie Walnuts» Gualtieri (Tony Sirico) who refers to cats as "snakes with fur".
Tony assures Paulie that the cat is "a good guy" but he's far from convinced. One comic scene finds Paulie threatening the animal with a broom before swiftly pretending to sweep the floor when Tony enters unexpectedly. Paulie clearly has a grudge against the animal and becomes more unnerved by it as the episode plays out. It's another The Sopranos finale mystery, one that many have pondered since the show ended in 2007.
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As Paulie explains, his suspicion of the stray cat is rooted in ancient Italian superstition. In Italy, black cats are believed to be the devil's pet and the lord of graveyards. Despite being ginger, it's appropriate that a cat crosses Paulie's path as he ponders his own mortality. It's Paulie's fear of death — and his superstition — that prevents him from immediately accepting Tony's offer to run the old Cifaretto crew, given the fates of each of its previous bosses. When Paulie catches the cat staring at a picture of Christopher in the Satriale's office, he becomes convinced that the
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