Original Air Date: October 6, 1973
Starring: Randolph Mantooth, Kevin Tighe
Directed by: Alan Crosland

Cat Out of the Bag Alert!  This review contains some spoilers for this episode!

Synopsis: John (Randolph Mantooth) is surprised when a stray cat chooses his bed at the firehouse to have her kittens.  Meanwhile the rescue squads aids the victims of a small plane crash, a boating accident, a gas leak and choking and a man with his foot caught in a bear trap.

Featured Feline: The cat which decides to give birth to her kittens on John’s bed is an adorable orange tabby.

The cat makes itself at home in the firehouse, despite the misgivings of the resident canine Boot.

Throughout the episode the imminent birth of the kittens is the running subplot.  In one scene they tear up pieces of a newspaper to place in a box to make a safe place for her to have her babies.  Just as John is lifting the cat to place in the box an emergency call comes in.  John starts to run out with the others then turns to place the cat in the box as it starts to thrash in his hands.  Fortunately for the cat actor Randolph Mantooth does manage to hang on and place her in the container.

In the cat’s final scene we see she has given birth to a litter of kittens (tabbys and calicos).  A discussion begins about who will take the kittens but sadly none of the guys can or want to take them.  In the next scene John is dismayed to find the mother cat has moved her kittens somewhere else and they no longer have to worry about what to do with them.

Final Mewsings: If only the feral cat overpopulation problem were that easily solved.

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