Kit for Cat (1948) User Reviews

Spare some change?

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 7/10 · 29 November 2004]

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.

Slow buildup and hysterical and intense finish

[nealklein · 8/10 · 10 February 2004]

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.

Was "Melvin" named after Mel Blanc?

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 15 January 2007]

Having seen "Back Alley Oproar" and "Kit for Cat", I wish that Elmer Fudd and Sylvester could have co-starred more often. This one has Sylvester and an orange kitten vying for adoption by Elmer one cold night, and they both keep trying to frame each other for making noise, in the hope that Elmer will throw out the other. I never predicted what would happen at the end! One thing that I wondered while watching the cartoon was about the radio show with which they try to awaken Elmer. It features a character named "Melvin". Knowing that the Man of 1,000 Voices himself - Mel Blanc, that is - provided the vocalizations here, I wonder whether or not that character was named after him.

Oh well. I probably shouldn't get hung up on that. The point is that this is a hilarious cartoon.

"Please save a frostbitten feline from a frozen fate!"

[slymusic · 29 May 2006]

"Kit for Cat" is a very good Sylvester/Elmer Fudd cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. Elmer has to choose whether to keep Sylvester or a much prettier little kitten inside his warm house on a chilly evening. So the two cats do everything possible to get each other in trouble!

Highlights: Sylvester purposefully breaks Elmer's dishes in order to throw the blame on the kitten, but Elmer catches Sylvester in the act and warns him, "You're making it vewy much easier for me to make up my mind which one of you to keep!" Sylvester calls the kitten in his hilariously slobbering voice and pours milk on his head, after which he crashes the milk bottle and again tries to throw the blame on the poor little kitten; Elmer reacts by merely overfeeding the kitten with milk, cheese, hamburger, salami, bologna, etc. The kitten removes the nails from a light fixture above Elmer's head while he is sleeping; Sylvester tries to prevent the light fixture from crashing down onto Elmer's bald head, but he arrives just a second too late, and of course, Elmer angrily blames Sylvester! And for the final clamorous gag that causes Elmer's eviction, the kitten activates a player piano and turns on the radio, in which we hear the great Mel Blanc's sinister voice portraying a villain.

In closing, here are my favorite musical moments from "Kit for Cat." Carl Stalling orchestrates a nice vibraphone melody (the title of which I do not know) during the scene of the kitten playing with a ball of yarn. And "Mommy's Little Baby Loves Shortening Bread" opens and closes this cartoon as the two cats (and eventually Elmer) search for food.

Cat fight

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 30 July 2015]

"Kit for Cat" is a 7-minute cartoon by Warner Bros from soon 70 years ago. I thought it was entertaining from start to finish and shows us how Freleng, Maltese and Pierce were among the best animation had to offer at that point. And same goes for Mel Blanc who voices almost everybody in this film, but that's really a given if you know only a bit about him. Sylvester is the star again, but this time he does not try to catch a little bird, but get rid of a cute little kitten when the owner of the house tells them that only one of them can stay and the other has to go out to the bad weather again. Sylvester tries to frame the cutey, but always ends up as the loser and is permanently inferior to a physically inferior opponent just like with Tweety. There was not one outstanding scene in here, but it was funny from start to finish and that includes the little epilogue with who actually picks the apple core in the end. Good stuff and I recommend it.

Elmer Befriends Two Cats....And Pays A Price

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 6 February 2007]

Sylvester is out in some alleyway, searching for food among the garbage cans. Suddenly, he spots a kitten doing the same right near him. "Say there, small fry," he says, "I'm working this side of the street. Now scram. Beat it!"

Sylvester boots the little guy across the street. Suddenly a cold, hard wind comes up and the cat decides he needs to "find a warm place to flop." He goes up to a house, pounds on the door and pleads, "Please save a frost-bitten feline from a frozen fate!"

Who answers the door? Elmer Fudd! Elmer, being a nice guy, lets the cat in and puts him on a nice easy chair next to the fireplace and tells him, "Please consider this your home now, Mister Pussycat."

Seconds later, someone else in knocking on the door: the little kitty. Elmer can't believe it. "Great grasshoppers," he says, "another orphan of the storm!"

Elmer tells the felines, "I can only keep one of you," but it's obvious he thinks the little kitten is cuter and probably will be the one to stay. Sylvester is no sap; he sees this and goes to work to get the little kitten in trouble and force Elmer to pick him as his pet. Needless to say, whatever Sylvester cooks up.....it deservedly backfires. Some of the scenes are very clever, such as the cat doing his balancing act with falling dishes.

Overall, a good cartoon, although justice didn't prevail in the end, at least for the "nice guy."

"Kit For Cat" Is The Cat's Meow Of Vintage Looney Tunes

[StrictlyConfidential · 6/10 · 23 May 2020]

Not being an "Elmer Fudd"-type, myself - i know exactly which one of these 2 abandoned pussycats I'd choose as my new-found house-pet (and it certainly wouldn't be the slobbering Sylvester).

Anyway - In "Kit For Cat" it's a freezing cold winter's night. And, as it turns out - The clueless (but kind) Mr. Fudd unknowingly makes the grave mistake of welcoming both of these conniving kitties into his warm and cozy home.

Well - It certainly doesn't take long for all hell to break loose when both Sylvester and the cute, little kitten get it into their feline heads that the other one must go at all costs.

Enjoyably entertaining - 1948's "Kit For Cat" was competently directed by popular Warner Bros. animator, Friz Freleng.

utterly hilarious

[movieman_kev · 10/10 · 2 November 2005]

Sylvester the cat is trashcan diving for his dinner when he runs into an little orange kitty trying to take food from the same trashcans. It's extremely cold outside so Sylvester is happy when he's taken in by Elmer Fudd. But here comes that darn orange kitty again and Elmer can only keep one. So it's a battle of wills to see who stays while Elmer sleeps on the dilemma. This cartoon is great and further proves (if any were truly needed) that Sylvester was the TRUE star of his pairings with Tweety bird. As he excels in this solo outing. Plus the kitten makes an excellent foil. This animated short can be found on disc 4 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 1.

My Grade: A+

Kit for Cat is a nearly excellent Sylvester-Elmer Fudd cartoon

[tavm · 9/10 · 8 January 2008]

In this one, Sylvester and a cute little kitten are searching for food in an alley when it starts getting cold. After the big cat kicks out the kitten for invading his territory, he knocks on a house door in an attempt to get in. It's Elmer Fudd at the door! He lets Sylvester in and tells him he can stay as long as he wants. Another knock comes on at that point. It's the cute little kitten! Now Elmer has to make up his mind since he can't keep both. Sylvester gets jealous when Mr. Fudd seems to be really taken with the kitten. So smitten that anything that the big cat tries to frame him with backfires in spades! The rest of the cartoon builds into a crescendo of calamities mostly caused by Sylvester that you have to see to believe. On that note, I highly recommend Kit for Cat. Directed by Friz Freling.

Up there with 'Yankee Doodle Daffy' as Friz Freleng's very best work

[phantom_tollbooth · 10/10 · 18 August 2008]

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.

Great Fun

[Michael_Elliott · 19 April 2009]

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.

One of Freleng's most memorable cartoons

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 14 June 2011]

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

One can view KIT FOR CAT as merely a kids' cartoon . . .

[oscaralbert · 8/10 · 30 January 2016]

. . . or see this Warner Bros.' animated short as an allegorical take on the American Immigration Experience. Since the latter perspective is more fun, let's interpret KIT FOR CAT that way. Elmer Fudd's drawn here as a White person in possession of a Big House, so for all intents and purposes he represents White People in KIT FOR CAT. Territorial Black Cat Sylvester leaves his Urban Decay Bailiwick and seeks out Elmer's charity, so Warner may be attempting to tie this cat in with people of his color. The tan KIT is always Horning in on Syvester's Territory, bedeviling the longer-established candidate for favored house pet status every step of the way. Thus, Sylvester's antagonist is drawn by Warner to represent Americans of Hispanic Heritage. When KIT FOR CAT reaches its conclusion, Elmer receives eviction notice #54912, Certification #7652104, Serial #T9461235 from his landlord (who is voiced as a Native American, but not seen). This tale's Denouement finds Elmer on the street, picking up an apple core which even the squabbling cats have both rejected. Warner's KIT FOR CAT moral seems pretty clear: A Trump in Hand is worth two Cubans and a Bush.

An amusing entry!

[JohnHowardReid · 8/10 · 24 March 2018]

PLAYERS: Sylvester, kitten, Melvin, landlord (all voiced by Mel Blanc), Elmer Fudd (voiced by Arthur Q. Bryan), Beatrice (voiced by Bea Benaderet).

Director: I. FRELENG. Story: Michael Maltese, Tedd Pierce. Animation: Virgil Ross, Gerry Chiniquy, Manuel Perez, Ken Champin. Backgrounds: Paul Julian Lay-outs: Hawley Pratt. Voice characterizations: Mel Blanc. Music director: Carl Stalling. Color by Technicolor. Producer: Edward Selzer.

Copyright 28 October 1948 (in notice: 1947) by The Vitaphone Corp. A Warner Bros "Merrie Melodies" cartoon. U.S. release: 6 November 1948. 7 minutes.

COMMENT: Two "orphans of the storm" seek refuge with Elmer Fudd. The trouble is that two cats are one too many for the soft-hearted Elmer.

Sylvester concocts some elaborate schemes to disfavor his rival, but somehow they all seem to go awry.

"Kit for Cat" is most certainly an amusing entry, brightly colored and cleverly characterized, with terrific sound effects.