Kit for Cat

A homeless Sylvester bullies a small orange cat and kicks him out of his garbage can territory. But the night grows colder and Sylvester knocks on the door of a random house for sanctuary. Elmer Fudd answers and takes him in. But seconds later the orange kitty is back and Elmer takes him in too. He'd like to keep them both but can only keep one. After attempts at out-cutting each other fail the cats finally decide to frame each other as noise pets as Elmer tries to sleep.

It's fun to watch Sylvester's plans back fire on him and desperately trying to stop the kitty's evil ways. I love Sylvester. Who goes in the end? Well you'll have to watch it to find out.

Kit for Cat (1948)

**** (out of 4)

An orphan kitten and Sylvester the Cat are brought in by Elmer Fudd on a cold night. He can't keep both of them but says he'll make up his mind in the morning. This gives the cats enough time to try and make the other one look bad. Here's another favorite of mine as we get non-stop laughs from start to finish as well as some great characters. I've always been impressed with what they did with Elmer here and that's making him a rather angry character. I find it downright hysterical when he has his sleep interrupted and runs downstairs ready to fight. The orphan kitten is also very cute and adds a few laughs. Sylvester is the poor guy here as he's constantly trying to do something good but failing miserably.

Sylvester and this kitten are both trying to get shelter from the freezing storm when they arrive, one at a time, at the doorstep of Elmer Fudd. It's predictable stuff at first. Elmer can't keep both cats, but he's very partial to the kitten. Sylvester does everything he can to make the kitten "lose points" with Elmer, but to no avail, until Sylvester is actually a thread away from getting bounced outside.

The element that makes this a gem is the frenetic ending. It builds mercilessly into a hysterical display of the cats trying to get one up upon the other with the radio blaring and synchronized to their actions. It's very well directed and totally memorable.

Friz Freleng's 'Kit for Cat' is a largely forgotten classic. One of my favourite Freleng cartoons, it pits Sylvester against an unnamed orange kitten as they vie for the position of Elmer Fudd's pet. Michael Maltese and Tedd Pierce have come up with a corking script filled with unexpected gags as Sylvester tries to make the kitten look bad and only succeeds in incriminating himself. I've always preferred Sylvester's appearances without the comedically draining presence Tweety and 'Kit for Cat' is a perfect example of how hilarious the red-nosed cat is when not forced into the constrictive role of birdnapper. 'Kit for Cat' features Sylvester at his most well rounded. The reactions and expressions he goes through are constantly hilarious (just look at the way his face droops into genuine sadness and resignation when he is caught tampering with Elmer's light) and thus the audience roots for him over the smug kitten despite the extreme lengths he's willing to go to in order to get rid of the little pest. Elmer is also great in this cartoon, playing the good-hearted but stern authority figure to a tee. It all builds to a sensational climax involving a player piano, a murderous radio show and a firearm that keeps changing hands. This is Freleng at the top of his game and those who are willing to write him off as a less interesting director need only look to this stunning sequence for prove to the contrary. The final punchline is also unexpected and an extremely refreshing alternative to the Sylvester-gets-ejected conclusion most people will be expecting. All in all, 'Kit for Cat' is a beautiful example of a director at his very best and is up there with 'Yankee Doodle Daffy' as some of Freleng's best work.

As a big fan of Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies, I naturally wanted to see Kit for Cat after seeing it lauded as one of Freleng's best and most memorable. After seeing it, I agree, while starting off a tad slow, it picks up very quickly right up until the corker of an ending, which is both hilarious and intense. The animation is beautifully done in especially the colours, which are rich and plentiful. The music has a huge amount of energy and fits very well with every scene it features in, the writing and quotes are one big jewel after another and just get better and better and the sight gags are clever(ie. balancing of the falling plates). Sylvester is very well-rounded here, the other feline is a worthy contrast while Elmer while maintaining the dim-witted character that makes him so endearing is also quite kindly. All in all, very, very entertaining. 9/10 Bethany Cox