Claws in the Lease

Sylvester lives with his son in a city dump. Junior decides to find a home for themselves and hurries to tell his father. The news triggers hope and confusion as Sylvester misreads it, thinking the fish cannery has reopened.

Junior locates a potential home for himself and rushes to tell Sylvester. His news triggers a mix of hope and worry in the father, who fears losing their current life. The moment marks the first attempt to change their situation.

The lady wants to adopt Junior but not Sylvester. She takes Junior inside her home, separating him from his father. The separate path sets up the cat's ongoing schemes to win back his son.

The lady places milk in a bowl for Junior. Sylvester drinks the milk and is bopped on the head with a broom. She takes Junior inside, ending the moment of the attempted adoption.

Sylvester knocks on the door, shouting that someone has taken his son and demanding an opening. The lady answers with the broom and tells him to stay out. His stubborn insistence foreshadows further schemes.

During the next attempt, Sylvester hides in Junior's can and slips into the television as the household prepares to watch a horse opera. He appears on screen and improvises a jingle for Pussy Kins Cat Food, advertising it to the audience. The lady grows suspicious, throws him out through a window, breaks the glass, and sends the can after him.

Outside the house, Sylvester keeps up the commercial, muttering lines about getting more cat food but enjoying it less. The gag parodies advertising of the era and extends his effort to win back Junior. His persistence shows the cat's resourcefulness.

Junior allows Sylvester back inside, but the moment the lady heads toward the bath she begins singing. Sylvester dives into the shower to hide, becoming part of a messy cleaning ritual as she uses him to scrub her back and wipe her feet on him when she exits.

Sylvester hides in the bathrobe while the bath routine continues, and a handful of rollers end up in his head. He pops out as the lady screams and makes a frantic break for freedom. The sequence heightens the physical humor of their living arrangement.

Frustrated, Sylvester fills the house with hordes of mice and declares this a job for Superpuss. He wears a heroic cape and suit as he tries to reclaim control, but the mice eject him along with Junior and the lady. The disaster ends with the household in chaos.

The lady grows furious and blames Sylvester for the eviction from the house. She pounds him on the head, ending the attempt at domestic rescue and leaving him battered but undeterred. The domestic conflict reaches a peak before the final twist.

All three end up back at the dump, living among the chicken bones and debris. Junior asserts that they are a family again, pulling his father into the rough shelter of their new life. The closing image hints at a fragile, unconventional family unit.