Kitty Kat Kennels is the second part of the first episode of the first season of the series Heathcliff & the Catillac Cats. This segment is centered around the Catillac Cats, rather than Heathcliff. It is followed by first part of the next episode, Chauncey's Great Escape.
Synopsis[]
When Cleo's owner prepares for a vacation and plans to leave her at the kennel, Riff-Raff and the Catillac Cats decide it's time for an adventurous rescue mission to break her out.
Plot[]
At the junkyard, the Catillac Cats are busy hauling pieces of old planes when Hector questions Riff-Raff about his unusual redecorating efforts. Riff-Raff explains that Cleo wants them to clean up the place, prompting Mungo to wonder why he didn’t do this sooner. Hector urges Mungo to think it through, but as he contemplates, a pipe accidentally lands on Hector’s foot. Just then, Cleo arrives to inform Riff-Raff that her owner plans to leave her at Kitty Kat Kennels while they go on vacation. Riff-Raff quickly devises a plan to break her out.
Meanwhile, at Kitty Kat Kennels, the Catillac Cats try to break through the entrance. They attempt to barricade the door but are interrupted by a delivery person. The gang hides in the bushes while Riff-Raff instructs Hector to open the door once it’s ajar. Unfortunately, Hector struggles to hold it open and yelps in pain. Mungo tries to pull him back, and Riff-Raff realizes Mungo might be stronger at keeping the door open. As they wait for someone to exit, Mungo successfully holds the door for the rest of the gang to sneak inside.
Inside the kennel, they move cautiously, reminding each other to stay quiet. However, Wordsworth accidentally knocks over a cactus, causing a commotion that forces them to dash into the hallway, pretending to be part of the facility. Riff-Raff opens a door, only to be startled by a lion’s roar from inside. He quickly shuts it and moves to another room, where he gets snatched inside by a gray female cat with white fur and a yellow bow-tie, who flirtatiously wants to escape. Frightened, Riff-Raff bursts out of her room, followed closely by Hector and Wordsworth.
Riff-Raff considers opening another door but hesitates, prompting him to ask Hector to take the lead this time. Hector opens the door, only to fall inside. Wordsworth and Riff-Raff panic and run away just as Cleo emerges, overjoyed to see her friends and helps Hector to his feet.
With Cleo leading the way, the four of them dash toward the exit where Mungo is waiting. He sees them rushing and attempts to hold the door open, but it starts to close just before he can reach it, trapping them inside. Cleo sarcastically cheers for being “the first cats to leave themselves at a kennel” and heads back to her room. Riff-Raff expresses concern about how they'll escape, prompting Hector to ask for ideas. Riff-Raff proposes digging a tunnel, assigning Mungo to dig, Wordsworth to hold the dirt, and Hector to pile it up in a corner while he stays close to Cleo.
A montage plays as Mungo digs a long tunnel under the kennel while Wordsworth fills a bucket with dirt and hands it to Hector until they all start getting tired. As Riff-Raff and Cleo inspect their progress, they realize Mungo has dug from one end of the room to the other. Acknowledging that the plan hasn't gone perfectly, Riff-Raff gives Wordsworth a map to navigate. The gang jumps into the hole, determined to find their way out, but Mungo inadvertently causes a shift, sending dirt cascading onto everyone.
Just as they manage to climb out, a pack of dogs appears, forcing them to retreat back into the tunnel—except for Mungo, who is too big to fit. The dogs bump against him, causing chaos. Hector and Wordsworth try to push Mungo into the hole, and while they succeed in getting Hector inside, Wordsworth gets launched back into Cleo’s room with a headache. A male black poodle scolds the other dogs, successfully redirecting their attention.
Seizing the moment, the gang scrambles out of the room just before the dogs follow. As they enter another section of the kennel, the pressure mounts, and Riff-Raff urges everyone to stay calm while he devises a plan. Hector, frustrated, calls him out for getting them into this mess. With dogs approaching, Cleo spots a potential weapon, and Mungo hurls Hector at the dogs, knocking several out. Wordsworth gives Mungo a congratulatory handshake just as a dog crashes into Wordsworth, leading to an accidental cascade of stunts.
The resulting chaos leads to an all-out brawl between Mungo and the dogs, and the kennel ends up in disarray. The black poodle, witnessing the commotion, scolds his fellow dogs once more, but they grow tired of him and chase after him instead.
With the dogs distracted, the gang makes their way to the exit. Riff-Raff works on the door while Cleo steps through a broken wall of the destroyed kennel, teasingly telling Riff-Raff, “Looks like you saved me.” Riff-Raff proudly boasts that they got her out, and with a playful wink, he turns to the rest of the gang, ready for whatever adventure comes next.
Characters[]
(In order of appearance)[]
- Wordsworth
- Hector
- Riff-Raff (debut)
- Mungo
- Cleo (debut)
- Cleo's owner (mentioned)
- Unnamed Female Cat
- Angry Dogs
- Unnamed Poodle
Trivia[]
- This episode marks the debut of Riff-Raff and Cleo.
- This is the only episode where Cleo mentions that she has an owner. After this episode, Cleo's owner is never mentioned again.
- At one point in the episode, a female cat tries to seduce Riff-Raff. The female cat says "Why, I've always depended on the kindness of strangers." This could possibly be a reference to the 1951 film A Streetcar Named Desire.
Memorable Quotes[]
Hector: Why are you re-decorating your place? Or should I say, why are WE re-decorating your place? Riff-Raff: Cleo thinks the place needs fixing up. Mungo: Uhh, how come you've never fixed the place up when we told you what a dump it was? |
Riff-Raff: Mungo, get the door. Mungo, get the door... Mungo: Uhh, okay... Mungo accidentally hits Hector and Wordsworth with the pipe he's carrying. |
Hector: Now we're really trapped! Riff-Raff: Relax, I'll think of a way out... Hector: It's your thinking that got us into this mess! |
Riff-Raff: Now that that's over with, let's get outta here. I'll have this door open in just a minute. Cleo: Fine, I'll wait for you on the other side... Cleo walks out of the destroyed kennel through a broken wall. |
Home media releases[]
- 1985 - Heathcliff and Cats & Co. Volume 1 (RCA Columbia Pictures Home Video) - VHS
- 2005 - Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats (Shout! Factory / Sony Music Entertainment) - DVD
- 2007 - Heathcliff: New Cat in Town (DiC Entertainment / NCircle Entertainment) - DVD
- 2012 - Heathcliff: King of the Beasts (Cookie Jar Group / Mill Creek Entertainment) - DVD
- 2012 - Heathcliff: Season One, Volume One (Cookie Jar Group / Mill Creek Entertainment) - DVD
- 2016 - Heathcliff: The Complete Series (DHX Media, Ltd. / Mill Creek Entertainment) - DVD