Gary had a minor role in the episode "Atlantis SquarePantis." Gary appears wearing a party hat and blowing on a paper horn. Gary did not appear again after "Help Wanted" until the episodes "Plankton!" and "Naughty Nautical Neighbors." Gary has been to many places including the large Bass Vegas. As seen in "Gary Takes a Bath," Gary can levitate and teleport, possibly meaning that psychic powers run in the Star family, as Patrick has psychic abilities. The episode "Treats!" reveals that Gary was adopted. It is suggested that SpongeBob had Gary when he lived with his parents as a really young boy. He had an extensive library, which is a possible metaphor for intelligence.
In the episode "Tutor Sauce," Gary is shown to be a good driver, as he is able to drive through the most dangerous road in Bikini Bottom, with no issue whatsoever (except the cops stopping the boat). In "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie," the Bikini Bottomites were chanting "all hail Plankton," while Gary chanted monotonously "meow, Plankton." He may even be more intelligent than all the main characters (excluding Plankton), which is hinted to in "Sleepy Time," where Gary spoke in his dream (that SpongeBob was rudely interrupting) and sounded very old and wise. In "The Secret Box," Gary responded to SpongeBob's question with "Meow-no." SpongeBob did not think much of it and replied, "Aww, what do you know? You're a snail!" SpongeBob did not recognize it as special, perhaps meaning that it was not the first time that Gary spoke. In many episodes, it has been indicated that Gary has great intelligence (for snails at least). In "Opposite Day," Gary reverses this stereotype, barking like a dog. In "Your Shoe's Untied," "Frozen Face-Off," "Squid Defense" and "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water", he is shown to be able to roar, and he screeches like a cat in "The Thing," "What Ever Happened to SpongeBob?" and "Grooming Gary." From Season 4 onwards, Gary has made cat sound effects when he is startled or angry, to further reinforce the connection between snails and cats.
It has been known for Gary to say things other than "meow", but this is unusual. Gary is known for his characteristic "meow"-in contrast to the barking of the sea worms, suggesting that snails (like Gary) are equivalent to our cats and that worms are equivalent to our dogs. He is a domesticated house pet with similar mannerisms to a cat, but has royal blood, as seen in the episode, "Rule of Dumb." In "Rule of Dumb," the royal family tree proves that Gary and Patrick are cousins, as their fathers were brothers. He is Patrick's 1st cousin, and the sixth or seventh main character of the show, with the fifth most appearances in the series.