Feed the Kitty

Feed The Kitty is a 1952 Merrie Melodies short, No. 36 on The 50 Greatest Cartoons list and one of Chuck Jones' most beloved shorts. "Feed the Kitty" centers on the bulldog Marc Anthony as he encounters a cute little kitten (officially named "Pussyfoot") who is unfazed by Marc's attempts to scare her, and in fact takes a liking to Marc as she naps on the dog's back. Marc Anthony takes the kitten home with him, but also tries to hide Pussyfoot from his owner, who is fed up with him bringing junk home.

Naturally, it has earned a spot on The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes list.

Not to be confused with Pet the Dog.

Tropes used in Feed the Kitty include:

• Angry Guard Dog: Marc Anthony tries to represent this in their first meeting. It fails miserably.
• Badly-Battered Babysitter: Poor Marc Anthony.
• Big Friendly Dog: It's no good denying it, Marc Anthony.
• Bully Bulldog: Marc Anthony turns out to be a subversion.
• By the Lights of Their Eyes: The first thing we see is Pussyfoot's eyes inside a can.
• Cats Are Mean: Averted. Pussyfoot does get Marc Anthony in trouble but s/he doesn't seem to do it on purpose.
• Cuteness Proximity: Marc Anthony positively melts when Pussyfoot acts cute.
• Cute Kitten
• Fake Rabies: Marc Anthony pretends to be rabid to scare off his owner in order to save Pussyfoot, but she just scolds him for wasting her whipped cream.
• Gentle Giant: Marc Anthony.
• Kick the Dog: Unintentionally done by Marc Anthony's owner when she hands him a cat-shaped cookie.
• Licked By The Cat
• Little Guy, Big Buddy: the trope even used to be named "Marc Anthony And Pussyfoot".
• Papa Wolf: Marc Anthony's role to Pussyfoot, played up in "Feline Frame-Up" and "Cat Feud." In both cartoons, Claude Cat is the antagonist: In "Feline Frame-Up," he plays the role of jealous house cat who schemes to get rid of Marc Anthony so he can easily do away with Pussyfoot. "Cat Feud" saw a scraggly looking "Claude" harass Pussyfoot (who in this cartoon has been thrown in a sack and left for dead at a construction site), and Marc Anthony stop the bully cat at every turn.
• Ridiculously Cute Critter: Pussyfoot.
  • Especially when we see his/her face in a measuring eye.
• Shout-Out: Monsters, Inc.. made one to the scene mentioned below.
  • Another was done in South Park in the Coon 2 trilogy when Cartman befriends Cthulu, particularly Cartman scratching its back like Pussyfoot did.
• Sweet Dreams Fuel: This cartoon will ensure many sweet dreams.
• What Measure Is a Non-Cute?: Odd because Marc Anthony is a dog making these distinctions, but when the mouse kisses him it provokes a very different reaction than when Pussyfoot licks him earlier.
• Wind Up Key: Marc Anthony takes a key off of a toy car and pretends to wind up Pussyfoot with it to fool his owner that the cat is a toy. He succeeds, and Pussyfoot then gets himself into the before-mentioned toy car, minus key. Marc Anthony finds it cute, until Pussyfoot manages to get the toy car working and starts driving erratically, possibly because of the before-mentioned removal of the key.