The Recess Gang finds a stray cat near the dumpster and name it "Stuart." Hilarity Ensues when it escapes Miss Grotke's classroom and the kids give chase to it.
Tropes:
- Argument of Contradictions: When Ashley A. claims that "Stuart" is the Ashley's cat:Spinelli: Your cat? He's ours!
Ashley Q.: Is not!
Spinelli: Is too!
Ashley Q.: Is not!
Spinelli: Is too! - Blatant Lies: When the Animal Control comes to inspect the situation with the cat, Prickly claims that the cat jumped over the fence. Animal Control refuses to go get the cat.
- Both Sides Have a Point: On the one hand, Principal Prickly calling an animal rescue is reasonable since if Stella is a stray, she's more likely to get food and medical care. Then he finds out she has kittens, and that the whole playground has fallen in love with her. We then see the alternative: different students and teachers adopt the babies, leaving Mikey to take care of Stella and adopt her in turn.
- Chase Scene: A large portion of the episode involves the Recess Gang running after "Stuart." And they are joined by the Ashleys, the kindergarteners, Miss Finster, and Principal Prickly.
- Everyone Has Standards: Prickly is all fine with calling Animal Control to pick up Stuart. Then he sees that she has babies, and his stance changes.
- Fattening the Victim: Upon seeing the kindergarteners feeding "Stuart" some cookies, the Recess Gang is led to believe that they intend to eat "him." However, when Mikey calls them out on it, they reveal that they were only feeding the cat because they loved "him."
- Foreshadowing: "Stuart" likes Mikey just fine but panics over being taken away from the dumpster and keeps trying to get back there. That's where her kittens are.
- Hidden Heart of Gold: Seeing the cat and a litter of kittens, even Prickly can't bring himself to turn them over to animal control, so he lies about the cat hopping the fence.
- Even Miss Finster can't help but feel a little sorry for the kittens as she happily adopts one of them.
- Kindhearted Cat Lover: At the end of the episode, Mikey himself has adopted Stella, while Ashley A., Miss Finster, and Principal Prickly each adopt one of her kittens.
- Not What It Looks Like: See Fattening the Victim above.
- Soapbox Sadie: Miss Grotke's lecture for this episode involves global warming. She calls the industrialists "evil" and clearly wants to do something about it. Then when "Stuart" escapes from Mikey's hiding place...
- Wham Shot: Hank moving the dumpster reveals the cat has a litter of kittens.
- Your Tomcat is Pregnant: Towards the end of the episode, everyone discovers that "Stuart" is a mother of eight kittens, and Spinelli quickly changes "his" name to "Stella."
