Supergirl's Super Pet is a Supergirl story published in Action Comics #261 (December, 1959) by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney. It is remembered by Superman fans as Streaky the Supercat's origin story.
Kara Zor-El is living in Midvale Orphanage as Linda Lee, keeping her existence a secret as she trains her powers. One night, she spots a Kryptonite meteor falling to Earth, and quickly wraps the little pebble into lead and takes it back her bedroom. Kara is trying to discover an antidote for Kryptonite poisoning and intends to experiment with that tiny piece. Unfortunately, she treats the Kryptonite with every chemical combination she can think of, but she still feels harmed by the rock's radiation. Dejected, Kara tosses the Kryptonite into the woods, unaware that the rock's chemical make-up has been altered.
Later, Linda is walking around Midvale when she runs into a stray dog cornering a street orange tabby cat. Linda saves the cat, and later realizes that he has followed her to the orphanage. Linda successfully begs Miss Hart to let her keep the cat, calling him Streaky because of the white lightning bolt-like marks on his sides.
At night, Streaky is roaming about the nearby woods, smells Linda's scent, and is drawn to a mysterious, glowing pebble. Streaky pokes the rock, and he feels himself changing.
Tropes:
- Action Pet: Streaky is a male tabby cat who accidentally gained Kryptonian powers after being exposed to a piece of chemically-altered Kryptonite and became Kara's sidekick.
- Amplified Animal Aptitude: Even before gaining powers, Streaky is able to have complex and even introspective thoughts, as well as communicate with other animals.
- Animal Jingoism: Linda's pet cat is harassed by dogs twice, one of which chases Streaky only because is a cat; and later Streaky dreams about chasing bulldogs.
- Artistic License – Ornithology: One scene features an eagle swooping down on some chicks which are running scampering around the yard...in the dead of the night. Neither eagles nor chickens are diurnal birds, so neither of them should be out and about (let alone hunting).
- Artistic License – Space: Supergirl and Streaky are playing in space when Streaky's powers suddenly vanish and he starts fall to Earth, even though they are too far to get dragged by the planet's gravitational pull.
- A Boy and His X: Supergirl adopts a cat, calls her Streaky, and starts bonding with him while teaching him how to use his new powers.
- Breaking the Bonds: Streaky the Supercat plays with a roll of thick telephone cable until becoming hopelessly tangled up in it. He then simply flexes his muscles and completely shreds the cable coiling around his body.
- Brought Down to Normal: Streaky loses his powers the instant that the effects of the X-Kryptonite wear off. Given that he and his owner were off-world, Supergirl needs to catch him to bring him back to Earth safely.
- Carnivore Confusion: You would think a stray cat would not pass judgment on another predator for trying to find food wherever it can; and still Streaky derides an eagle as a bully for trying to catch a little chick.
- Cat/Dog Dichotomy: Streaky and other alley cats are depicted as vulnerable, poor things, whereas dogs fill the role of savage, brutish bullies.
- Catch a Falling Star: Streaky's powers disappear while he is floating beyond the Earth's atmosphere, and he starts falling towards Earth. Fortunately, Kara catches and carries Streaky back to the ground safety.
- Diabolical Dog Catcher: A dogcatcher looks exceptionally delighted to find and capture stray dogs using his oversized net, and throwing them into the dog pound.
- Disposable Superhero Maker: As treating a Kryptonite pebble with different chemical compounds in order to find a cure, Supergirl accidentally creates X-Kryptonite, a mineral which can give Kryptonian powers temporarily. However, Kara is unaware of the existence of the X-Kryptonite; and it is unlikely that she remembers the chemical makeup anyway.
- Forgot About His Powers: Streaky runs into a big dog and immediately leapts up onto a tree. The orange cat fearfully tries to keep himself out of the reach of the barking, angry dog when he remembers he is now the world's mightiest cat, literally.Streaky: "Hey, wait a minute! What am I afraid of? I'm the toughest cat in Creation, ain't I? Imagine me forgetting that! Now to give that big oaf a surprise!"
- From Stray to Pet: Kara finds a stray tabby cat and begs her orphanage's headmistress let her take him in, naming the cat "Streaky" because of the lightning bolt-like yellow streaks on his sides.
- I'm Taking Her Home with Me!: After being saved by Linda, Streaky begins following her around. Delighted, Linda decides to adopt the tabby cat on the spot, and asks the orphanage's headmistress if she can keep it, please, please, PLEASE?
- Kryptonite Is Everywhere: The story begins with one random Kryptonite meteor crashing into Earth and Supergirl retrieving it to make research on it.
- Look Ma, No Plane!: An airliner pilot informs the control tower that he is seeing a caped cat flying by when Streaky overtakes his plane.
- Origins Episode: For Streaky.
- Pet Positive Identification: Upon spotting Supergirl, Streaky recognizes her as his owner Linda right away (even though she wears different clothes, her hair is different, and she is flying), stating his cat instincts will not be fooled.
- Seen It All: An airline pilot believes his eyes are playing tricks on him when he sees a cape-wearing cat streaking past his aircraft; but Supergirl has witnessed so much weirdness in the short period of time that she has been living on Earth that her reaction to her cat suddenly displaying super-powers is to become happy because they can play together in new ways.
- Stock Animal Diet: Streaky -and every alley-cat in Midvale- craves for milk, to the point that the super-pet bumps a milk truck, tipping over a bunch of cans, just so all cats can have a free drink.
- Superheroes Wear Capes: Shortly after getting super-powers, Streaky accidentally collides with a Superman toy, gets its cape on him and does not try to remove it. Since he was going to be a superhero sidekick, the cat needed a cape immediately.
- Use Your Head: Streaky headbutts an eagle to drive it away from some helpless chicks.
- Victorious Roar: Exaggerated. Streaky gives a mighty roar after scaring a huge dog away. Since Streaky has jut gotten powers, his meow is magnified 50 times into an ear-splitting noise.
