''Feed the Kitty'' is a 1952 Warner Bros. ''

Merrie Melodies ''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animated series of comedy short films produced by Warner Bros. starting in 1931, during the golden age of American animation, and ending in 1969. Then some new cartoons were produced from the late 1970s to the ...

'' cartoon directed by

Chuck Jones Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, director, and painter, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He wrote, pro ...

and written by

Michael Maltese Michael Maltese (February 6, 1908 – February 22, 1981) was an American story man for classic animated cartoon shorts. He is best known for working in the 1950s on a series of '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoons with director Chuck Jones, notably " ...

. The cartoon was released on February 2, 1952, and introduces bulldog

Marc Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the auto ...

and kitten

Pussyfoot Pussyfoot was a British recording act of the late 1970s. The act consisted of songwriter, producer and musician Mick Flinn, and vocalist Donna Jones. Flinn remained behind the scenes, and Jones was marketed as a solo artist. Biography Early ...

. In the cartoon, a fierce bulldog adopts an adorable little kitten, and tries to keep it a secret from his owner, who insists that the dog stop bringing things into the house. In 1994, ''Feed the Kitty'' was voted #36 of the

50 Greatest Cartoons ''The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals'' is a 1994 book by animation historian Jerry Beck. Criteria It consists of articles about 50 highly regarded animated short films made in North America and other notable ca ...

of all time by members of the animation field.

Plot

This cartoon is the first of a short series directed by Jones and using the characters of

Marc Antony and Pussyfoot Marc Antony and Pussyfoot are animated characters in four Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' shorts. Three cartoons focus on the dog and kitten pair: ''Feed the Kitty'' (1952), '' Kiss Me Cat'' (1953) and ''Cat Feud'' (1958). ...

(Marc Antony's barks and grunts courtesy of an uncredited

Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for comedy r ...

). Marc Antony, a massive-chested bulldog, tries to intimidate a stray kitten with his ferocious barking and grimacing. Instead of being frightened, she climbs onto the dog's back and falls asleep in his fur. Despite wincing at her kneading, Marc instantly falls for the kitten and decides to adopt her, bringing her home with him. Upon his arrival, his human owner (voiced by

Bea Benaderet Beatrice Benaderet ( ; April 4, 1906 – October 13, 1968) was an American actress and comedienne. Born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, she began performing in Bay Area theatre and radio before embarking on a Hollywood career that s ...

), tired of picking up his things, orders him not to bring one more thing inside the house. As she reprimands him, Marc Antony discreetly hides the kitten under a bowl. Much of the cartoon centers on the kitten keeping several steps ahead of the dog, continually getting into things around the house. Each time she nearly alerts the dog's owner of her presence, he employs various tactics to hide or disguise her as common household items, including a

powder puff Powder puffs are pieces of soft material used for the application of face powder. They may be shaped as balls or pads. Historically, powder puffs have been made of very fine down feathers, cotton, fine fleece, etc. In modern times synthetic ma ...

, much to his owner's confusion. After a while, Marc Antony takes the kitten into the kitchen and tries to reprimand her, but quickly forgets his anger when she tries to play with his wagging finger. But when he hears his owner walking toward the kitchen, he hastily hides the kitten in a flour canister and tries to look innocent. Growing tired of his antics, his owner ejects him from the kitchen and tells him to stay out while she bakes cookies. Marc Antony watches as his owner scoops out a cup of flour, and is horrified to see that the kitten is in the measuring cup. The lady pours the flour, along with the kitten, into a mixing bowl and prepares to use an

electric mixer A mixer, depending on the type, also called a hand mixer or stand mixer, is a kitchen device that uses a gear-driven mechanism to rotate a set of "beaters" in a bowl containing the food or liquids to be prepared by mixing them. Mixers help a ...

. The dog tries several times to thwart or distract her, finally spraying his face with whipped cream to make himself appear

rabid Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. Early symptoms can include fever and tingling at the site of exposure. These symptoms are followed by one or more of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, ...

. His exasperated owner sees through his disguise and throws him out of the house. Meanwhile, the kitten climbs out of the bowl and hides out of sight to clean herself up. Marc Antony, unaware that the kitten has escaped, can only watch in horror as his owner mixes the cookie batter, rolls out the dough, cuts it into shapes and places the cookies in the oven. At each phase of the process, the poor dog becomes increasingly distressed until he finally collapses in tears, literally crying a puddle of tears in the back yard. His mistress comes out a short time later and, believing he is crying over being disciplined, lets him back inside and tells him he has been punished enough. She attempts to console him by giving him a cookie in the shape of a cat. Stunned, Marc takes the cookie and places it on his back where the kitten had slept earlier, then collapses and bawls uncontrollably. The kitten then walks up and meows at him. Marc Antony, immediately overjoyed to see his friend alive, picks the kitten up and kisses her, then suddenly realizes that his owner is watching. He vainly tries to disguise the kitten like he did earlier, but then begs at his mistress's feet. To his surprise, she allows him to keep the kitten, sternly telling him that the kitten is completely ''his'' responsibility. At this realization, the dog once again wags his finger at her, but melts as the kitten plays with it and purrs at him. She climbs onto his back and settles in for a nap, and he tucks her in using his fur as a blanket.

Reception

Animation historian

David Gerstein David Gerstein (born February 6, 1974) is an American comics author and editor as well as an animation historian. Gerstein has five books and countless comic book credits to his name. He has written many Disney comics stories, usually featuring ...

writes that ''Feed the Kitty'' is "a story that still resonates fifty-odd years on. What is its secret? Not melodrama, for its melodrama isn't entirely unlike that of mushier animated predecessors. Not conscience, for many earlier shorts also meant well. No, ''Feed the Kitty's'' secret is its wonderful mixing of these elements with flawlessly timed humor and awesome character designs: Director Chuck Jones' visuals were simply at the peak of their power when they came together with this story, and they make all the difference."

Home media

''Feed the Kitty'' is available on DVD on the '' Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1'' DVD box set, supplemented with an

audio commentary An audio commentary is an additional audio track, usually digital, consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with a video. Commentaries can be serious or entertaining in nature, and can add informatio ...

Greg Ford Greg Ford is an animator, director, historian and consultant to Warner Bros. Animation. He is perhaps best known for directing the films ''Daffy Duck's Quackbusters'', ''Weezer Slander: The Movie'', and '' (Blooper) Bunny''. Biography During ...

and a music-only audio track. It is also available as a bonus feature (and was discussed as an example of how Jones used personality in animation) on the DVD release of the PBS documentary entitled ''Extremes & Inbetweens: A Life In Animation'' about the life and career of director

. It is also available on the '' Looney Tunes: Spotlight Collection'' DVD box set and the '' Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1'' Blu-ray box set.

Other media

*The 2001

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californ ...

film '' Monsters, Inc.'' features a scene that directly references ''Feed the Kitty'', in which Sulley exhibits the same reactions as Marc Antony when he thinks Boo has been crushed in a trash compactor. *The ''

South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand ...

'' episode "

Coon vs. Coon and Friends "Coon vs. Coon and Friends" is the thirteenth episode of the fourteenth season and the 208th overall episode of Comedy Central's series ''South Park''. It originally aired on November 10, 2010; and was written and directed by series co-creator Tr ...

" recreates scenes from ''Feed the Kitty'' with

Cartman Eric Theodore Cartman, commonly referred to by his surname Cartman, is a fictional character in the adult animated sitcom ''South Park'', created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. He is voiced by Parker, and is one of the series' four main charact ...

acting as Pussyfoot and Cthulhu as Marc Antony in his "cute kitten" routine.

References

External links