Original Air Date: March 25, 1965
Starring: Raymond Burr, Julie Sommars, Allan Melvin
Directed by: Vincent McEveety

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

Synopsis: Based on one of the original Perry Mason stories, the Shore family has its share of problems, not the least of which is a missing uncle who seems to want to reappear ten years later, an overbearing matriarch who doesn’t trust cats and a dead body that shows up when least expected.

Featured Feline: The cat referred to in the title is an absolutely adorable young Siamese cat named Monkey which is seen off and on throughout the episode.  In the first scene the cat is pacing nervously on a high shelf above Matilda (Louise Latham) and Gerald Shore (Lloyd Corrigan).

Monkey suddenly jumps down and lands hard on the table, scaring Matilda, who starts after the cat like she will kill it.  Her niece Helen (Julie Sommars) races into the room to rescue Monkey.

Shortly afterwards we hear Monkey has been poisoned with strychnine but fortunately isn’t killed.  Helen is taking no chances and takes the cat to stay at the family’s long-time gardener Thomas (Allan Melvin).

Monkey isn’t seen for a while until Perry Mason is approached by Thomas saying that the missing uncle is at his place.  When they arrive at Thomas’ home they find an empty bed, an open window, cat tracks of flour throughout the place and a gun in the flour container.  Monkey is seen licking his paws.

Eventually the pieces of the mystery are put together and a killer is revealed, thanks in part to Monkey.  In the last scene the kitten jumps down from a shelf into a coffee service.

Final Mewsings: Cats are not careless, it’s just that people leave their things where cats plan to jump!

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